Would You Wear a Mask to Wipe Out Terrorism?

If there was a terrorist cell that went around the country shooting people, would your reaction be outrage? Sadness? Dismissive?

Imagine that this terror cell used the cover of night to shoot 3.8 million people and kill more than 140,000 within U.S. borders in six months. Many of the deaths are soft targets, people who live in nursing facilities or people who are already sick, but terrorists take their victories where they can get them. Yet there are also strong, healthy people who get shot and have to go to the hospital. Some die, some don't, some are left with lasting scars. And others are only beaten up a little but don't require hospitalization and only need to stay home for a couple weeks.

But every night in nearly every state, without being seen, more than a 15,000 people are randomly shot in the U.S. -- and more than 1,000 are randomly killed. The president rightfully declares himself a wartime president. This is now a war on terror.

Are there any among us who wouldn't holster up to fight terrorists in our streets? Are there any among us who wouldn't dislodge a load of buckshot into the chest of a terrorist entering a nursing facility or grocery store or school building? Are there any among us who wouldn't do their damnedest to litter the street with the bodies of those who would harm us on American soil?

What if that terrorist cell called itself COVID-19? And what if the only way to win the war on terror is to wear a face mask, keep at least six feet away from everyone else, and wash your hands. You don't win this fight overnight. It might take months, but it's the only way to actually win the war. Slowly, day by day, wearing the face mask kills the terrorists. The U.S. doesn't have any other weapon to protect its people. It can only rely on Americans to protect other Americans.

Would you do your part to protect your neighbors? Your children? Your parents and grandparents? And if not, why wouldn't you?

Reminder of 9/11

I vividly remember how we all banded together in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. I remember seeing the hijacked plane carrying 22-year-old Lisa Frost of Rancho Santa Margarita crashing into the World Trade Center. I remember seeing the buildings crumble, wiping out the nearly 3,000 souls. I remember the patriotism all of us felt, the brotherhood that eventually led some, like Jordan Stanton, to enlist in the United States Marines after graduating from Trabuco Hills High so that he could do his part in the continuing war on terror. I remember the school's marquee with his name on it as his hearse rolled past. I remember watching Cpl. Stanton's funeral at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest and the 21-gun salute. I remember "Taps" being played. Still get teary-eyed thinking about it.

I remember flying on an airplane for the first time in a post-9/11 world and the hassle of clearing my pockets and taking off my shoes and belt. I remember landing safely in Indianapolis. In those days, I remember having my neighbor's back and him having mine. We were in this thing together. We weren't going to let al-Qaeda defeat us. We were going to go back to normal, but it was not going to be without making concessions for the greater good.

Greater Generations

Wars are not won through wishful thinking. They are not won by simply returning to normal or by having a thriving economy. Wars are won with sacrifice. With discomfort. War is hell for a reason.

I am inclined to think of my grandfather's generation that fought in World War II. It was no small sacrifice to protect the world from fascist rule. My gosh, do you think our fathers would have worn a mask if they knew it could shorten the war?

The U.S. was locked into WWII for nearly four years and we lost 407,000 lives.

Six months to the day that the U.S. confirmed its first case in the COVID-19 pandemic, we have lost more than 142,000 Americans.

In a mere 180 days, we have suffered 35 percent of the fatalities that we suffered when we were staring down Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito. We surpassed the number of deaths we faced in the first World War about 25,000 deaths ago, and we have more than twice as many casualties as we suffered in Vietnam. On March 3, there were only 118 cases of COVID-19 in America; today we will surpass 3.8 million -- that we know of. There have been 463 cases in Lake Forest; if 463 of your neighbors had been attacked by a terrorist, I hope you would be moved to do something about it.

Will masks finally give us victory? A lot of smart people think so. And those who don't agree don't have a better alternative -- or any alternative. Some argue that wearing a face mask is an encroachment on their Constitutional rights. Your Constitutional rights aren't worth a damn if you're dead. And what about everyone else's right to live, to not be infected? Cite all the conspiracy theories you want about death totals and mask ineffectiveness, the extraordinary occupation rate of hospital intensive care units isn't a mirage. This is real.

Under attack by a terrorist we cannot see, that we do not understand, and whose forces are growing by the day, our weapons are limited: a face mask, social distancing, and hand-washing.

Using them is a small price to pay for protecting your family, your neighbors, your fellow Americans. It's a war that needs to be fought by everyone, regardless of the inconvenience. The costs are rising every day. The quickest way back to normal is by total commitment now.

It's all we have. That, and each other. Not using your arsenal is just lengthening this battle. It's time to end it.

Martin Henderson previously worked for the Los Angeles Times and AOL. He was named Online Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club in 2013 for his work covering local news in south Orange County for Patch.com.