R.J. BREWER: We don't need a warmonger for president

As a Vietnam veteran who has served two tours of duty and is 100 percent disabled, I totally disagree with Mr. Vermeulen's Letter to the Editor on Feb. 19.

The reasons he gave for not electing another Democratic president are precisely the reasons why we should elect another Democrat for president. The GOP presidential nominees have absolutely NO military experience among them, yet most have advocated for "boots on the ground" to combat ISIS.

I was a crew member of a 1st Cavalry Division medevac helicopter and have seen it all. There is no glory in war, only pain, sacrifice and death. Saber-rattling won't win friends or influence people.

In response to the statements in Mr. Vermeulen's letter:

-- Iran took our adrift sailors to shore, fed them, put them up overnight and released them. What else could we ask for?

-- We just sailed through the South China Sea to warn China.

-- We just flew B-52 and F-22 Stealth Fighters close to North Korea to warn them.

-- If Mr. Vermeulen has any ideas as to how to stop illegal immigration, we'd love to hear them.

-- It's true we have to bring our national debt down, but Mr. Obama has raised it minimally while George W. Bush doubled it and upset the balance of power in the Middle East, thereby letting ISIS come into existence and opening Pandora's box.

-- I have always considered my country to be great. If it's a laughingstock, why do so many people want to come here?

Theodore Roosevelt said it best: "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Is that not what America is doing? We don't need a warmonger in office.

R.J. BREWER

Biloxi

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "R.J. BREWER: We don't need a warmonger for president ."