Pick up any newspaper or watch the news on TV, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to see at least one story covering the national and international debates over what to do about Iraq. In fact, going back to last year, it probably would be impossible to figure out how much copy and air time have been devoted to the Iraqi threat.
Naturally with a topic this big and important, the arguments have been urgent and mostly well-expressed. Government officials, labor organizations, editorial writers, general citizens and others have made persuasive and often elaborate points.
But when it comes to clarity and common sense, it’s tough to top the letter I read last month from a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps that appeared in a church bulletin. He’s stationed with our troops in the desert overseas, preparing for the possible war against Iraq.
In part, the letter reads, “All of us pray that God will grant our leaders the wisdom and skill to find a solution to this crisis. But we also pray that if we must fight, God will give us strength and safety as we deliver victory to our nation.”
You better believe I say “Amen” to that.
By the way, if you’re wondering about the morale of our armed forces, the lieutenant colonel also wrote, “A few months in the desert has a way of cleansing the mind and inspiring acceptance. It worked for Moses.”
I think the letter reflects the fact that any sane person doesn’t want war if it’s truly avoidable. But history has taught us that there are times when America really doesn’t have a choice.
Today, the fact is that we are at war against terrorism. And that war almost certainly will extend to Iraq.
We’re in it—and union members are playing a vital role in the operation. Our brothers and sisters throughout the AFL-CIO unions are going about their jobs with efficiency, dedication and patriotism. Thousands have geared up for service in the Middle East as reservists and members of the National Guard.
I’m especially proud of the jobs being performed by the unions of the Maritime Trades Department, of which I am the president. We see their commitment and essential productivity throughout the country and overseas.
We see it on the docks, where Longshoremen are working with the Coast Guard and other officials to ensure safety in our nation’s ports.
We see it on our American-flag ships, where Seafarers and other union mariners are transporting troops and vital cargo to strategic locations in the Middle East.
We see it in our shipyards, where Electricians, Painters, Steelworkers, Boilermakers and others built many of the military support ships and Navy vessels and Coast Guard cutters that all play a key role in the war on terrorism.
We see it along the railroads and on the highways and in the skies, where Machinists and truck drivers and pilots and flight attendants and other union members are tackling unprecedented challenges.
And of course, we saw it from the very first moments of September 11, when all of this started. Our brothers and sisters from the Fire Fighters, the Operating Engineers, the Laborers, the Iron Workers, AFSCME, other emergency responders, and many, many other unions answered the call that day and every day since then.
As AFL-CIO President John Sweeney recently noted, “The American labor movement has supported the President in the fight against terrorism and we are supporting the President in the fight to free Iraq. The American labor movement has stood with every President in time of war and we will stand with our President today if war comes.”
Brothers and sisters, there’s no debate about that.
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