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My Changing Perspectives on War

© Sheila Cohill

Entering high school in the late 1970s, I was born too late to protest the war in Vietnam. I remember talking with a friend about it; we both felt like we had missed something. I wanted to protest war. After all, I was a decent human being, and I thought all decent human beings would not want other human beings to be involved in war. I wondered what war was good for. Absolutely nothing, I thought. War was just plain wrong, man, and disco sucked.

By the time the U.S. became involved in the Gulf War, I was older and I thought a little wiser. I would protest this war. I still thought war was wrong. I might have been past the typical college-age of the protester of the 60s, but I saw movie stars older than me protesting on the TV news, so I figured, I could too. I remember not really understanding what the war was about at all, but I opposed it because, well, because war was wrong. How did I protest? The day after war was declared, I wore a pin bearing the likeness of John Lennon (I'm a big fan of his). The pin said, "Give Peace a Chance." I remember telling a coworker how I thought people would probably start protesting the war just like in the 60s. He didn't say a word, but he looked at me with surprise and more-than-mild annoyance. I don't know what it was about that look. Perhaps it was who the look had come from. I liked this guy and I trusted his judgment. I knew he had been in some branch of the service, and he was probably of an age where he could've been in Vietnam—I wasn't sure. But I didn't wear the pin again. I knew I just didn't understand what the war was about, even though I still thought war was wrong.

Since September 11, I have been spending 2 or more hours a day reading background information on the events and people involved in the current war on terrorism, watching TV, listening to the radio, and reading the Internet to keep up with the latest developments. I am well informed about what this war is all about.

This war is not at all about religion, race, or ethnicity. It's about stopping power-hungry, humanity-hating, religion-twisting madmen from attacking civilization and humanity, anywhere in the world they might decide to attack.

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