Johnny Joey Jones: Soleimani deserved to die
Retired Marine Johnny Joey Jones reacts the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran's Quds Force commander.
As a retired Marine who lost both legs and suffered other serious injuries fighting in Afghanistan, I want to be supportive of our commander in chief for his decision to order the killing Friday of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.
But I know this action could be leading America into a war with Iran that could result in the death and wounding of many Americans. So no one should be cheerleading the killing of Soleimani as if we’ve simply scored a touchdown in a football game. We shouldn’t treat war like a video game, or a movie where the good guys always win and live happily ever after.
As a Marine who worked daily with top-secret classified information in both Iraq and Afghanistan, I can tell you honestly that I have no idea what will happen next. I don’t think anyone really does.
As the old saying goes, no matter what plans one side has in a conflict, the enemy has a vote as well. And as Newton’s Third Law states: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
So once the bombs, missiles and bullets start flying, anything can happen.
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Already, TV news shows are filled with “experts” and elected officials debating President Trump’s recent actions in Iraq – both the retaliatory missile strikes that killed 25 members of a terrorist militia Sunday and the killing of Soleimani and other terrorists Friday.
One side argues that the U.S. attacks were exactly what was needed to deter Iran from continuing to fund and orchestrate the activities of terrorist groups, seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and propagating regional hatred against Israel.
The other side argues that the U.S. actions are exactly what could get us into a needless, endless war with a country that is only our adversary due to our penchant for regime change. Some Democrats even claim President Trump simply wants to look tough in an election year and get the media to talk about something besides his impeachment.
What I do know is that in 2007 I deployed to Iraq with the clear and successful tactic of a troop surge to rid Al Anbar province of insurgents. I deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 with the clear and successful tactic of a troop surge to rid Helmand province of Taliban profiteering from the opium harvest.
What I cannot tell you is what the strategy in operating in either of those places was the day after each of those objectives was met. Like the dog who catches the car he is chasing, we had no idea what do once we achieved our initial goal.
As an experienced warfighter, I understand why President Trump is determined to fulfill his threats to bad actors. Making threats and then failing to follow through only encourages our enemies to do us greater harm.
But I also know full well the feeling many military service members have today knowing they could be on the precipice of going into a war where some of them could die and others could suffer permanent and life-changing wounds like mine, with little understanding of why and to what end.
After two decades of continuous war, America has the most experienced, prepared and well-led military we’ve ever had. But our justifications for using military force are not clear. It all depends on who you ask.
There’s no question that Soleimani was a brutal terrorist leader responsible for the killing of thousands of innocents. He headed the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
ew if any Democrats and Republicans in Congress dispute the fact that this leader of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization deserved to die. But right now we don’t have much information about what led to the decision to kill him at this time, and no one knows how much death and destruction could result from Iran’s promised retaliation for his killing.
Having a president who takes quick and decisive action is appreciated and popular among our military ranks. Our culture is to expect orders and the opportunity to carry them out successfully.
It’s almost surreal to look back and see that the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations couldn’t even produce such obvious and necessary leadership while I served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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But after two decades, and now with a much more formidable enemy in our sights, a war with Iran would demand much more than simply quick decisions and consistent actions. It could be far more costly in lives and treasure than our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If we wind up in a war with Iran, President Trump will have to get it right. The American people should require it, and the men and women fighting the war deserve it.
So as the experts tell us what to think, Republicans predictably defend the president and Democrats attack him. Pundits who never went to war tell us what a war with Iran would be like. It will be up to all of us to view all their arguments with skepticism.
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As American citizens, it is up to each of us to seek the truth and demand accountability.
We are a courageous nation and we fight for what is right and good. We must insist that we fight only when our cause is just and when we fully understand the sacrifices our men and women in uniform could be called on to make if we enter a costly new war with Iran.