The War

The war in Iraq hit a milestone today. As of today we have lost 4200 soldiers. There is no telling how many have been damaged for life either physically, mentally or both.
Jilda works at a local drug and rehab center that treats returning soldiers. There is rarely a day that goes by that she doesn't shed tears for the condition of some of America's best.
I was not one of those who grew weary of the war and became vocal late in the game, I have been against it from day one...not against the troops, but against this war.
The war in Afghanistan is a different story, Al Qaeda attacked us and we went after them. I can live with that.
As these folks come back scarred, they will need a tremendous amount of care. We as a country owe these men and women a great deal and I think we should provide the best care possible. In some of the past wars, I think we allowed the government to get by doing less for our veterans.
I've heard some of the older people say, "We didn't have all these problems with the returning troops for WWII." I don't believe that's true. I don't think we were sophisticated enough to recognize the damage. I had an uncle that saw bad things in France. He arrived home damaged. A few years later, he put a 45 pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger leaving three children.
I said all that, to say this. I hope the new president can find an honorable way to get us out of this mess and I also hope that we don't sell our soldiers short when it comes to doing right by them.