[Peace-discuss] DI letter published

[Dlind49 at aol.com]

The Daily Illini Online    
http://www.dailyillini.com/jan03/jan22/opinions/stories/letter01.shtml
published Wednesday, January 22, 2002 

Ignoring the facts 
Monday's DI editorial "Including women in the draft" reflects a complete 
ignorance of combat. The purpose of war and everyone's job in the military is 
simply to kill. There is absolutely no location during a military deployment 
that does not involve combat. All individuals must be ready for and willing 
to engage in combat and kill any and everything that moves. Physical 
conditioning and ability, while essential, does not determine whether or not 
you will be assigned to a job that involves direct combat. Each "job," or 
military occupational specialty, requires combat participation and thus 
killing. 

I have had exceptional women serve under and with me during peacetime and 
wartime. However, during deployments a commander does not have the luxury of 
permitting women to take maternity or family leave. During the first Gulf War 
female hygiene turned into an unattainable nightmare and that is why so many 
are on VA disability today. Military duty and especially combat is 24 hours 
per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

Today, given the eternal adverse health and environmental consequences of war 
using depleted uranium, chemical biological, radiological, and environmental 
weapons it is my professional and personal opinion that war is obsolete. The 
Gulf War confirmed casualty rate is now over 160,000 on Veterans Affairs 
permanent disability and over 8,000 dead from combat injuries and exposures. 
To resurrect an old question "Suppose they gave a war and no one came?" Maybe 
we can achieve peace?

Major Doug Rokke, Ph.D. 
University alumni

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