By Nicole Falco
Valley Stream's veterans hope and pray that the war in Iraq is over soon and results in the smallest number of casualties, but the veterans interviewed by the Herald, all of whom served in wartime, said they support the government's decision to go to war.
"I think it's necessary," said Greg Feist, post commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1790 in Valley Stream. "I think the president is right about his opinion regarding the weapons of mass destruction Saddam Hussein has. By going to war now, it will stop a lot of the problems we might have down the road."
Feist, a former Marine who served in Vietnam, added that Hussein has had 12 years to give up the weapons of mass destruction he's believed to have.
"We back the president 100 percent," said Eddie Yeznach, who served in the Army during the Korean War. Yeznach said he would stand alongside America's troops right now if the armed forces would let him. Yeznach, 70, even offered to serve during the Persian Gulf war, but was turned down because of his age.
Even more than the president and the government, these troops stand behind the soldiers overseas. "We know what those [soldiers] are going through," said Joe Marando, a former Marine who served in the Korean War.
"You back your men and women in service, you have faith in your government or you might as well go live somewhere else," said Marty Kielawa, who was drafted into the Army during Vietnam.
Ron Sabo, who enlisted in the Navy during Vietnam, wondered what war protesters hoped to accomplish. "They can have their opinion, but protesting isn't going to stop the war," Sabo said. "Our soldiers are already over there getting killed. [Protesting] is not morale-building to our troops. It's the same thing that happened during Vietnam."
The images of the war in Iraq prompted Frank Milone, who was drafted by the Army during World War II, to compare the current war with the war he fought on the beaches of Normandy.
"It's a big difference," Milone said. "Years ago we had to fight for every step. Now it's more of a push-button war ... now the conflicts take place mostly at night; then, we fought during the day."
For some, like George Schuchman, post commander of American Legion, Andrew Fatscher Post 854, the war is another reminder of Sept. 11. "I think there is a correlation with Sept. 11," said Schuchman, a Navy veteran, who began his tour at the end of Vietnam. "I don't like seeing any kind of loss of life, but I think we have to rid Iraq of this person or people causing the problems."
