I found Robert Klose’s March 23-23 op-ed, “Compassion, but not support for the troops,” refreshingly honest, but poorly informed. The quotations of military members he cites must have come from some publication that shares his skewed perception.

I eat, sleep and work with several thousand airmen currently involved in this conflict. Not once have I heard someone say they are doing this as a reprisal for Sept. 11. Neither are we “just following orders.” To the contrary, the bulk of us are thankful to finally have those orders, having wished long ago that we could address this problem. The intelligence data many of us are privy to paints a clear picture of Saddam as a cruel psychopath who is indeed a threat to our loved ones. For that reason we are thankful our commander-in-chief has allowed us to move ahead.

At least Klose is honest about his beliefs and spares us the hypocrisy so common on his side of the political spectrum. As I’ve explained to friends and family, if you can’t support my mission then you can’t support me. If I die in this conflict it will be for a cause I believe in – ridding the world of Saddam Hussein. If you don’t believe in that objective, how can you support me and what I do to contribute toward that goal? Instead just be honest and simply pray I come home safely.

I appreciate Klose’s compassion. If I return home through Bangor International Airport I’d love to meet with him at the pizza party so I can explain precisely what I was fighting for.

Tech. Sgt. Clifford M. Sibley

379th Air Expeditionary Wing

Undisclosed location