With all of the great writing that exists, few passages capture our attention to the level of committing them to memory.
For me, one such passage is from Cormac McCarthy’s book, The Crossing. It begins:
“She said that her grandmother was skeptical of many things in this world and none more than men. She said that in every trade save war men of talent and vigor prosper. In war they die.”
As the number of casualties grows in Iraq and Afghanistan, I’m often reminded of this passage. Particularly in Iraq, I feel that we are wasting our talented and vigorous young. Our young men and women, who have chosen to serve their country, have been placed in untenable situations. The craziest part of this whole thing is that, for most Americans, there are no signs that the country is involved in two wars.
Where is the shared pain?
Where is the sacrifice?
Where is the reward for our fighting forces?
Nearly every day, another life is lost. If the soldier is local, it makes the local news. Otherwise, we only hear about casualties when a round number is reached.
1,000 dead
2,000 dead
3,000 dead
4,000 dead
Unless you personally know of a soldier who is in harm’s way, you would be hard pressed to prove that the US is involved in two wars. Year after year the fighting continues, but life for most citizens proceeds as normal – unburdened with the horrific reality that our soldiers face each day.
Other than placing “I support the troops” stickers on our bumpers, what tangible signs of support are we, as citizens, showing our fighting men and women?
Whether we are for or against the wars, we ought not to forget that as we debate people are dying. Those people have families – wives, children, and parents who must find ways to go on. The tragedy is not just for the dead and their loved ones, but also for the injured. For many of them, the injury is just the beginning of their ordeal.
There seem to be no limits to the funding of the wars – whether these costs are included in or excluded from the Federal budget. There is always funding available for more weapons, more ammunition, and more contracts for profiteering contracting firms. Yet when it comes to caring for our troops and their families, we hear about budgetary considerations, VA hospital deficiencies, and the widow tax.
That’s just nonsense.
After 9/11, the government responded with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. The average payout from this fund was $1.8 million dollars.
I ask you, how does that response compare to the consideration that our military families receive?
It doesn’t.
Ray } – 
