Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Blog #11 - Should Charlie Wilson be considered a hero?

We watched some short videos about Charlie Wilson and learned a little bit his role in helping the Afghani muhajideen fight against the Soviet Red Army from 1980-89. Charlie brought taxpayer money together w/ Saudi money to buy (initially) Soviet weapons and then buy American shoulder-launched Stinger missiles to shoot down the Soviet helicopters.




By supplying the Afghani fighters w/ aid, Charlie, Gust Avrakatos, Milt Bearden and the CIA helped end the Soviet Army's occupation of Afghanistan (and quite possibly) and the Cold War by bankrupting the Soviet Union.





"Pakistan's then president, Gen. Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, who had allowed the weapons to move through his country on CIA-purchased mules, credited Wilson with the defeat of the Russians in Afghanistan. 'Charlie did it,' he said.

Thus, the largest covert operation in the CIA history ended with
Russia's humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan.

But in Charlie Wilson's War (2003 Grove/Atlantic), George Crile notes that the
U.S.-financed war against the Soviets in Afghanistan also helped create the
political vacuum that was filled by the Taliban and Islamic extremists, who
turned their deadly terrorism against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

After the Soviet withdrawal, the CIA tried to buy back the weapons they
had supplied, but were largely unsuccessful."





At the end of the 60 Minutes profile on Charlie Wilson, Morley Safer said that Charlie felt that the U.S. was making the same mistake again and again; we were "changing the course of history" and then not helping to fix the situation after the war was over. Charlie felt that if Afghanistan was not fixed after 10 years of occupation, it could "fall into civil war and then become a home to terrorism."



As for Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden and 9/11/01, Charlie felt that a terrorist attack was inevitable: " 'We would have had something like 9/11 anyways. I think that bin Laden had his course pretty well set... But when you fight a war, you do what you think you need to do at the time. What seems right at the time is what you do,' Wilson says."

Question: Should little-known Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson be considered a hero of the Cold War? Why or why not? Give some specifics from the videos that we've seen or article links that I've provided.

150 words minimum. Due Friday, April 3.


CNN interview with Charlie Wilson, retired Congressman: http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/23/charlie.wilson/index.html

53 comments:

Johanna Hilbert said...

Charlie Wilson: a man with character. He was the one who got Congress to pay for weapons for the Afghanistan people to fight against the soviets. He promised the people help and he kept his promise. He was not just a man of words, but also a man of actions. He actually visited Afghanistan and the refugee camps, not like other politicians who stayed in their safe little bubble in D.C. and just kept talking and had no idea about the brutal reality. He saw the pain of the people, the despair. I think to do such a thing you have to have courage and faith in yourself and believe in a better world.
So in my opinion Charlie Wilson is definitely a hero and he shouldn’t be blamed for the Afghanistan civil war and the terrorism that concluded from that. He warned the world ahead. He wanted to change the lives of the people, wanted to build their future, but Congress didn’t care. This again is a good example, that not all politicians do the right thing; they are just closing their eyes and hope that nothing will happen to their country. Charlie didn’t close his eyes, he even looked further in the future and he was right. The world needs more people like Mr. Wilson.

Anonymous said...

I don’t think that Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero of the Cold War because he helped a lot but he didn’t completely end it. The war still went on even after all he did. The main people that helped included him so he should get among the most consideration and the most recognition. He did a lot with it all. One of the main reasons that he shouldn’t be considered a hero is that because of his actions in his war and him arming the people of Afghanistan he caused Al-Qaeda to form. This was one of the worst events of the entire war. In my opinion he did do some good but he brought all of that down all because he was part of the creation of Al-Qaeda. The good made up for the bad but not for all of it. So really Charlie Wilson should not be considered a hero of the cold war.

Ben Doozan

Lisa Surnow fifth said...

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union slowly started to bomb Afghanistan and take control. When word got out, Charlie Wilson went to the refuge camps to see what damage had been caused by the United States Enemy. Wilson realized that the people there were getting blown up left and right and the army trying to stop this was using outdated and useless weapons compared to the Soviet Unions up to date artillery. So Wilson went to his fellow congressmen and persuaded them to give the Afghans billions of dollars. Now from this the Taliban formed but Charlie Wilson couldn’t of seen that coming. How was he supposed to know that after all was done there a group of people were going to take over the land because no government would? I don’t think that Charlie Wilson is a bad man because he was doing the right thing at the time by helping out the innocent people that were getting blown up. The government is more to blame for letting this radical terrorist group form in the first place.

