'EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA' read all about it. WAR strikes America. Those were the headlines that consumed my hometown on September 11, 2001, as it did many others. It was described as a nightmare. We were no more than animals to the terrorists and they were out to kill.

As the nation watched in shock, the death toll claimed. We rejoiced for those that were spared and mourned for those that was lost. We mourned for our nation. But in the mist, we knew that war lingered. For many it was reliving Pearl Harbor all over.

People jumping out of windows to their death, jumping out of windows on fire, being tramped to death or being buried alive is something that we are suppose to try and understand. There is no understanding for such acts of violence. Still today, almost six years later, we are still fighting. Lives are still being lost.

The need to defend has become a high for all. It goes to the heart of protecting and preserving life and is justifiable. But the consequences are so high that we live in fear and are on constant guard for our own safety as well as our fellow man. It has to be so that it is well understood, "We will not waver, we will not tire. We will not falter and we will not fail."-President George W. Bush.

To do all that President Bush say that we will not do, we must first understand one important fact. War isn't about who wins or who loses, but about who succeeds. The battle for oil maybe won, but will we have accomplished what we wanted to happened or will there be too much destruction along the way so that winning is just that, a win with nothing left. The fight for freedoms maybe won, but many free lives will be lost along the way.

War is the most destructive act to carry the most loss of lives, and yet we must defend and protect life in order to preserve it. Understanding the War on Terror is understanding and admitting that "I want to live without fear of losing my life".

Learn more about this author, J. B. Well.
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