It is unlikely, even with our vastly superior weapons and technology, that this ground war will be over in a matter of days, as our last confrontation with the Iraqis was. It is also not likely that our casualties will be as low as they were in 1991 or 2001. We have become accustomed to antiseptic fighting -- bombs dropped from planes high above their targets, missiles launched from ships hundreds of miles away. It is what we do best -- and given the miracles of precision targeting this new warfare has saved thousands of innocent lives of non-combatants on the ground.
We would be naive to believe that the war to oust Saddam Hussein and liberate the Iraqi people can be conducted entirely from afar without risks to our own soldiers, however. More Americans will be injured or killed. Some may be captured, mistreated and used for propaganda purposes. But if we allow ourselves to become obsessed with the particulars of this war because we can bring it into our living rooms at will, we may lose sight of the bigger picture.
Every one of our American troops is precious to us, but each of them has voluntarily risked his or her life to protect us here at home and to defeat our enemy. We honor them best by accepting their sacrifice with dignity and determination.