| Iraq war through WWII vets eyes By Melissa Lauber UMConnection Staff When residents of Asbury Village in Gaithersburg pray for the U.S. soldiers in Iraq, their prayers take on a special meaning. These are the men and women who defeated Adolf Hitler and saved the world. Dubbed the greatest generation, they now follow the war with one eye on history. The coverage stirs their patriotism and their memories. On April 3, residents of the retirement community dressed in red, white and blue and gathered for a Support the Troops celebration. The next day, 11 veterans, at the invitation of the Rev. Tom Kaylor, gathered around a table in the arts and crafts room to talk. Kaylor, one of the communitys chaplains, was surprised to find three women in their ranks. They had served as nurses in the Womens Army Corps. One man served on the Manhattan Project, helping to create the atomic bomb; another served as a soldier in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars. In their 80s and 90s, some around the table were reluctant to share their war-time experiences. If you dwell on these things, you can become morbid, they agreed. Sometimes its better never to think about it. Gradually, stories emerged. The veterans shared impressions of the invasion of Europe at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, flying in supplies and flying out the wounded amid the fighting in the Philippines. They recalled small details, like how the windows in their barracks in Hawaii were painted black so that they wouldnt reflect the moon. They remembered mud and blood, the first time proximity bombs were used and, most of all, the men and women who served beside them. Todays soldiers in Iraq, many of whom are 60 years younger than the veterans, are a different breed, they decided in the roundtable discussion. Its like night and day, the veterans said, marveling at how todays soldiers are more educated, many possessing college degrees. They are part of a volunteer force and are fighting with incredibly high-tech, sophisticated weapons in battles that are broadcast in real time.  But one thing remains the same, said Bernard E. Fogle, They are there for each other. When youre in the military, when youre in a war, you know that youre covered. You have fear, but you know that you have brothers and sisters next to you.
 Kathleen Link remembers miracles amid the horrors of war. Serving as the chief nurse at the general hospital in North Africa, she recalls when penicillin was first introduced. It was so dramatic, she said. People were dying, then people began to live. But death never makes sense, the veterans stressed. I have never been one to volunteer, Fogle said. My serial number began with a three, which means I was drafted. But I can say I was glad I went. The most rewarding time for me was after the Japanese surrender, and I flew out men who were captured at Bataan and were in the Death March. With tears in his eyes, he admitted, Its still an emotional thing to hear someone play Taps. The others nodded. Taps played on a solitary trumpet will break your heart.  Ken Poch, a historian at Arlington National Cemetery, is familiar with this hymn to the dead. He believes that some of the finest hours of this countrys history since the Civil War can be found in the stories of the men and women laid to rest there.
But war is never worth the cost, he said. The death of someone you love is never worth it. Its difficult to justify death. Poch has ALS Lou Gehrigs Disease. Watching the war coverage, he questions why a 23-year-old has to die while he lives on. He is learning to put that in Gods hand, believing he still has something to write in the Book of Life. Like the rest of America, the veterans disagree about a variety of aspects of the war and debate each other.  Ed Caffery even questions the U.S. involvement. In Iraq we have 200,000 troops, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for say six months. Thats more than 5 billion man hours. What would happen if we spent all those man hours working for peace? Going after this bully is obscene, Caffery said. We have 41 million people in our country that dont have health insurance. Others around the table believe that, like Hitler whom they fought, Sadaam Hussein and terrorism are evils that must be confronted. While they disagree with one another, they never question each others patriotism. In fact, pride in their nation and a sense of duty and honor provide a common language for the people around the table. The United States is a country that believes in God we trust, the veterans concluded. We may seem like hawks, but nobody prays more fervently for the troops to come home safe. | 
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