Jon A. Custis ’91, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, wrote this letter to Bates Magazine on March 7, 2003, while stationed at Tactical Assembly Area Ripper, 30 miles south of the Kuwait-Iraq border.

When I was passed the sheepskin in 1991, I had no idea I would find myself, 12 years later, in the middle of the Kuwait desert preparing for war.

I am the company commander for a Marine Light Armored Reconnaissance Company, which is in turn part of the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, normally stationed at Twentynine Palms, Calif. We are the "eyes and ears" of the 1st Marine Division and operate much like the cavalry of a time long past. Our job is to find enemy forces so other elements of the division can attack, and to prevent the enemy from finding the division when it is stationary.

The young Marines in my unit come from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds. For many, it is their first deployment, and certainly not the six-month rotation to Okinawa, Japan, we expected in January of this year. They all understand the risks and have come willingly.

I've stood among them as they endure the hardships of separation from family, extreme climates, and simple dirty, hard work. When I watch them, I ask myself where such fine young men come from.

Although each Marine joins the Corps for his own reasons, they show a common bond of self-sacrifice and service to their country. They and I realize that not every American supports a war with Iraq. We also realize that many Americans actively protest against war. We hope that the public remembers it is our sacrifice that ensures their freedom and the right to protest.

I left Bates with what some would consider a fairly liberal mindset. To some degree, I still hold many values instilled in me by the Bates experience. My life after Bates has been an eye-opening time and has left me with a somewhat harder edge. I had the opportunity to serve in Somalia in 1994, where I witnessed man's inhumanity against man. It was there that I realized we, as Americans, cannot live in the world as we would like it to be. We must deal with it as it is, including its harsh realities.

I could go an about why we must use force to remove Saddam Hussein, but that is not why I write. I do want to say, however, that among the men around me, none of them holds ill will against the Iraqi people. We recognize that predicament they are in and do not want to cause them unnecessary harm or suffering. Our division commander, Major General Mattis, sums up his expectations of our conduct with one simple phrase: "No better friend, no worse enemy." If Iraqi citizens embrace us, we must do all we can to ensure they are offered protection, aid, and the opportunity to get back on their feet. If they stand with Saddam, they will wish they hadn't.

As we inch closer to conflict, I'm certain that members of the current Bates student population are prepared to protest. The campus had its share of that in early 1991, when Operation Desert Shield was about to transition to Desert Storm.

For some, I imagine the desire to protest is part of growth into adulthood, and in itself part of the Bates experience. Make no mistake though, from a service member's perspective one cannot "support the troops" but not support the war. Protest is not an a la carte proposition, because caveats to a certain position simply get lost in the background noise and never stand out in a front-page news photo. After all is said and done here, I'd be more than happy to come to campus to debate my point.

As a parting note, I wish all the current students a pleasant, deep experience until they graduate. The world is often a very cruel place.