Please take the time to read the attached essay by Dr. Chong. It is
without a doubt the most articulate and convincing writing I have read regarding the War in Iraq. If you have any doubts please open your mind to his essay and give a fair evaluation.

I had no idea who Dr. Vernon Chong is or the source of these thoughts... so when I received them, I almost deleted them - as well-written as they are.   But then I did a "Google search" on the Doctor and found him to be a retired Air Force Surgeon of all things and past Commander of Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio.  So he is real, is connected to Veterans affairs in California, and these are his thoughts. This is kind of long, but they are worth reading and thinking about.  The same Google search I did will direct you to some of his other thought-provoking writings.

Subject: Muslims, terrorist and the USA. A different spin on Iraq war.

This WAR is for REAL!

Dr. Vernon Chong, Major General, USAF, Retired
Tuesday, July 12, 2005

To get out of a difficulty, one usually must go through it. Our
country is now facing the most serious threat to its existence, as we know it, that we have faced in your lifetime and mine (which includes WWII).

The deadly seriousness is greatly compounded by the fact that there
are very few of us who think we can possibly lose this war and even fewer who realize what losing really means.

First, let's examine a few basics:

1. When did the threat to us start?

Many will say September 11, 2001.  The answer as far as the United State is concerned is 1979, 22 years prior to September 2001, with the following attacks on us:

* Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979;

* Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983;

* Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983;

* Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988;

* First New York World Trade Center attack 1993;

* Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996;

* Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998;

* Dares Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998;

* Aden, Yemen USS Cole 2000;

* New York World Trade Center 2001;

* Pentagon 2001.

(Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581
terrorist attacks worldwide).

2. Why were we attacked?

Envy of our position, our success, and our freedoms. The attacks
happened during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2. We cannot fault either the Republicans or Democrats as there were no provocations by any of the presidents or their immediate predecessors, Presidents Ford or Carter.

3. Who were the attackers?

In each case, the attacks on the US were carried out by Muslims.

4. What is the Muslim population of the World?    25%.

5. Isn't the Muslim Religion peaceful?

Hopefully, but that is really not material. There is no doubt that the predominately Christian population of Germany was peaceful, but under the dictatorial leadership of Hitler (who was also Christian), that made no difference. You either went along with the administration or you were eliminated. There were 5 to 6 million
Christians killed by the Nazis for political reasons (including 7,000
Polish priests). (see http://www.nazis.testimony.co.uk/7-a.htm )
Thus, almost the same number of Christians were killed by the Nazis,
as the six million holocaust Jews who were killed by them, and we seldom hear of anything other than the Jewish atrocities. Although Hitler kept the world focused on the Jews, he had no hesitancy about killing anyone who got in his way of exterminating the Jews or of taking over the world - German, Christian or any others.

Same with the Muslim terrorists. They focus the world on the US, but
kill all in the way -- their own people or the Spanish, French or anyone else. The point here is that just like the peaceful Germans were of no protection to anyone from the Nazis, no matter how many peaceful Muslims there may be, they are no protection for us from the terrorist Muslim leaders and what they are fanatically bent on doing -- by their own pronouncements -- killing all of us "infidels." I don't blame the peaceful Muslims. What would you do if the choice was shut up or die?

6. So who are we at war with?

There is no way we can honestly respond that it is anyone other than the Muslim terrorists. Trying to be politically correct and avoid
verbalizing this conclusion can well be fatal. There is no way to win if you don't clearly recognize and articulate who you are fighting.

So with that background, now to the two major questions:
1. Can we lose this war?
2. What does losing really mean?

If we are to win, we must clearly answer these two pivotal questions
We can definitely lose this war, and as anomalous as it may sound, the major reason we can lose is that so many of us simply do not fathom the answer to the second question - What does losing mean?
It would appear that a great many of us think that losing the war
means hanging our heads, bringing the troops home and going on about our business, like post Vietnam. This is as far from the truth as one can get.

What losing really means is:

We would no longer be the premier country in the world. The attacks
will not subside, but rather will steadily increase. Remember, they want us dead, not just quiet. If they had just wanted us quiet, they would not have produced an increasing series of attacks against us, over the past 18 years. The plan was clearly, for terrorist to attack us, until we were neutered and submissive to them.
We would of course have no future support from other nations, for fear of reprisals and for the reason that they would see, we are impotent and cannot help them.
They will pick off the other non-Muslim nations, one at a time. It
will be increasingly easier for them. They already hold Spain hostage. It doesn't matter whether it was right or wrong for Spain to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Spain did it because the Muslim terrorists bombed their train and told them to withdraw the troops. Anything else they want Spain to do will be done. Spain is finished.
The next will probably be France. Our one hope on France is that they might see the light and realize that if we don't win, they are finished too, in that they can't resist the Muslim terrorists without us. However, it may already be too late for France. France is already 20% Muslim and fading fast!

If we lose the war, our production, income, exports and way of life
will all vanish as we know it. After losing, who would trade or deal with us, if they were threatened by the Muslims. If we can't stop the Muslims, how could anyone else?

