War as a Last Resort

In many ways, Dr. O’Brien was a lot like Paul Berlin during the Vietnam War. They were both young American men who were drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight for a cause that was quite unclear to them. All they know is that they are there because they love their country, family, and friends, and are fighting in this war to protect all that is dear to them. These soldiers had put their lives in the hands of those who were giving them orders from thousands of miles away. Both Dr. O’Brien and Paul Berlin fought in a war that seemed endless because they trusted those whom they thought were more experienced. I agree with Dr. O’Brien when he said that war should be the last resort. In order for political leaders to grasp this concept, they should be the first to be sent into the war zone. Only then will they understand what it is like to really be in a war, and not just bark orders from a safe distance away. If they valued the lives of others as much as they valued theirs, other alternatives would be taken before war.