In Tuesday's Collegian, Mr. Parham offered quotes from a Marine to bolster the argument that Iraq is an unnecessary war ("We fight in Iraq but ignore war at home," March 25). I disagree with both Mr. Parham's premise and Mr. Fedeli's assessment of current operations.

If Mr. Parham wants to answer "why Iraq," I suggest that he put some academic rigor into the assessment. Research independent journalist Michael Yon and the New York Times' Michael Gordon; read the Small Unit Leader's Guide to Counterinsurgency; and seek out Marines and soldiers at Penn State that have recently been to Iraq. But remember, a single account is anecdotal; it does not provide analysis.

America must deal honestly with the entire Iraq battle history since 1991, our failures during Operation Iraqi Freedom, recent progress and the solemn responsibility to leave behind a stable Iraq before exiting the battle-space. We can't just reset the board to 2003 and hope history won't repeat itself.

Hope is not a course of action. Today, in Iraq, yes we can. Semper Fidelis.

Michael Hendrickson

Class of 1996