The withdrawal of American troops from Iraq was complete. In the past few weeks, in a massive transport operation, tens of thousands of American troops returned to American soil. They completed a complex and difficult mission with honor, fulfilling strategies that shifted with politics and conditions. The national news outlets gave this historical milestone considerable air time, column inches, and web and blog posts over the weekend. But the public has not seemed that interested. When that happens, the news media moves on to the next story. How sad.
This should be no surprise. We have not been interested in the Iraq war for several years.
I wish that were a surprise.
Four thousand four hundred seventy four American service men and women were killed in the eight year war. Over 36,000 suffered injury. Tens of thousands suffer from PTSD. Thousands developed other emotional or mental illness, Over a trillion U. S. dollars were spent. Conservatively over 100,000 Iraq civilians were killed.
And we hardly notice when it is over?
What is wrong with us?
If you were against the war, where is the relief? Where is the gratitude that it is over? Where is the reflection on the toll and the conviction that such a thing will not happen again?
If you were in favor of the war, where is the relief? Where is the gratitude that it is over? Where is the reflection on the toll and the conviction that such a thing will not happen again?
Where is the national appreciation for those who served? Where is the public policy that will address the physical, emotional and mental injuries suffered?
Where is the national discussion?
When the war began we agreed that it wasn't appropriate to discuss the war while our troops were on foreign soil in harms way. Now eight years have passed.
We can't even remember what it is we were supposed to talk about. We have moved on. But we left some precious people behind. Our sons and daughters who wear our uniforms and carry our weapons.
I hate war. It is a preposterous, obscene, barbaric means of dispute resolution.
But I just finished waging one, a long, horrible one, and so did you, if you are an American. And we let our children do our killing for us, let them drive across IED's for us, let them spend the golden years of youth in a foreign, harsh, fear-filled land.
Not to mention what we had them do to hundreds of thousands of non-military men, women and children of Iraq.
That's the problem. We really don't want to mention any of it. We just want to forget the little that we ever really knew about this war.
But this war will be with us for at least a generation. We will see it in the faces of the soldiers who so honorably did our bidding without question as they struggle to catch up, struggle to hold on, struggle to get back to normal.
The troops are home. We didn't do so well by them during the war or in their homecoming. It's time for us to join them in the fight for their lives. It's not too late.
.
Unfortunately, many of those troops aren't coming home, but are being redirected to posts elsewhere in the region for possible redeployment. Just in case McCain and the boys get their Christmas wish in Iran, perhaps...
ReplyDeleteFor good people to do nothing, as we did in the early 30's with Hitler, as we did after the war with Stalin, causes greater evil and death than trying to help people who are under their despotic leadership (see Barclay on this subject). There was much good coverage on the return of the soldiers this past weekend. No "spitting", just praise. We can't be jubilant because there are still those out there who mistreat women and girls, who still hate Western civilization and execute those who are Christiams, Jews, Buddists, homosexual, etc. Are we to just let them plan, train and then achieve their goals of domination? Let's not be guilty of "doing nothing". We need to be the hope that those who are weak can depend on.
ReplyDelete