Dear Editor: Will Rogers once said (referring to public discourse), "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion — no one is entitled to their own facts!" Those folks who hate President Bush, his policies, his father and his dog, will never let facts interfere with their pre-conceived opinions. It's understandable that one might be opposed to violence as a part of American foreign policy, but don't embarfass oneself with half-though statements about Iraq never attacking the United States.
It was 1988 — a very dangerous year — Iran and Iraq were involved in a war that saw the deaths of more than 1 million soldiers (many thousands of them 12- and 13-year-old "Pasdaran Guard" Iranian boys) from weapons made almost exclusively in Red China. Scud missiles made in North Korea were landing in an around Iranian oil fields and aimed toward the capital city Tehran. Iranian Scuds, probably manufactured in Russia and North Korea, were aimed at Baghdad in retaliation.
The United States was escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Straits of Hormuz — the USS Vincennes was yet to shoot down an Iran Air A300 Airbus, killing 230 civilians. The USS Stark, lone U.S. Navy frigate flying a clearly marked American Flag and other U.S. identification, patrolling in the Persian Gulf with it's [sic] anti-ship missile defenses inactivated in international waters and enforcing freedom of the seas, was deliberately attacked by an Iraqi Mirage jet that fired two Exocet anti-ship missiles into the hapless ship. One missile failed to explode — probably saving the ship from sinking — and only the superb damage control and seamanship of the crew averted a further catastrophe.
More than 30 U.S. sailors were killed and many more horribly burned, painfully disfigured and severely injured. Iran never had ships of the size, class or configuration of the USS Stark. The ship was reconstructed, but out of service for almost three years. (It saw service in the 1991 Gulf War.)
Iraq later apologized for the incident. According to other Iraqi pilots rescued by U.S. Navy ships after ditching in the Persian Gulf, Saddam shot that Mirage pilot personally. The Mirage jet and Exocet missiles were made in France.
Do your homework, "blood for oil people." It's the French, Russians, Red Chinese and North Koreans who will lose their best cash weapons customer — Iraq.
Tell the families of the dead and injured sailors of the USS Stark that Iraq never, ever attacked the United States.
Ret. Lt. Col. Mike Horn
U.S. Army Reserve
Military Intelligence
Tracy