Evan Fried said...

Calling Charlie Wilson a hero is all based on how you look at it. Personally I think he was a hero. How many people in history took up their time to go help people who they did not know. He represented more than just some congressman, he was a person who still had his moral values intact and was not looking for the riches of oil. Sure, he gave out tons of weapons that helped lead to modern day Al-Queda,, but that’s the thing, he was doing what was right at the moment, and that was helping these afghans fight against the Soviets. If America would have done it’s job to stay in Afghanistan and help stabilize the country, this wouldn’t even be an issue right now, he would be a hero and no one would question what he did. In my eyes, Charlie Wilson was an American hero.

Sam S 5th hr said...

I do think that Charlie Wilson school be considered a hero of the cold war because he stated that if we do not fix Afghanistan then they will start a civil war. He warned the US of what could happen but they didn’t listen to him. He also came up with the idea the Afghans use the WW2 weapons to fight the soviets. He also visited the refuge camps to actually get an idea of what was going on in Afghanistan. He was one of the few congressmen who actually looked out for the interests Afghans.

Tim T. said...

Charlie Wilson should not be a hero in the eyes of the American, but he is a hero in the Afghanistan eyes. In the eyes of the Americans he probably did the worst thing for the U.S by training rebels in Afghanistan. When the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan, the U.S did nothing to help rebuild the cities. The people of Afghanistan and the fighters did not like this, so they turned in the worst terrorist group in world has ever see. Even better when Charlie Wilson thought it was a good idea to train the rebels, he was training Osama bin laden, the most wanted person in the world today. You might say that he did not know that this was going to turn out this way. How did Charlie Wilson not think, that when he was helping a country that hated us this would not end this way. It always seems that America always jumps in and acts like the world police, ever though we did not send troops into Afghanistan we still helped them by funding the rebels. When we act like the world police we have to go against one side and that side hates us for a long time. The U.S needs to let other countries fight there own battles. In the eyes of the Afghanistan we did a big favor because we got the Soviet Union out of there country and we help bring money back into the country. We also helped by training rebels to fight a certain guerrilla warfare, that no army could defeat because they had no plans. It is Charlie Wilson fault that we are in this war, because if we did not step in we would not have trained rebels fighting us and they would not have any money to attack the U.S. Most likely the Soviet Union would have defeated them; this war on terror would have never come up. Even congress did not like Charlie Wilson he was useless and people reelect people they know in congress. In my eyes Charlie Wilson is not a hero.

Jack DiLaura said...

I think that Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero. He helped a country pretty much by himself at the beginning that most americans didn’t know much about. He knew that Afghanistan needed help or they would lose to the Soviets. This war weakened the USSR a lot and helped end the cold war in general. The Soviets ended up spending so much money on this war that they ended broke. He also actually went to the country to find out how bad life was for them, and knew he had to help. He had the courage to fight for what he believed in even when no one else did. He showed that one person can make a difference in the global scale. He shouldn’t be blamed for the Afghanistan Civil War either. He predicted that if we didn’t help Afghanistan get back on their feet, they would break out in civil war. So, if we had listened to him again, we could’ve avoided the civil war in Afghanistan.

Allison Woodberg (5th hour) said...

I think that Charlie Wilson should be considered the hero of the Cold War, because Charlie Wilson was wise enough to know that the United States would have a terrorist attack against it, like nine eleven, sooner or later. Charlie understood that the United States should have stayed in Afghanistan in order to help them rebuild their city and government after a dirty, destructive war. Charlie provided some aid to the Afghani fighters, which brought the cold war to an end, because the Soviet Union ended up going bankrupt. The sooner the Cold War ended, the less damage that would be done to Afghanistan. The less damage done, the less blame rests on the United States shoulders. Although it is arguable that Charlie Wilson was not the hero, but he instead helped bring upon the terrorist attacks to the United States by helping supply Afghanistan with guns and other supplies, I say that he still is a hero. I say this because Charlie made an honest effort to help people who were getting blown up and losing their homes due to this war. Not only did Charlie help these people but he helped to defeat the Soviet Union all together.

