Editor

Mr. Ivan Simic, I will start with the same warning that Mr. M. T. Tuaileva sounded in his letter "US saved Serbia from tyranny". You are very misleading, cunning and shrewd.

Let's first talk about the US economy. We here in America are just fine. Our children are still well fed. They are still well clothed. They still lie down at night and say their prayers on a warm bed. We share with those who are not fortunate enough. The laughter and smiles we see and hear from our children makes us wonder if there is really a recession. We know there is a recession but we are going to walk out of it together. I don't have time to write all day so I will get to the point.

Re. "US saved Serbia from tyranny [2]."

I am sure that M. T. Tuaileva was not talking about Tongan American Officers fighting and saving Serbia from the Nazi during World War II. He was talking about the Tongan American Officers who went to Serbia in 1995. He was talking about the Tyranny leaders that were indicted at the World Court at The Hague in the Netherlands and not the Nuremberg trial. He was not talking about Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goring, Joseph Goebbels and the NAZI of 1940s. He was talking about Solbodan Milosevic, Nenad Tanaskovic, Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic and the Bosnian Serb and the Genocide they committed in the 1990s. He was talking about what happened at Srebrenica. You can call it the Srebrenica Massacre or the Srebrenica Genocide. Srebrenica is now remembered as the worst atrocity since World War II. The year was July 1995. Srebrenica had been designated a United Nation safe area three months earlier and after the break up of the former Yugoslavia. Thousands of Bosnian Muslims had sought refuge there as the heavily armed Bosnian Serb army (not Axis Army) marched towards them. The 100 lightly armed UN Dutch peacekeepers who defended the city were no match for them. The Dutch peacekeepers were forced to stand aside. In a five-day orgy of slaughter, 8,000 Muslims boys as young as 10 years old and men were systematically exterminated. It started the day before with 30,000 Muslims fleeing the Serb army and crammed into the town. Within days there was not one Muslim left. Some fled, and some were wiped out in Serb ambushes. Those who hid in their homes were hunted down and slaughtered. Who would ever forget the TV footage showing women and children being separated from their fathers, grandfathers, husbands, brothers and sons and put on buses? Who would ever forget watching General Ratko Mladic telling these women and children that they will be safely reunited with these men? And who would ever forget what happened later? When the cameras were turned off, the slaughter began.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague gave us a glimpse into the horrors and crimes against humanity that happened there. Video evidence of men, women and children stripped of all human dignity just because they were either of different race or religion. We will never know how many people died there. There are families still picking through the rubbles and the mass graves searching for their loved ones. Some have identified them, and some will never know what happened. These families will always remember August 30th, and September 20th, 1995. The day America and its NATO allies finally stood up and put a stop to the madness.

You see America and its Allies will always stand up to protect those who are not strong enough to protect themselves. America has been told that she is fighting too many worthless wars. America has been told that she is playing too much of a world protector. In my humble opinion, I'd rather be the most honorable protector than the most useless bystander. I'd rather die fighting on my feet than live serving on my knees. There is no hope if no one is brave enough to stand up and confront Evil. We always know that Evil happens because 'good men do nothing'. Let me remind you once more. America and its Allies (including Tongan American Officers) were brave enough to stand up, confront, and end the insanity that happened at Srebrenica. The year was 1995 Bosnia and not 1942 Germany.

Note:

During World War II, a group of brave Tongan Warriors took up arms and joined the US and its Allies. The one that lost his life and those who returned home knew they won. They knew they won because they chased all Axis forces out of the Pacific.

Sione Tulimaiau

stulimaiau [at] billingsclinic [dot] org