The Muslims fully know what is riding on this war, and therefore are
completely committed to winning, at any cost. We better know it too
and be likewise committed to winning at any cost.
Why do I go on at such lengths about the results of losing? Simple.
Until we recognize the costs of losing, we cannot unite and really put
100% of our thoughts and efforts into winning. And it is going to take that 100% effort to win.

So, how can we lose the war?

Again, the answer is simple. We can lose the war by "imploding." That is, defeating ourselves by refusing to recognize the enemy and their
purpose, and really digging in and lending full support to the war effort If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. If we continue to be divided, there is no way that we can win!

Let me give you a few examples of how we simply don't comprehend the life and death seriousness of this situation.

President Bush selects Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation.
Although all of the terrorist attacks were committed by Muslim men
between 17 and 40 years of age, Secretary Mineta refuses to allow profiling. Does that sound like we are taking this thing seriously? This is war!  For the duration, we are going to have to give up some of the civil rights we have become accustomed to. We had better be prepared to lose some of our civil rights temporarily or we will most certainly lose all of them permanently.
And don't worry that it is a slippery slope. We gave up plenty of
civil rights during WWII, and immediately restored them after the victory and in fact added many more since then.

Do I blame President Bush or President Clinton before him?
No, I blame us for blithely assuming we can maintain all of our
Political Correctness, and all of our civil rights during this conflict and have a clean, lawful, honorable war. None of those words apply to war. Get them out of your head.
Some have gone so far in their criticism of the war and/or the
Administration that it almost seems they would literally like to see
us lose. I hasten to add that this isn't because they are disloyal. It is
because they just don't recognize what losing means. Nevertheless,
that conduct gives the impression to the enemy that we are divided and weakening. It concerns our friends, and it does great damage to our cause.

Of more recent vintage, the uproar fueled by the politicians and media regarding the treatment of some prisoners of war, perhaps exemplifies best what I am saying. We have recently had an issue, involving the
treatment of a few Muslim prisoners of war, by a small group of our military police. These are the type prisoners who just a few months ago were throwing their own people off buildings, cutting off their hands, cutting out their tongues and otherwise murdering their own people just for disagreeing with Saddam Hussein.
And just a few years ago these same type prisoners chemically killed
400,000 of their own people for the same reason. They are also the
same type of enemy fighters, who recently were burning Americans, and dragging their charred corpses through the streets of Iraq.
And still more recently, the same type of enemy that was and is
providing videos to all news sources internationally, of the beheading of American prisoners they held.

Compare this with some of our press and politicians, who for several
days have thought and talked about nothing else but the "humiliating" of some Muslim prisoners -- not burning them, not dragging their charred corpses through the streets, not beheading them, but "humiliating" them.

Can this be for real?

The politicians and pundits have even talked of impeachment of the
Secretary of Defense. If this doesn't show the complete lack of
comprehension and understanding of the seriousness of the enemy we are fighting, the life and death struggle we are in and the disastrous
results of losing this war, nothing can.

To bring our country to a virtual political standstill over this
prisoner issue makes us look like Nero playing his fiddle as Rome burned -- totally oblivious to what is going on in the real world. Neither we, nor any other country, can survive this internal strife. Again I say, this does not mean that some of our politicians or media people are disloyal. It simply means that they are absolutely oblivious to the magnitude, of the situation we are in and into which the Muslim terrorists have been pushing us, for many years.

Remember, the Muslim terrorists stated goal is to kill all infidels!
That translates into ALL non-Muslims -- not just in the United States, but throughout the world.

We are the last bastion of defense.

We have been criticized for many years as being 'arrogant.' That
charge is valid in at least one respect. We are arrogant in that we believe that we are so good, powerful and smart, that we can win the hearts and minds of all those who attack us, and that with both hands tied behind our back, we can defeat anything bad in the world!

We can't!

If we don't recognize this, our nation as we know it will not survive,
and no other free country in the world will survive if we are defeated.

And finally, name any Muslim countries throughout the world that allow freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, equal rights for anyone -- let alone everyone, equal status or any status for women, or that have been productive in one single way that contributes to the good of the world.

This has been a long way of saying that we must be united on this war or we will be equated in the history books to the self-inflicted fall of the Roman Empire . If, that is, the Muslim leaders will allow history
books to be written or read.

If we don't win this war right now, keep a close eye on how the
Muslims  take over France in the next 5 years or less. They will continue to increase the Muslim population of France and continue to encroach little by little, on the established French traditions. The French will be fighting among themselves, over what should or should not be done, which will continue to weaken them and keep them from any united resolve. Doesn't that sound eerily familiar?

Democracies don't have their freedoms taken away from them by some external military force. Instead, they give their freedoms away, politically correct piece by politically correct piece.

And they are giving those freedoms away to those who have shown,
worldwide that they abhor freedom and will not apply it to you or even to themselves, once they are in power.

They have universally shown that when they have taken over, they then start brutally killing each other over who will be the few who control the masses. Will we ever stop hearing from the politically correct, about the "peaceful Muslims"?