Allison Smart said...

Charlie Wilson was a great man who cared deeply for his own country but also for the countries of the world. His goal in Aiding in the Cold war was to help the people of Afghanistan. Many congressmen wanted to help but they never really took the time for figure out exactly what was going on over there. Charlie Wilson Actually flew over to the country and saw the people hands on and the destruction that the soviets had done to their country. Charlie then came home and was able to get money to buy weapons for the Afghanis. This aided them greatly because before that they were using old WWI Weapons that were very ineffective. With the help of Charlie and his efforts the Afghanis were able to beat the soviets.
I think that Charlie Wilson Should be considered a hero of the Cold war. He was the only person that actually cared enough to get right down into it all. Although Charlie knew that the terrorists would probably still attack Afghanistan and the United States he made a noticeable change in the Afghani’s lives. I just wish that the US congress would listen to Charlie in following up on the war and rebuilding a government so that other wars wouldn’t have started.

Anonymous said...

Basically calling Charlie Wilson a war hero, is how you look at it. In my opinion he is a war hero. Charlie was overall a caring person, wild at times. He helped the Afghans get the Soviets out of their country. Some of the things he did went unaccountable for, he spend pretty much his whole life caring and helping others. He ran fun risers to help pay for the missiles to shoot down helicopters(Solvents. Not only he helped the Afghans to get the Soviets out of their country but he also helped rebuild their economy and government. When everyone wanted to just leave and say we won the war vs the Solvents. The way i look at it, in my eyes there should be more people like Charlie Wilson in politics; Charlie Wilson was an American Hero.

Tyler DeWald 3rd

Dallas Paritee said...

Do I think that Charlie Wilson should be remembered as a hero of the cold war? Yes I do, he did many things that were very critical in our success in the Cold War. It was basically an arms race, space race spying and proxy wars. Charlie Wilson was a generally well liked man who was very popular. He was a Texas congressman who provided congressional dollars for CIA operations. He also helped link Saudi Arabians money with the CIA. Charlie started working on a project fro a projectile missile to shoot down Soviet helicopters which in the end paid-off. Ronald Reagan started the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The soviets were shocked in this plan and wanted their own but were broke. They left the country in 91 and Charlie said we need to help the Afghanistan’s rebuild their country, because if we don’t it could be disastrous. The U.S. government didn’t listen and then Al-Qaeda was formed.

Donavin Camarata 5th hour said...

Well with this it is very difficult to determine whether or not Charlie Wilson should be seen as a hero or not. The reason for this being Charlie never did anything really “substantial” in his career, he was a charmer and spent a lot of time at parties or doing other distracting activates. It wasn’t until what was happening in Afghanistan was brought to his attention he did something that was very much worth while. It was brought to his attention that hundreds upon thousands of innocent Afghanis were being killed because of the Soviet Army’s occupation of Afghanistan. Soviets were making toy or candy like mines that little kids would see and mistake them for the real thing and (if lucky) lose their hands and or legs. It was then Charlie decided to help the Afghanis fight back buy getting a hold of taxpayer money and funding the Afghanis with guns and U.S. stinger missiles to shoot down Soviet helicopters. It is no question that what Charlie did was right and did help save many lives from the Soviets, but however once Al-Qaeda terrorists groups used these weapons against us. Now people may think that Charlie was responsible for this-giving terrorists these weapons, but it seems that it was inevitable when we didn’t stay to help reconstruct the countries we occupied for so long and just left throwing them to the hands of terrorists. I firmly believe that Charlie Wilson was a hero to the cold war helping to save many from the Soviets, and should not be blamed for Al-Qaeda getting a hold of his weapons and using them against us

Anonymous said...

Charlie wilson should be considered a hero of the cold war. even if he gave out tons of weapons to a group that later became Al-Queda. he said that we should stay or it is going to be worst than ever before. he was the least 25 most effective congressman but he was diffinelty a hero during the cold war. he even went to afanistan to see what it was like for himself. I truely think he should be a hero. just look what he did for america.

Kyle DeWald

Anonymous said...

