I think Operation Smile is in more than 22 countries, mostly Third World. It just happened that my schedule opened up at the time they were heading to Vietnam.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I've done two USO Tours, one in the Middle East and one in Asia, and spent time with the troops.
I guarantee you that the people who watch 'Conan O'Brien' or who watch 'Entertainment Tonight' and probably a lot of these other programs have never heard of Operation Blessing. Maybe they have heard of UNICEF, and I'm sure they have heard of the Red Cross, but they haven't heard of this organization.
The U.S. has taken an active role in wars from Libya to the Central African Republic, sent special ops forces into countries from Somalia to South Sudan, conducted airstrikes and abduction missions, even put boots on the ground in countries where it pledged it would not.
I've been to many countries and watched a number of conflicts or their residue, and I've served in the military.
Over the years, I've spent time in Saudi Arabia, the Bekaa Valley, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Kenya, among other vacation hotspots.
It's clear that the United States has more to give the world than military bases.
It's alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States.
I have been to Iraq on a number of occasions. I was with the first group that went in.
I had to inspect all fighter units in Russia, Africa, Sicily, France, and Norway. I had to be everywhere.
The United States is not overdeployed or overextended with deployments in 150 countries on any given year. On any given week we have about 65 deployments.