I am against war, in all of its fashions and forms. Like most people, I harbor this hope: that war will eventually wear itself out and find no place on earth in which to function. In the meantime, war is here, now, and we are wrapped up in several of them.

To that point, if we are so involved in ever evolving conflicts, I want our folks to win. Not just the wars themselves, but all of the battles, engagements, etc., that make up the bloody matrix that is the sum of war.

I have come to understand that getting to the end of war is a process. To get there, all of the wars to come must be fought first, and I wish for the U.S. to fight them well, to be the best trained, most able to survive, and the most courageous under fire.

I say let the jets fly where they must, and learn to be the best there is in all circumstances and conditions. War is noisy stuff and we should be able to make the most noise, rather than become whispers in a jet storm.

Mike O’Connell

Oak Harbor