Why we should welcome warships

I think Jim Roche is missing some facts when he raises questions as to ‘why a supposedly neutral country should invite a US military warship to dock in Dublin and for its sailors to be allowed free access to roam our streets’ (Letters, Sept 4).

Neutral we might be, but we owe our democratic freedom from dictatorship and tyranny to the fact that the US military took on fascism and communism and defended democratic ideals against powerful totalitarian regimes that threatened all of us. They were not alone, but the victory of democracy would not have happened without them. Like all powerful nations, the US has been known to abuse its considerable power. But its abuse of power pales into insignificance when you think of the alternatives. Lastly, many members of the US military are of Irish descent. We are only welcoming back some of our own.

Anthony Leavy