May 23, 2004
The Hawks on Iraq, and My Lost Son (2 Letters from the NY TIMES)

To the Editor:

In "The Hawks Loudly Express Their Second Thoughts" (Week in Review, May 16), you note that the shapers of thoughts and architects of the war now have troubling doubts about their enthusiastic support of the invasion of Iraq. How sad for them.

I am the mother of Sgt. Sherwood Baker of the Pennsylvania National Guard, soldier 720. That number is seared on my soul now, along with the screams and despair of my family and the wind carrying the sound of taps above the weeping crowd at the grave site of my son.

To me and mine, the consequences of the failed judgment and outright lies of the Bush administration and its apologists and spokesmen are not just becoming "depressed" or "angst-ridden." We have lost our brave and beloved son, who was ordered to the war these folks dreamed of and hoped for.

The explosion that killed my son in Baghdad will go on in our lives forever. Sherwood gave the full measure of his responsibility as an American citizen doing his duty for an administration that betrayed him.

CELESTE ZAPPALA
Philadelphia, May 17, 2004

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To the Editor:

For a few moments, it is gratifying to those who have argued consistently against this Iraq war to watch the hawkish supporters of President Bush's disastrous policy experience a change of heart and mind (Week in Review, May 16).

Yet never, it seems, do these self-proclaimed sages credit their opponents with having been correct or say, "If we had listened to others, we would not be in this mess."

Their errors have lost American and Iraqi lives and are bankrupting our country both economically and intellectually. Their sense of certainty and lack of respect for opposing points of view have contributed to the partisan division of our nation. Humility is not only a virtue; it is critical when considering war as a policy option.

The administration's combination of secrecy and certainty has made our democracy suffer grievously.

DANIEL D. MORGAN




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