CHANEL

**During the Cold War The Soviet Union slowly started to take control of Afghanistan. Wilson went to the camps to see what was happening to these people and he finally came to a conclusion of what had been going on. Charlie wilson should somewhat be considered a hero becuase he did a lot to help The Cold War but then aain he did not completly solve all the problems. He did not solve the war he helped it, because if he would have completly solved it, it would not have still gone on after his assistance in it (but then again even superman cant solve EVERYTHING). Pointing out the flaws that he created like Al-Qaeda are things that say NO HE IS NOT A HERO!. In my opinion he did all that he felt he should but did not did not finish solving the issues (something a hero would do).

Jake Chmara-5th hour said...

I believe that Charlie Wilson should without a doubt be considered a hero of the Cold War. Charlie was responsible for getting congress to purchase the weapons needed to get the Soviets out of Afghanistan. He pushed the issue when no one else was taking the initiative to do so. He gave hope to the Afghani people and almost singled-handedly pushed the Soviets out. I do not understand how someone could not consider him a hero. He did nothing that was negative for the situation and helped out a nation that was being bullied by an empire. He was also right on the money with his prediction of Afghanistan falling to terrorism if we did not stay there and help to rebuild the country. He knew that if the U.S did not stay and help rebuild the country, the government could fall to the Taliban and end up a haven for terrorists. Charlie warned us of this, and this is exactly what happened.

Mike Mafrice said...

To call Charlie Wilson a hero depends on what you think is a hero. He did anything just to stick it to the Soviet Union and enjoyed every part of it. In my opinion I see Charlie Wilson as a hero. He spent a lot of time visiting refugee camps to get information on what goes on in such camps. When visiting these camps he witnessed the brutal effects of the Soviet Union bombing Afghanistan. Some of the effects were kids with no arms or legs and nobody knew where it was safe to walk because there could be a land mine anywhere. Wilson decided he should step in to take down the Soviet Union so he decided to give billions of dollars to the Afghani military to buy bombs and weapons. People can argue he made the wrong decision helping out the Afghani but how was he supposed to see them turning into a terrorist group.

Joe Wallace said...

I think that Charlie Wilson should be considered as a very important person in a beneficial way to the United States. After all he helped our relationship with Afghanistan a lot because of his passion. There was no way he was going to let the Soviets bully Afghanistan and he let everybody know that. He did everything he possible could to help the Afghanis and did not stop until the Soviets were defeated. He was the only man that built solid relationships with the Afghanis and they trusted him. He raised money to support the Afghanis and supplied them with all the weapons they asked for. I’m not sure if he should be considered an American hero because although he was American it seems like he helped the Afghanis more than the U.S. Even though at that time the Afghani – American relationship was very crucial and he is the one man that strengthened the whole thing. I still feel that the Afghanis should appreciate him more than the Americans should. Overall though he was a great guy and I don’t know why anybody could not think he was truly a hero.

Anonymous said...

Charlie Wilson should be considered an American hero because what he did when no one else thought they should was something not a lot of people would do. He took something very important to himself and shared it with everyone and wasn’t afraid to show it. When people doubted him he made them change their doubt and what he did with the cold war was something you don’t find so often in American politics. He made sure people knew what was going on with the war and he took it very dear to his heart. When the war ended and he warned them that if they didn’t help them stablize a government and schools that they would be taken over by terroists and that’s exactly what happened and it proved that even a little known congressmen can do big things and for that I do think that he should be considered an American hero.
Jacob SIlver

Anonymous said...

Melanie Eiten
Charlie Wilson, even though considered one of the 25 least effective congressmen during his time, should be considered a hero for several reasons. First, he had an ability to communicate with all three parties in the house, was very sure of himself, and he effectively used that forum to express his concern for the Afghani people under the rule of the Soviet Red Army. He wanted the Soviets to pay for what they had done to this country and its people. Secondly, he was the spokesperson for the Afghani people. As he said, “If we don’t help now, the country will be a home for terrorists.” Unfortunately for the Soviets, they did not take him seriously. Lastly, he used his political ties with Saudi Arabia to combine their money, and American tax payer money and bought Soviet weapons and American shoulder-launched stinger missiles for the Afghanis to enable them to destroy Soviet tanks and shoot down Soviet helicopters. It is for these reasons that Charlie Wilson is a true hero.

Katie Nicholls, 5th Hour said...

