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Terrorist Attack Response Help

The unprecedented attack on the United States committed on September 11, 2001 has brought tremendous challenges to our country and society.  Among those challenges are the spiritual and religious challenges before us.  Here is a collection of material that may provide some guidance or help in this most difficult time.  This is another forward from my father, Earl Nelson.

A Military(ret.) Perspective

          From: Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)

          Recently, I was asked to look at the recent events through the lens of military history. I have joined  the cast of thousands who have written an "open letter to Americans."

 14 September, 2001

  Dear friends and fellow Americans:

          Like everyone else in this great country, I am reeling

          from last week's attack on our sovereignty. But unlike

          some, I am not reeling from surprise.

          As a career soldier and a student and teacher of

          military history, I have a different perspective and I

          think you should hear it. This war will be won or lost

          by the American citizens, not diplomats, politicians

          or soldiers.

           Let me briefly explain.

           In spite of what the media, and even our own

          government is telling us, this act was not committed

          by a group of mentally deranged fanatics. To dismiss

          them as such would be among the gravest of mistakes.

          This attack was committed by a ferocious, intelligent

          and dedicated adversary.   Don't take this the wrong

          way. I don't admire these men and I deplore their

          tactics, but I respect their capabilities. The many

          parallels that have been made with the Japanese attack

          on Pearl Harbor are apropos. Not only because it was a

          brilliant sneak attack against a complacent America,

          but also because we may well be pulling our new

          adversaries out of caves 30 years after we think this

          war is over, just like my father's generation had to

          do with the formidable Japanese in the years following

          WW II.

           These men hate the United States with all of their

          being, and we must not underestimate the power of

          their moral commitment. Napoleon, perhaps the world's

          greatest combination of soldier and statesman, stated

          "the moral is to the physical as three is to one."

          Patton thought the Frenchman underestimated its

          importance and said moral conviction was five times

          more important in battle than physical strength. Our

          enemies are willing - better said anxious -- to give

          their lives for their cause. How committed are we in

          America? And for how long?

           In addition to demonstrating great moral conviction,

          the recent attack demonstrated a mastery of some of

          the basic fundamentals of warfare taught to most

          military officers worldwide, namely simplicity,

          security and

          surprise. When I first heard rumors that some of these

          men may have been trained at our own Air War College,

          it made perfect sense to me.

           This was not a random act of violence, and we can

          expect the same sort of military competence to be

          displayed in the battle to come. This war will

          escalate, with a good portion of it happening right

          here in the good ol' U.S.of A.  These men will not go

          easily into the night. They do not fear us.

           We must not fear them. In spite of our overwhelming

          conventional strength as the world's only "superpower"

          (a truly silly term), we are the underdog in this

          fight. As you listen to the carefully scripted

          rhetoric designed to prepare us for the march for war,

          please realize that America is not equipped or

          seriously trained for the battle ahead. To be certain,

          our soldiers are much better than the enemy, and we

          have some  excellent "counter-terrorist"

          organizations, but they are mostly trained for hostage

          rescues, airfield

          seizures, or the occasional "body snatch," (which may

          come in handy).

           We will be fighting a war of anihilation, because if

          their early efforts are any indication, our enemy is

          ready and willing to die to the last man. Eradicating

          the enemy will be costly and time consuming.   They

          have already deployed their forces in as many as 20

          countries, and are likely living the lives of everyday

          citizens. Simply put, our soldiers will be tasked with

          a search and destroy mission on multiple foreign

          landscapes, and the public must be patient and

          supportive until the strategy and tactics can be

          worked out.

          For the most part, our military is still in the

          process of redefining iself and presided over by men

          and women who grew up with - and were promoted because

          they  excelled in - Cold War doctrine, strategy and

          tactics.

          This will not be linear warfare, there will be no near

          "centers of  gravity" to strike with high technology

          weapons. Our vast technological edge will certainly be

          helpful, but it will not be decisive.  Perhaps the

          perfect metaphor for the coming battle was introduced

          by the terrorists themselves aboard the hijacked

          aircraft -- this will be a knife fight, and it

          will be won or lost by the ingenuity and will of

          citizens and soldiers, not by software or smart bombs.

            We must also be patient with our military leaders.

          Unlike Americans who are eager to put this messy time

          behind us, our adversaries have time on their side,

          and they will use it. They plan to fight a battle of

          attrition, hoping to drag the battle out until the

          American public loses its will to fight. This might be

          difficult to believe in this euphoric time of flag

          waving and patriotism, but it is generally

          acknowledged

          that America lacks the stomach for a long fight. We

          need only look as far back as Vietnam, when North

          Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap (also a military

          history teacher) defeated the United States of America

           without ever winning a major tactical battle. American

          soldiers who marched to war - cheered on by flag

          waving Americans in 1965  - were reviled and spat upon

          less than three years later when they returned. Although we

          hope that Usama Bin Laden is no Giap, he is certain to

          understand and employ the concept. We can expect

          not only large doses of pain like the recent attacks,

          but also less audacious "sand in the gears" tactics,

          ranging from livestock infestations to attacks at

          water supplies and power distribution facilities.

          These attacks are designed to hit us in our "comfort

          zone" forcing the average American to "pay more and

          play less" and eventually eroding our resolve. But it

          can only work if we let it. It is clear to me that the

          will of the American citizenry - you and I - is the

          center of gravity the enemy has targeted. It will be

          the fulcrum upon which victory or defeat will turn. He

          believes us to be soft, impatient, and self-centered.

          He may be right, but if so, we must change. The

          Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, (the most often

          quoted and least read military theorist in history),

          says that there is a "remarkable trinity of war" that

          is composed of the (1) will of the people, (2) the

          political leadership of the government, and (3) the

          chance and probability that plays out on the field of

          battle, in that order.

           Every American citizen was in the crosshairs of last

          Tuesday's attack, not just those that were unfortunate

          enough to be in the World Trade Center or Pentagon.

          The will of the American people will decide this war.

          If    we are to win, it will be because we have what it

          takes to persevere through a few more hits, learn from

          our mistakes, improvise, and adapt. If we can do that,

          we         will eventually prevail.

           Everyone I've talked to in the past few days has

          shared a common frustration, saying in one form or

          another "I just wish I could do something!"  You are

          already doing it. Just keep faith in America, and

          continue to support your President and military, and

          the outcome is certain. If we fail to do so, the

          outcome is equally certain.

          God Bless America

          Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)

          Former Director of Military History, USAF Academy