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Letter: We should help house the war refugees
Op-Ed · September 17, 2015


I assume that you most likely are as troubled as I am as you view the tragic photos of refugees streaming out of war-torn areas of Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Eritrea, Congo, etc.


I watch horrified as parents, like myself, flee to safety, many times losing their lives and those of their children in the process. This has been building for years, yet developed nations around the world seem totally unprepared to deal with this crisis.

We here in West Branch and indeed in Iowa have a history of giving shelter to those in need. During the Vietnam war aftermath, I, along with friends, settled a refugee family of eight. This is not work for the faint of heart, but it can be done.

We are a generous, compassionate, populace. We enjoy an excellent education system. We go to bed at night trusting that we will wake in the morning to a peaceful land where we are free to worship and work without fear and educate our children to achieve even greater accomplishments.

We are the home of the greatest humanitarian who taught us how to address crises like the one we see unfolding in the world — President Herbert Hoover.

Remember how he was able to save the entire nation of Belgium from starvation. He sent food to the starving people of Russia, even though that country was no bastion of liberty. He did this without a cell phone, without a computer, and without the advanced logistics that our country now uses. I doubt he waited for permission from “official bureaucrats.”

What indeed would Hoover do, faced with this crisis?

Imagine if every village, town, city, metropolis in this great land would agree to offer shelter and a hand UP to just ONE of these families in need?

Is West Branch willing to step up and meet the need?

Let’s do something besides weep at the images we see on TV and in the news.

Ellyn Paulus, West Branch