I close on a hopeful note, by repeating what I said above. If we are
united, there is no way that we can lose. I hope now after the
election, the factions in our country will begin to focus on the critical
situation we are in, and will unite to save our country. It is your future we
are talking about! Do whatever you can to preserve it.

After reading the above, we all must do this not only for ourselves,
but our children, our grandchildren, our country and the world

Whether Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal and that
include the Politicians and media of our country and the free world!

Please forward this to any you feel may want, or NEED to read it. Our "leaders" in Congress ought to read it, too. There are those that find
fault with our country, but it is obvious to anyone who truly thinks
through this, that we must UNITE!

If you would like to see who this fellow is go to this Air Force web
sight and look him up. http://www.af.mil/bios/alpha.asp?alpha=C

MAJOR GENERAL (DR.) VERNON CHONG

Bio Tools
Printable bio
Retired Nov. 1, 1994.  
Major General (Dr.) Vernon Chong is the command surgeon, Headquarters
U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. He advises the commander in chief on all medical matters and health issues that may affect the readiness of military forces in the command. He is responsible for establishing policies for the employment of theater medical resources during crisis, contingency and humanitarian relief operations. Also, he coordinates and integrates medical support activities and develops theater medical plans.
The general entered the Air Force in October 1963 following the
completion of a residency in general surgery. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery in April 1964. He has commanded three Air Force medical centers, served as command surgeon of two major air commands, and was commander of the Joint Military Medical Command, San Antonio. The general is a chief flight surgeon, and was a surgeon/flight surgeon member of the DOD launch site recovery team for 15 space launches during the Apollo, Skylab and
Apollo-Soyuz programs.

EDUCATION
1955 Bachelor of arts degree in basic medical sciences, Stanford
University
1958 Doctor of medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
1963 Board qualification in general surgery, General Hospital of
Fresno County

>ASSIGNMENTS
1 October 1963 - June 1965, staff general surgeon and chief of general
surgery service, USAF Hospital Scott, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
2. June 1965 - June 1968, staff general surgeon, later director of
intern and resident education, USAF Hospital Tachikawa, Tachikawa Air Base,
Japan
3. June 1968 - June 1970, staff general surgeon and instructor in general surgery
residency, David Grant USAF Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
4. June 1970 - June 1974, staff general surgeon, chairman department
of surgery, and director of hospital services, USAF Academy Hospital,
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
5. June 1974 - August 1976, staff general surgeon, director of
hospital services, and deputy commander, USAF Regional Hospital March, March
Air Force Base, Calif.
6. September 1976 - October 1978, staff general surgeon, director of
hospital services, and deputy commander, David Grant USAF Medical
Center, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
7. October 1978 - November 1981, commander, David Grant USAF Medical
Center, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
8. November 1981 - March 1985, commander, Malcolm Grow USAF Medical
Center, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
9. March 1985 - February 1987, command surgeon, Headquarters Military
Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base, Calif.
10. February 1987 - May 1990, commander, Wilford Hall USAF Medical
Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
11. May 1990 - August 1991, command surgeon, Headquarters Air Training
Command, and commander, Joint Military Medical Command, Randolph Air
Force Base, Texas
12. August 1991 - present, command surgeon, Headquarters U.S. European
Command, Stuttgart, Germany

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Chief flight surgeon
Flight hours: More than 1,600
Aircraft flown: C-141, KC-135, C-130, T-29, C-5, T-39, C-21, C-12,
C-9A, T-33, T-38, H-53, H-3, UH-1

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Order of Merit-Brazil
Gold Cross of Honor-Germany

You know Its like Vietnam all over again, I agree with what the General stated.  I was in Vietnam while all of the protesting was going on here.  It encouraged the VC and North Vietnamese to continue.  A lot of good military personel died as adirect result of the protest.  If this country was united against the spread of communism in the south then the war would have been over much sooner.  Put yourself in the enemies shoes for a minute, and then look at this country from their prospective.  With all of the anti war protest going on, wouldn't you be encouraged to continue?  Especially if it makes the evening news?  Given enough time this country will implode and pull all of our troops out of Iraq, then what?  Did all of the troops who gaves their lives, do so in vain?  This is a war, as real as any other, and any one else who says different, has their head in the sand.  Its that head in the sand view that will cost all of us, and those same people to lose all of our freedoms.  And all of the men and women who gave their lives to protect those freedoms currently and in years past, all the way back to our fight for independence will have done so in vain.  Remember the Muslum terrorist want us dead, not just pacified! 

Will any of what stated hear matter? Probably not, the antiwar protesters have no grasp for the real situation, they only see that Americans are being killed in what is being called Bushe's war.  But the death of Americans started a lot earlier than this war, and as we have now seen, the Musilum Terrorist will stop at nothing to bring the war to our shores, until we are eliminated. 

If you want to read more on this situation then take a look at this link http://freedomspeace.blogspot.com/2006/03/this-war-is-for-re al.html

It should really open a few eyes.