Some Battles Never End

By: Vince Yanez

It’s not about the WMD fairy tales, the Bush Administration lies, fake attempts to tie Saddam to the Taliban or the idiotic Mission Accomplished banner behind our Incompetent-in-Chief.

There are times for such things, but now is not one of them.

This week, the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division has left Iraq. They are officially the last combat brigade to leave following the 90,000 troops that have been exiting since President Obama took office, fulfilling his promise to put an end to what was happening in Iraq.

And now, thousands of men and women will return to their husbands and wives. Thousands of sons and daughters will return to their parents and thousands of children will see their moms and dads come home and try to pick up where they left off.

And like those before them, thousands will suffer from PTSD, anger, sorrow, shock, pain, guilt, horror and every other emotion we cannot even begin to imagine. Some will find it is too hard and re-enlist, some will find it is almost impossible to remember what ‘normal’ was, some will get divorced, some will end up in prison, some will be unable to find their way for months or even years… and some will even take their own lives.

The battle scars from this war are nowhere near over and the real battles back home are just beginning for many Americans. Proper physical and mental health care and sufficient V.A. funding are just the beginning of what we can do to make sure these heroes get as close to normal as possible.

And it is going to mean more than parades, welcome home parties, and hugs. It’s more than shaking their hands, buying them a drink or thanking them for their service in the supermarket. It’s more than just calling them heroes, putting a magnet on your car or clapping for them as they stroll through the airport. And it’s definitely more than articles in the paper, blogs like this, banners in your window or your prayers on Sunday morning.

It’s a bigger promise that this moment asks of us, not only as Americans, but as human beings.

It’s the promise that we will NEVER AGAIN allow these men and women, or anyone who agrees to put their lives on the line for this country, be asked to honor that promise until ALL OTHER OPTIONS have been honestly pursued by those we give the power to wage war.

It is the promise that we will always remember that our soldiers are not pieces on a chess board, numbers in a newspaper or actors in our own, demented movie. These are human beings. These are mothers, brothers, fathers and daughters. It is time for us to begin a National Discussion about what Honoring Our Troops really means, not only for those future generations who will serve their country, but out of respect for those men and women who, no matter how hard their wife, child or mother squeeze their eyes shut and pray, will never walk through that door again.

As of this last Sunday 4,415 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Over 30,000 have been wounded and thousands more will experience post traumatic stress disorder in one form or another.

They need our help. They have needed our help for the past seven years. The battle at home started a long time ago. It’s time for the rest of us to do our part. Suit up!