I think that Congressman Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero of the Cold War. I think this because he helped out the Afghanistan people by providing them with support and defeating the Soviet Union. He also put the Soviet Union into bankruptcy. Charlie Wilson was a very fair man and always treated everyone with respect. He was also very much a gentleman. He never pretended to be anyone he wasn’t. He always wanted to bring freedom to the Afghan people. Charlie was a “Democrat bucking the Nixon landslide, and quickly became known for his high-living escapades.” Wilson showed his support by going over to Afghanistan and helping them personally. He also collected billions of dollars to help financially support their mission to defeat the Soviets. Even though 9/11 happened, maybe because of the U.S. withdrawal, Wilson doesn’t blame the U.S. He says, “We would have had something like 9/11 anyways. I think that bin Laden had his course pretty well set... But when you fight a war, you do what you think you need to do at the time. What seems right at the time is what you do.”

(Information from http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/23/charlie.wilson/index.html and http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=4042676&page=2 and the movies we watched in class)

Ismail K said...

I think Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero. He was a politician in Texas and decided to look at what’s going on in Afghanistan. When he arrived he saw that America wasn’t doing enough. He saw that the weapons we were giving them weren’t efficient and many Afghanis’ were getting killed or injured fighting against the soviets. He helped get money to give better weapons to the Afghani’s like rocket launchers to shoot down soviet helicopters. He also built confidence in the Afghani’s by visiting them and making friends. He also helped train the Afghani’s and to better prepare them for war. When they fought they were able to drive the soviets out of Afghanistan. To all of the citizens in Afghanistan he looked like a hero. Because he was, he was the only one that cared about them because everyone else in politics didn’t want people to find out about the war. To us he was because he helped bring down the soviets and you don’t know what they could of done if they took over Afghanistan. He also warned us about civil war and Al Qaeda so if we listened we could of possible prevented 9/11.

Anonymous said...

I think that Charlie Wilson does deserve to be considered a hero. He went from being a politician that no one looked at to a man that greatly influenced many people. In most comic books the hero is a person that is ignored and trampled on because they are nothing special. Once they find that something special, like Peter Parker and the radioactive spider, they stand up for what they believe in. This is the same story as Charlie Wilson, without the spider. Instead it was his views that inspired him to rise up and help defeat the powers of evil…I know this analogy may be a little webby but I think that it wraps around quite well. Like all comic books the hero always has a nemesis and that venomous archenemy is the Soviet Red Army. Peter Parker/ Spider-Man has New Yorkers to protect and Charlie Wilson has Afghani muhajideen. These similarities are undeniable, some might say they are in the same web.
Ryan St. John

Chris Webberly 3rd hour said...

In my opinion, Charlie Wilson was a major contributor to the Cold War in a good way because of the fact that he help resolve the issue and solve the problem that was the war. Supplying Afghanistan with taxpayer money and Saudi money help pay for the costs of the war initially, which was about 5 million dollars. At the end of the war, they came out with 2 billion dollars. That is definitely a benefit to have made that much money over a period of a war. So yes, Charlie Wilson was and should be considered a hero because of what he did.

Elaina Gardner said...

I think Charlie Wilson should be known as a hero of the cold war because he got congress to buy weapons for the war and he kept all of his promises he made to the people. If he said he was going to do something he didn't back out or decide not to do it he did it. He also spent alot of his time visiting refugee camps and was determined to change what he saw there. He knew that when you see a child with their arms blown off--that's when things have to change. He wasn't one of those guys who would just hear about it and believe it he wanted to see it for himself which is why he went to afghanistan to check it out for himself. He didn't want to just take someone elses word for it he wanted to know first hand what was going on there. He was thought of as a guy who was sincere and honest and he didn't do harm to anyone else. He didn't do anything negative so there is no reason why he shouldn't be considered a hero. He did great things for our country.

Tyler Porritt (5th) said...

