Allied Victory in Mideast War

If there is one lesson to be learned from the Gulf War, it is that politicians start wars and the military finishes them. As a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, I am glad to see that politicians did not hamstring the military the way they did during Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, it was the misguided amateurs (politicians) who prolonged the conflict and kept the military from winning it. I hope that this war teaches the politicians that they should stick to pompous pontifications and leave the prosecution of war to the professionals. No one wants war, but if it is necessary, it should be run by the people trained for it.

LAURENCE N. BRUGGER

Lancaster