Forty Years After the Kent State Shootings During the Vietnam War

The May 6th Wall Street Journal article "Kandahar Deployments Augur Key Fight in Afghan War" by Yochi J. Dreazen began:

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.—The Army brigade that will lead the coming U.S.-led offensive in Kandahar began deploying to Afghanistan this week, signaling the final preparations for what is expected to be a pivotal battle of the Afghan war.

Hundreds of soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team — a unit that parachuted into Normandy on D-Day — are en route to bases just north of Kandahar, the Taliban's home.

The rest of the brigade's roughly 3,200 soldiers will deploy in waves over the summer, suggesting that a large-scale offensive once thought to kick off this month won't start until June at the earliest.

This story appeared two days after the 40th anniversary of the Kent State shootings that occurred during the Vietnam War.

In brief, President Nixon widened the Vietnam War on April 30, 1970, when he announced an incursion into Cambodia. Protests broke out, and at Kent State University poorly trained Ohio National Guard fired on and killed protesting students and uninvolved passersby.

While it is never pleasant to send men and women off to war, there is a major difference between then and now -- there's no draft today. The U.S. has an all-voluntary armed forces.

But although the draft was widely unpopular, the men and women who served then deserved as much appreciation as we owe the men and women deploying now. We shouldn't forget history and we shouldn't overlook our obligations to our veterans and our active-duty military personnel.

To that end, stay tuned for information on an upcoming project to dramatically raise the awareness among Americans about PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.