Military ensures safety, survival
Angel Bruce
sophomore
President Roosevelt declared Dec. 7, 1941 a day that will live in infamy forever. On Sept. 11, 2001, Pearl Harbor was forgotten. The unthinkable happened — America was attacked on her own soil at the heart of the nation and by her own aircraft. The entire world has changed with the destruction of the World Trade Center and the hit on the Pentagon.
They are comparing this attack to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but it's not the same. Pearl Harbor was an attack on a military base by a country, an attack seeking a strategic advantage over the United States; it was an attack to draw isolated America into a war that was already raging in Europe.
This disaster was different. This was an attack by an unknown group of terrorists, it was an attack on the symbols of America, it was an attack on the innocent citizens of this country, it was an attack on the very essence and make-up of American freedom and the freedom of the world.
Innocent people died when we bombed Japan, but they were innocent people in a country that had declared war. In the same fashion this terrorist organization has declared war on us. We face the issue in responding that once again may lead to innocent people being attacked. Innocent people who may or may not be a member of the terrorist organization that has cruelly and cowardly crossed the line and invaded American soil.
Right now we don't know whom we're fighting, we don't know where the enemy is, we don't know how to demand retribution for the thousands of lives lost Sept. 11. Our President however, has decided that we are going to war. I have no doubt that America's military will be able to decisively, expeditiously and accurately single out the individuals responsible for our current situation and punish them for the crime they've committed.
Coming from a long line of military personnel where the Air Force is the family business, I had always heard about pacifists but had never been in contact with one, until last year. As a freshman at Notre Dame and an ROTC cadet as well, I was both angered and fascinated by Pax Christi. In the end my curiosity got the better of me and as a private citizen and not a representative of the military or ROTC, I attended a meeting and spoke to members trying to figure out why they wanted to do away with the ROTC programs specifically and the military in general.
It was beyond my mind's capacity to imagine how the United States could be safe without a military. I understand their philosophy that someone must be the first to act to achieve peace, but I've also lived outside the country most of my life and have seen how other countries and other cultures see America and its citizens. For this reason I could not imagine America being the first one to lay down her arms.
Now in light the events on Sept. 11, events that happened even with the protection of the world's greatest military forces, I'd like to know what Pax Christi thinks we should do. What's it going to take to make you feel safe and unafraid again? In seeking well-known landmarks, what if our own Notre Dame campus was targeted? What campus is more famous than ours with the Golden Dome or Touchdown Jesus?
My father fought a war against Communism and I will be fighting mine against terrorism. I can't imagine anyone who callously murdered as many Americans as those who lost their lives Sept. 11 calmly sitting down to talk about our differences and work things out. I would like to know from the individuals who protested the Presidential Pass and Review Ceremony last spring and demonstrated around the Peace Memorial how America should react now. We ignored the threat of terrorism after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and now it's happened again on a larger scale. This is the largest single act of terrorism that's ever been committed, devastating if it had occurred anywhere in the world, but especially traumatic because it was committed against Americans. Should we once again try to peacefully work things out or should America do what America does best?
I know many Americans are sleeping better tonight because they know our fighters are patrolling the skies, our sailors are guarding our coasts and our soldiers are securing our borders. It would be taking away the basic human need for safety to deny these citizens their right to armed forces.
But once again my curiosity has demanded I find out how this part of Notre Dame, of the world, thinks. Do you really believe America can survive without her citizens in uniform? What is it that we should do since the U.S. government does not negotiate with terrorists?
Angel Bruce
sophomore
Howard Hall
Sept. 17, 2001
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, September 20, 2001
