Condemning soldiers

I appreciate Fr. John Dear's opinion piece on the Society of Jesus' renouncing ties to the military and applaud his goal of ending war (NCR, Jan. 25), but I must suggest some additional considerations. We don't blame police for crime or firefighters for fires, so why do we blame the soldier for war? Our Constitution clearly gives control over the military to our civilian government. Secondly, most U.S. military personnel see themselves as peacemakers, as in "Blessed are the peacemakers," who have far more to lose than the civilians who deploy them. In the real world, if you eliminate the soldier, you also eliminate those who protect civilians, who can quickly respond to disasters such as the Christmas tsunami or Hurricane Katrina and even the National Guard who respond to floods, tornadoes and blizzards. If Jesus did not feel it necessary to condemn solders, perhaps the Jesuits shouldn't either.

Last, in regard to the "evil program called Reserve Officer Training Corps" which "train[s] young people how to murder other people": As a former ROTC instructor, I can assure NCR readers that leadership, management, ethics and history, not murder, are in the curriculum. I personally hope that ethical, moral people, including Jesuits, continue to shape our future soldiers. Remember, the scythe can be used for good or evil depending on the wielder.

SHEILA LAUGHTON

Newport, Minn.

COPYRIGHT 2008 National Catholic Reporter
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning