In reply to yet another reply to my original letter (dated February 21), A Thipthorpe (letter dated March 21) made a comment saying that I should go and fight the war myself and also said that I should switch my brain on before putting pen to paper.

I would like to say to A Thipthorpe and indeed anyone with the same opinion, that before I wrote my original letter to the Evening Advertiser, I started making arrangements to join the Parachute Regiment.

I made that decision because I hold such strong pro-war opinions on the current situation in Iraq.

I am well aware that war is not the most favourable situation to be in and I don't particularly relish the thought of fighting a war. But I am prepared to fight for this cause and if necessary lay down my life for the peace and freedom of the entire free and democratic world.

Also I would like to add that Iraq is not just the Middle East's problem, it became our problem when Saddam Hussein sponsored Osama Bin Laden to attack the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

It was America that was attacked not Iraq, we merely acted in defence.

It is also our problem when Saddam Hussein trains terrorist to hijack planes on his jumbo jet that he has specially for the purposes of training terrorists to attack the West.

Saddam Hussein also has vast stocks of chemical and biological weapons that he has used on innocent civilians before and will almost certainly do so again.

I know that America used the A-Bomb in Japan in 1945 but let's not be concerned about what an old government and an old president did over 50 years ago.

I understand that Britain and the United States also hold some weapons of mass destruction, but we have not used them on innocent civilians recently and I don't think we ever have (with the exception of the incident in 1945 with Japan).

So I say to Tony Blair and President Bush, please do not give in to the peace protesters and as I have said before, hunt this madman down by any means necessary and bring him to justice for the crimes he has committed.

Daniel Lake (17 years old)

Parkstone Walk

Park South

Swindon