Page 19 - Contrast1967November

position in Southeast Asia. Even though our position
is not pleasant, it is far better than the alternatives.
In the United States, when elected officials do what
the people want them to, most Americans say little
about it. Unfortunately, they only seem to voice
their opinions strongly when they violently disagree
with present policies. This is why our Southeast
Asian position appears to have far less support than
it actually does.

4. How do you feel about evidence of civilians
being killed either mistakenly or otherwise
by "good" forces?

I am sure my feelings about civilians being
killed mistakenly "or otherwise" by allied forces
in Vietnam are the same as most everyone else's,
genuine sorrow and regret. Unfortunately, war is
always brutal and only those who have been in one
know just how brutal. I have never seen an American
or allied soldier knowingly harm an innocent
civilian, though I have heard several first-hand
accounts of such instances. Most military forces
contain a cross section of their national population,
hence they have their share of thieves and murderers,
the same men who would harm innocent people back home
where the opportunity for such behavior is greatly
limited. The accidental, deliberate, or negligent
killing of innocent civilians in Vietnam by allied
soldiers is greatly over publicized. Since it is
fairly rare, each incident attracts a great deal
of attention. (Compare this to the countless
innocent civilians murdered by the Viet Cong daily--
little is heard about it because it is no longer
news.)

Every effort is being made to avoid harming
innocent people. Examples of this effort are: it
is the policy in all U.S. units not to fire on
anyone unless he fires first; civilians are warned
to evacuate areas prior to the commencement of
military operations; soldiers who at any time
willfully or through gross neglect harm innocent
people are tried by a military court. The harming
of innocent people in war is tragic but we must in
Vietnam, as we have in past wars, realize that
mistakes will be made, no matter how hard we try
to avoid them. We must not allow these relatively
few tragedies to overshadow the importance of our
mission in Vietnam.

5. l-bwdo you feel about the protest movement
that has swept campuses across the nation?

I don't believe a protest movement has
swept the campuses across the nation. If one
has started, I am not surprised. The majority
of the literature available anywhere, including
Western Maryland College's bookstore, is against