To keep things in perspective

Read these two articles.

First, retired Gen. Robert Scales, a distinguished military historian, reminds us how a history of World War II published in Christmas 1944—that is, at about the same interval after Pearl Harbor that we now stand from the invasion of Iraq—would read.

It's a story of mistakes piled on blunders, of U.S. conduct that provoked war and massive intelligence failure. Yet it's not the whole story and not how we remember World War II. And today's news coverage, General Scales suggests, might not be how we will remember Iraq.

Second, military veteran and columnist Jack Kelly tells some of the stories of heroism in Iraq. He reminds us of the deeds of Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who has been recommended for a posthumous award of the congressional Medal of Honor. Sergeant Peralta was not a U.S. citizen when he died; he enlisted the day he got his green card. Amid the current concern about illegal immigration, we should remember immigrants like Sergeant Peralta. How about renaming the main street in his hometown here in the United States after him?