When this whole affair began in Afghanistan I made the statement here that some poor schmuck toting a rifle would have to go in and dig the enemy out. And when that happened, we would start seeing American casualties. A sad, but true, part of any war.

Several people said I was wrong. That air power alone would do the job.

Am I still wrong?

So far it is only a handful have been lost, but they won’t be the last. Will the public stand for many more? I fervently hope that no more are lost, but from bitter experience I know that hope is only a wish. I read the reports keeping in mind, there are several other areas in ‘Stan that will have to be cleaned out the same way. Not to mention Yemen, Somalia and a couple of other places around the world.

When a soldier has to get out of a chopper in a hot-zone, close enough to the enemy to do his job, soldiers get hurt, and some die. The reports of those soldiers getting whacked as they hit dirt from a bird brought back old memories. Not good ones.

This enemy has shown beyond all doubt their intention to die on their feet, and take as many of our people with them as they can. This means that they will fight beyond any reason, and commit any atrocities to do as much damage as possible before going to their well-deserved ends. Well entrenched and well armed, they will be hard to root out, and sooner or later we will have to start doing a cave-by-cave clearing pattern, then it gets really nasty.

Even though I knew beyond any doubt this was coming, it still is hard to know that young soldiers of many nations are about to make the supreme sacrifice, in the name of a civilized and free world.

I pray for them, I lie awake at night and wonder, in time will one of them be my son, nephew, grandson, niece, daughter, granddaughter? Someone I know?

The loss of one single human is too many, but it is times like this I know that somewhere, someone will have to do the hard part. And some of them will come home the hard way.

However you ask whatever deity you follow, ask for a quick end to this. Or at least safety for those who now go in harms way.