I think that Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero. He was well liked by everyone. He was fair; he gave both sides an equal opportunity to explain themselves. He was influential with the Afghanis; they loved him. The reason they liked him so much is this: he tried harder than anyone to help them against the Soviet Union. He wanted to supply them with weapons to fight the Soviets and force them to leave the country. He went to Afghanistan to observe the Afghani citizens. What he saw horrified him. The Soviets used cheap and dirty tricks to hurt the heart of the country, the children. Toys were dropped from helicopters, and when children would play with them, the toys would blow up. Charlie Wilson wanted this to stop immediately. He was trying to do his best to save the country, but our government failed in the clean-up job. After the Soviets were kicked out, we refused to install a new government and help rebuild, despite Wilson’s pleading. Wilson did his best to help a country in need, and is a hero because of it.

Gauri Gupta said...

Should Charlie Wilson be considered an American hero? In my opinion yes he should. Charlie was a very popular Texas congressman. He was very well liked by all people around, though he did get wild at times. He was a man of actions and not just words. He was one of the few people who actually had the courage to go to Afghanistan and look at the brutal conditions of the camps. Of how the soviets were treating those people, how young kids had lost arms and legs in bomb explosions. He funded the CIA operations; it was him who asked the congress to help them. It was his envision that if we did not help that country now it will become place of all terrorist activities (which is almost proved right). He also helped link Saudi Arabians money with the CIA. It is in no way his fault that the CIA disintegrated and resulted in the formation of the Al-Qaeda. He should be considered as a very important person and a beneficial way to the United States. He worked as much as he could to make things better. I think there is no reason why he should he considered a hero in the cold war. We surely need more people like Charlie Wilson.

Barry Clay said...

I think Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero. In the cold war Charlie Wilson saw that the people of Afghanistan were more important than concealing the fact that the United States was giving them weapons. Charlie Wilson actually went to the war zone and saw the effects of the soviet war tactics and was determined to help their war effort, not create a civil war and future American enemies. Charlie Wilson took it upon himself to get weapons to Afghanistan for peace and that alone is worth being a hero. Emotionally you could see that Charlie Wilson sincerely cared for the people of Afghanistan ever since he visited the hospitals where he saw children with a various amount of injuries and heard stories from the locals about horrible Soviet war tactics. Importantly though at first Charlie Wilson stood alone against are Congress to do the right thing and he succeeded. Charlie Wilson worked hard enough to allow many congressmen to change their mind about the Afghanistan issue and reaped billions of dollars for his cause. Charlie Wilson’s defending Afghanistan was the right thing to do but when U.S. did not listen to him and instead of staying and fixing Afghanistan, just like Charlie Wilson predicted, Afghanistan fell into civil war and was taken over by terrorist which we fight today.

bobby haag said...

Blog #11. bobby h..
Yes, I think Charlie Wilson should be considered a Cold War hero, but not a main hero. He was a congressman who helped out to end the Cold War as well as ending the Soviet’s army occupation of Afghanistan. To me that sounds like a big accomplishment. He also made the Soviets bankrupt, which was a reason that helped defeat them. Charlie Wilson requested a two-fold appropriation increase for Afghanistan and it went through because he was in charge in running CIA operations. He also gave a lot of money to gain anti-aircraft weapons and gave the Afghans $300 million. Charlie Wilson should be considered a help to the Cold War, but not a main hero of it.

Katie Robinson said...

Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero. Charlie Wilson worked tirelessly to achieve what he thought was right. He dedicated his life to helping other people, and bringing down a nation that he believed to be evil. He supplied Afghani people with weapons in order to save their lives and drive away the Soviet Union from their land. He also helped strike a blow against the Soviets; something America had been striving to achieve for years. Charlie worked very hard to help the Afghanis defend themselves. He also risked a lot, and fought a lot to achieve what he needed. People were against Charlie Wilson’s intentions a lot of the time, saying that it would “draw attention” to the U.S. helping the Afghani people. But Charlie didn’t care, and he still did his best to protect them. Charlie Wilson should be a hero because he helped end the cold war by helping to drive the Soviets from Afghanistan.

Anonymous said...

