This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Veterans from World War II through Desert Storm have varied opinions on the Iraq war, but many attending a national convention today in Salt Lake City agree that the United States should bring its troops home soon - but only after completing their mission.
That's what Korean War Air Force veteran Cartatl Parrott said he wants to hear from President Bush today during his address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
"I'd like to see him get it over with and get our veterans back home," Parrott said. "I don't want to see it drag out like Vietnam or Korea."
The Heber Springs, Ark., resident said he was unsure about the war after the U.S. government failed to produce evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But, now that troops are committed, Parrott said he believes the country should finish what it started.
"They ought to not leave there until the new government is in place," Parrott said. "But it seems like it's dragging on a little slow."
In his speech, Bush is expected to reaffirm his plan for Iraq and try to bolster flagging support for the 2 1/2 -year-old war.
Desert Storm veteran James Stewart, of Ohio, said he supports the troops serving in Iraq now, but "I don't necessarily support the war."
Stewart said the main difference between the first Gulf War and this one is that Desert Storm had a clear objective: To get Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. "And in my opinion we had a true coalition of forces," he said.
Other veterans attending the convention favored the president's war plan.
"If George Bush had done nothing after 9/11 we'd be fighting the war here right now," Vietnam veteran and Utah VFW member Michael Parks said.
Lyn Dimery, a Vietnam War Air Force veteran from Murrells Inlet, S.C., said he supports the president and feels the world is a safer place now that Saddam Hussein has been removed from power.
"It's better for us being there and getting one," he said referring to the ongoing hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
"I think we're looking at another two years before we can even start thinking about a pullout," he added. "Too many lives have been lost to stop. We want to exit with a victory."
George Hall, the past state commander of the Utah VFW, agreed that U.S. troops are not yet ready to pull out of Iraq.
"I don't think [Bush] is doing enough to transfer it over like he said he would," Hall said. "They haven't taken the proper steps to pull out. They need to be more aggressive toward that goal."
World War II Navy veteran Thomas Foeorene, of Virginia, was more blunt. He said too many soldiers are dying and that the cost of the war is reeling out of control and hurting the U.S. economy.
"Get this war over with," he said. "They are too young to be soldiers. They're killing the cream of the crop. He [Bush] told us the war was over a while back and it's not over."