"Out of Retirement to be a Soldier, One More Time"

LTC Mike Paul, US Army

"Super-Patriot," decorated veteran, and active duty soldier Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Mike Paul, US Army, has served multiple tenures in defense of the United States. He joined the Army in 1967, served over 20 years (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), retired from active duty service in 1996, and following the events of September 11, 2001, voluntarily returned to active duty service to multiple tours in Afghanistan, Kurdistan, and Iraq.

LTC Paul prefaced his observations about his time in Iraq as an intelligence officer with a statement of support for our troops, "Regardless of our political positions, we owe it to our service people to give them our total support."

He concentrated his observations on three primary areas: Iraq Today: The Status of Politics and the Economics of Iraq, the US Military's Involvement and the Struggles of Fighting Terrorism, and the Prognosis for Tomorrow.

Iraq Today: The Status of Politics and the Economics of Iraq Economically, Iraq is no better than when we entered the region. There is a huge unemployment problem, which in turn, leads to higher rates of crime. Sectarian violence is everywhere. Basic needs, including access to water and power, are not being met.

The current leadership is planning to model the new government after that of Iran, turning Iraq into a "theocracy" rather than a democracy. Despite the efforts to establish a democracy, there are currently no civil rights-the rule of law just does not exist in Iraq.

The economy is not working. The democracy is stillborn. Corruption among the police is bad. Despite these observations, LTC Paul believes that the premises for entering the War are still valid. Weapons of mass destruction do exist and the previous leadership in Iraq supported terrorist groups as a counter-balance to the strong government in Iran.

The US Military's Involvement and the Struggles of Fighting Terrorism: LTC Paul considers himself a "super-patriot." He shared some of his personal stories about the strength of wounded soldiers and their bravery, as well as the "mystical brotherhood" that exists between soldiers serving overseas right now. The complexion of the military has changed, but the honor, integrity, fortitude, and duty remains strong.

It is his opinion that "it is far better that we are in Iraq & Afghanistan than to have our enemies here destroying the lives of our children, because the focus of our enemies is over there."

The Prognosis for Tomorrow: Based on his experience, LTC Paul shared his prognosis that, within a year, "we will probably be in a conflict with Iran because of the momentum that country has to go nuclear. We cannot allow that to happen."