Yeah the Friday before 9-11, we had a missing man formation for retreat. Basically recognizing all the graduates of the Academy that have died in the past year. Very emotional every year but falling so close to the anniversery of the terrorist attacks made it that much more. If you've never been to a missing man formation and seen the missing man flyover it's quite an experience I suggest you go see one.
Anyways, the war on terrorism is just in my opinion. I think it was necessary to remove Saddam from power. How many times can we let the UN slap him on the wrist only to have him give us the finger? However, although the military instrument of power was very effective in removing the leadership of Iraq, which will go a long way in protecting the rights of the average Iraqi citizen (not to mention the protection of our country), the battle against terrorism is hard to end with just military might. When Iraq is said to be a breeding ground for terrorists, it is in the most literal sense! There are schools that young Arab men can attend to be indoctrinated with Islamic fundamentalist extremist ideals. We can always bomb the training grounds, but as we do, I see the line between homes and training grounds becoming thinner and thinner. Maybe a taste of democracy in the nation will condition a culture that does not 1) hate Americans and 2)does not turn to terrorist acts as a means of conveying its message. Just throwing some ideas out there.