Letters

Two books cover this part of history. One is an old Ballantine Books release, The Destruction of Dresden. The other is Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.

As a naturalized American citizen, I served my country in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era, and I am here to tell you, whether you are on the giving or receiving end, war is hell. And no matter what kind of smart weaponry we have—laser-guided or whatever—the more complex this stuff gets, the more prone it is to failure, and like it or not, we need to expect this and learn to live with it. It is unfortunate that innocent lives are lost due to malfunctions or mistakes, but these mistakes are no different from the drunk in his car wiping out a family in an accident while he lives.