2nd District Commander’s Report

Greetings from the Super 2nd District!

I have been there. I have been in the deep, dark, depths of depression. I have gazed long into the abyss, only to see the abyss gaze back into me.

I remember watching the tragic kidnapping of members of the Israeli Olympic Team in Munich, Germany, in 1972. This Palestinian terrorist attack resulted in 11 Israeli athletes being senselessly murdered in the prime of their life.

I watched the Iran hostage crisis unfold in 1979, when 66 of our fellow Americans were held by Islamic extremists. For 444 days they were held hostage, eight of our finest military servicemembers died trying to rescue them.

In 1983, I watched as 220 U.S. Marines, 18 Navy sailors, and three Army soldiers were sent home in bodybags after a Hezbollah suicide truck bomber attacked their barracks. The horror of the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, numerous terrorist attacks or airplane hijackings worldwide. And 9/11/.

Many terrorist organizations have festered since then; al-Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas, ISIS, Taliban, Houthis — the list goes on and on. Many of these organizations are funded, fueled, trained by, and armed by the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

When we were in Iraq in 2006-07, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), led by now deceased Qasem Soleimani, killed hundreds of American servicemembers. We were in the Shiite-controlled south, where Iranians and their proxy Iraqi militias rained rockets and mortars down on us, and where they placed explosively formed penetrator (EFP) roadside bombs to shred our vehicles and those American servicemembers within.

Americans grew tired of war. A politician declared he would end the war, and got elected in 2008. One thing was forgotten, that both sides need to agree to end a war.

We pulled out, billions upon billions of dollars were brought into Iran by plane, and the war was over. ISIS, Iran and others had a different idea. Deep, dark, days for the many servicemembers who watched the tragedy unfold.

Time marches on. Terror in the Middle East continues. Iran has billions to manufacture munitions, including enriching nuclear material. We decide to pull out of Afghanistan, not learning our lesson from the Iraq War pullout.

I watched the chaotic scenes on the news and felt a horrible pain for the ones who had fought in that unforgiving country. And we unfroze more billions of Iranian funds so they could keep developing their war machine and sponsorship of terrorism. More deep, dark, days.

It seemed that these pullouts were this generation’s Vietnam; fight for your country, only to have your country decide enough is enough. Gut wrenching. Thank God the Vietnam veterans would not let some members of the American public protest our return from war, as they knew what that treatment did to them.

In conclusion, Iran has murdered, killed and maimed thousands of their own people, their neighbors and Americans. They continue to do so; they have no intention of letting up. They are trying their darnedest to develop a nuclear bomb, probably to wipe out Israel. We gave Iran billions to no avail. Time for a different approach so we can quit thinking about what they are going to do next. Let there be light in the region, not the darkness of the Iranian regime.

The 2nd District Testimonial starts at 5 p.m. March 28 at Brewster Post 464. Pork loin meal will be served. Free-will donation.