In the Feb. 10 edition of The Times Record, Bob Jorgensen wrote in his local commentary (“ War forces men to behave outrageously”) that, “ Frankly, I don’t think the lives of the entire population of Afghanistan are worth that of a single American soldier.”

Even taken out of context, that comment needs to be countered.

Perhaps he was choosing an exaggerated way of showing his love for American soldiers — as in “Even the entire population of any nation anywhere isn’t worth the life of an American soldier.”

But the words are unacceptable to anyone who values human life or who seeks a peaceful world. To make such a statement about a human being living anywhere on this planet makes the speaker, whoever he is, seem very small.

It makes him seem too easily swayed by the kind of political rhetoric that seeks to engage us in these endless wars.

American soldiers are our sons and daughters, our husbands and wives, and we love them beyond imagining. We want what’s best for them.

We want wise and honest leadership for them. We want to be part of a cooperative society in which people, not profits, are the bottom line.

When our soldiers obey the command to invade other nations (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya) or to encircle China and Russia with our weapons — or to consider war in Iran — it is horrible to consider that they are following orders given by people who are neither wise nor honest.

Too often our soldiers head out to “serve their country” without a full understanding of what they’ve been asked to do.

What does it mean to “serve” one’s country?

That’s a huge question worth thinking about slowly and carefully. What is in the long-term self-interest of our nation and our planet?

Whether one believes that we’re invading nation after nation in the name of a “War on Terror” or to conquer gas and oil reserves for our own use, are we taking time to ask who issues the battle cry and who benefits from the soldiers’ labors?

Should we take more responsibility for holding our “leaders” accountable for the choices they make, choices that affect our lives so profoundly? For example, if there were plenty of well-paying civilian jobs, would so many be so willing to dare the hell of war?

We know that violence leads to more violence and that it is not an effective way to “resolve conflicts” or to “bring democracy” or to offer leadership worthy of the name.

The life of one American soldier holds the same worth as the life of any other victim of war. Each of them is worth our greatest efforts to create a world free from war.

ROSALIE TYLER PAUL lives in Georgetown.