I would say Charlie Wilson could be considered a hero because not only was he willing to help his country he was willing to help others. He helped the country of Afghanistan by helping them in the cold war. Charlie was nice enough to go home and get money to buy weapons for the people fighting the war in Afghanistan. For him to be able and willing to do that he was definitely a hero. I’m pretty sure the people in that country consider him a hero also. But even though he knew they would probably still be attacked he made a difference in the lives of the people in Afghanistan.
China Wells 3rd Hour

Anonymous said...

in my opinion, Charlie Wilson was a hero because of his decision to take taxpayers money and instead of spending them on something that would have little significant to helping countries, he put it towards a solution to a world wide problem with terrorism. By buying weapons from America and the soviets he had put restraints on the people prone to terrorism in Afghanistan which had prevented them from braking out into home terrorism on them selves and other countries. by doing this he had saved thousands of lives from certain death from attacks due to the problem being left unsolved. I also agree with him that a 9/11 was bound to happen and could not be prevented by any world power but now we can lower the risk of it repeating itself.

Eric Bruning
Hour 3

Matt Trogu said...

I think that Charlie Wilson should be called a hero. He helped out a little known countries that many people didn’t know about and he gave them aid. For example he tried the hardest to help that Afghanis get away from the soviets power, and he did this almost all by himself. Another reason why he should be a hero is because; he gave the Afghanis weapons to help protect themselves. Some people could have looked at this in a negative way; they could retaliate back at us for some reason or another and it was just like helping them defeat us. Though Charlie Wilson was not a main hero in the cold war he was a big hero and these are just some reasons why people would have thought that he was a "Cold War Hero"

Anonymous said...

charlie wilson:
Charlie Wilson was a hero in the sense that he fought and struggled for something he thought was right. He worked very hard to help fight against the Soviets, who he believed were wrong doers. Wilson also gathered and supplied the muhajideen with money so they could have suitable weapons to fight and tried to buy Soviet and U.S. missiles. He also was able to foretell the struggle in Afghanistan or it would become a place of civil war and terrorism. He turned out to be right. I believe that Charlie Wilson was a cold war hero. When you see someone standing and fighting for their beliefs – working really hard to get their hopes realized – it can be hard to look at them and not think of them as a hero if they are doing things to help others. He did things pretty intelligently and thoughtfully and maybe if we had listened to him earlier on, a lot of things could have been avoided.

Sydney

Danielle Madgy said...

In my opinion, Charlie Wilson didn't do a lot for this country, but he did some very important things that will be remembered. Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero because not only did he feel that terrorist attacks were inevitable, but he also felt that the United States was making the same mistakes over and over again. He always worked for what he thought was the right thing to do and brought down the country (s) he thought would eventually destroy the world. He would supply Afghanistan with fighters and aid, as well as help from the CIA. Charlie Wilson also brought weapons and launched missiles at the Soviets. In the end he also did what he felt was necessary and he ended up being right about everything. It just goes to show you that if you strongly believe in something, you should go for it because you never know what the outcome might be.

Anonymous said...

Yes I would definitely consider Charlie Wilson to be a hero. I would consider him to be a hero due to the fact that he worked, and fought very hard for what he believed in. Charlie Wilson did not rest until he knew that he had completed the job that he set out to do. For example, he gave aid to the smaller countries that had not been given recognition in the past. Charlie Wilson should also be considered a hero because of how he set out to help the world wide issue of terrorism. Another reason why Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero is the fact that he provided weapons to the people of Afghanistan, to help protect them from harm’s way. Another reason why he provided the people with weapons was so that they could drive the Soviet Union away from their land.
Allacia Gibson

Anonymous said...

I think that Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero. He was liked by everyone. He was a very fair guy. He gave both sides a turn to explain themselves. He was helpful with the Afghanis. This caused the Afghanis to love him. They liked him so much because he tried hard to help them against the Soviet Union. He wanted to supply them with weapons to fight the Soviets and force them to leave the country. He went to Afghanistan to see what was going on there. What he saw happening made him so upset. The Soviets did very bad things to hurt the families and citizens living and visiting there. Toys were dropped from helicopters, and when children would play with them, the toys would blow up. Charlie Wilson didn't like this at all. He was trying to do his best to save the country, but our government failed in the clean-up job. The Soviets were kicked out, we refused to install a new government and help rebuild, despite Wilson’s pleading. Wilson did and tried his best his best to help but couldn't rebuild the whole country and is a hero because of it.

Amanda S.

Alana Walker said...

No I do not think Charlie Wilson should be considered a Hero of the Cold War even though he helped out A LOT, the real heroes are those that fought in the war. Congressman Wilson was passionate about what went on during the Cold War, that is probably why he fought so hard for it. He worked hard to get the US and Saudi Arabian weapons so they could fight and defend themselves from the Soviets. He also helped by bankrupting the soviets. He played a big part, and should be commended for it but he isn’t exactly a “Hero”.

