Letter: Military spending must remain high

I see people are still complaining about our military spending as too high. During our brief history, when it came to war, we were always caught with our pants down.

Think of the start of the Civil War. We had more troops stationed on the west side of the Mississippi River than we had to protect DC. Think of the disaster of the first Battle of Bull Run (not enough experience troops). Next the Spanish-American War where we had to depend on volunteer help to fight some those battles because of military budget constraints (once again not enough experience troops). Remember WWI. Do we not remember the pictures of our troops training with broom handles due to a shortage of shoulder arms and wooden tanks? Why were so many Navy ships in port on Dec. 7? I say never again.

Do I know of what I speak? I spent 8 1/2 years in the Navy as an Electrician’s Mate (E-6). I completed the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program and qualified in submarines. Of that time, I served during President Carter’s Hollow Navy time where we were short on spare parts that sometimes limited our time while on patrol.

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Letter: Military spending must remain high."