Attack ISIS now or face worse war later

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated June of 1914. One person killed, resulting in the First World War and 116,516 dead American military personnel. That's what I call retaliation.

ISIS decapitates or burns victims to death for no other reason than to show the world they can do it as the rest of the world lets it happen.

In 1937, the United States gunboat USS Panay was attacked by Japan, killing 3 Americans. We accepted Japan's apology and financial restitution for the atrocity. Had we declared war on Japan then, we could have defeated them and possibly prevented our participation in WW II, resulting in 405,399 dead American military.

In July 1937, in what was to become known as “The rape of Nanking,” Japan killed 40,000 people in six weeks. Women and girls were raped and murdered. Babies were tossed in the air and landed on Japanese bayonets. Again the world watched and did nothing.

In 1933 the rest of the world was a spectator when Adolf Hitler became dictator of Germany and killed thousands of innocent people and took control of other countries with impunity. At this juncture ISIS is growing in numbers and strength every day and our administration just talks about it and drops bombs to no avail.

We have no plan to stop them and they are comfortable knowing we won't do the right thing, send in troops to wipe them out in every country that allows them to be based there, even if it means war, and as a Navy hospital corpsman with the First Marine Division in the bloodiest battle of the pacific, Okinawa, I hate war. But if that's what it takes to prevent more bloodshed later, let it be.

Or we can do what we are doing now and watch ISIS continue to grow and kill for the fun of it.

Gene Maril

Arlington Heights