Support our troops

Dear Editor,

I am writing in to remind all those critics of our service members that until they serve in the armed forces, it is best to keep their criticism to themselves. You have the right to voice your opinion about policies during this time of crisis, but keep to policies.

Service members have families and friends still living in McCook and across Nebraska. They are going through enough right now, and shouldn't read or hear negative (Open Forum letters) about their service in the United States Armed forces. They are supporting the men and women who are defending your right to free speech. They will be giving the ultimate sacrifice to maintain the integrity of this country and your free way of life.

We are under a serious threat of evil from people who want the American way of life to end. This means we will be fighting this evil for several years, and in many different countries. If we sit and wait for them to come to the United States, thousands or millions of our citizens will die! We need to actively seek out and destroy this evil whereever it is hiding. And this means going into countries that harbor this evil. Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and many other nations have decided not to comply with the United Nations.

They manipulate every policy or resolution set by the Security Council to keep their government in power. If we the United States don't take a hard line stance against them, who will? I will leave you with a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt (Paris Sorbonne, 1910) so you can soul-search where each of you are during these challenging times: "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Sgt Michael T. Roth

308th Transportation Co., Army Reserves, Lincoln

(McCook Senior Class of 1987), brother of Matthew A.B. Roth 1013th QM, Army Reserves, McCook.