Danielle Madgy said...

I think Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero for everything he has done for this country. Even though there were probably many people that doubted him, he knew what he was doing. He made it so we had weapons in Afghanistan and he made it so the Soviets would leave the country. Even though he never actually fought in the war, he played a big role. Heros are all around us, the biggest ones are people who fight in the war, but everyone can be a hero in there own way.

Luke Szczurek said...

I do not think that Charlie WIlson should be considered a hero. Even though he helped create a end to the cold war and stop the Soviets bombing the Afganians, he's not a hero. He was just doing his job and he just did a good job of it. I think that the people that should be considered the heros are the soilders the fought in the war and that put there lives in danger. He helped out other little countries help defend thereselves by getting them weapons and aid. He did a lot of things to help other countries and America and should be rewarded and congrated for it but i dont think he really fits as a hero.

Anonymous said...

Kevin L.

Should Charlie Wilson be considered a hero, without a doubt. First of all this man was little know Texan who basically took on the whole Soviet Union basically by himself. I don’t think there is a question about it. He is a hero. After watching the video and seeing thoughts kids with no arms and hands it was sad, and Charlie gave those people some closure for a few years until Afghanistan again broke into civil war. Some people may say that Afghanistan went to hell after their war with the Soviets was over but Mr. Wilson cant do everything some other big names in the government should have stepped up and tried to help theses poor people. The government could have stepped up and helped rebuild schools, give the citizens the proper help they needed to start a new and healthily life, and the US government should have done something or put someone in charge of he Afghan government so the civil war never happened. Yes the group of people that took over Afghanistan ended up being some of the if not the worst terrorist in history but that wasn’t Charlie Wilson’s fault, he never planned for that to happen. After watching the movies with the real Charlie Wilson in them I learned that he truly cared for these people (the Afghans) he wasn’t just helping them to get votes for re election he cared so much that he flew over there many times from what we saw. I think the world needs more people like Charlie Wilson.

Anonymous said...

Paige Peak... hour-4

Charlie Wilson was the texas congressman who was knot very well known. Eventhough that was the case, and he didnt quite help end the Cold War.i think Charlie Wilson should be considered a hero for the Cold War because even though he didnt end it he helped the Afghani fight against the Soviet Red Army and used taxpayers money to buy American shoulderlaunched Stinger missiles to shoot down the Soviet helicopters.In a way he faught against the Soviet Army all by himself. For that i think he should be considered a hero.

Brandon Kauth said...

Should Charlie Wilson be considered a hero? No, I do not believe that he should hold the title as a “hero”.
He was more of an outspoken congressman who actually got up and did something about the problems going on in the Middle East. He was not just your average congressman sitting behind a desk in some office back in the United States, he was on the front lines providing funding for the good guys. Which in turn I believe has come back to bite us. I think he is a prime example on what a politician should be, but by no means should he be considered a hero. He is a man of words and a man of his actions. He committed and followed through with what he said he was going to do. He changed many lives and saved more I’m sure. Great guy, but no hero. We could use more people like him in our society.

Mary Seymour said...

mary seymopur
3rd hour
sorry its so late!
I think that Charlie wilson should be considered a hero for many reasons. He helped slow down a potentially extremely dangerous cold war that was not easily avoidable. He offered a ton of money to the Afghans to help recover from the bombings from the Soviet Union and to help them stand up for their country. I think that if he did not give them all of these weapons and all the money that he gave to them, then a lot worse of things for sure would have happened and i think that Afghanistan was very lucky to have charlie help them and they should be really grateful. Ok so he might have aided a very dangerous group and helped them be more unsafe to be around, bt he had no way of predicting that any of that was going to happen and he didn’t have a crystal ball to look into, just like the rest of us. I don’t think the US should hold a grudge against him for that because its not really his fault.
If he didn’t give Afgahnistan that money, then worse would have happened and Americans would have rudely blamed him for that too when really he didn’t do anything wrong, he just had to make a tought choice. I think he made the right choice by giving them that money and he should be considered a hero because he really helped out a ton of people

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