Another post from my friend stationed in Iraq.
I was watching the news the other day and saw GEN Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, speaking to wounded Veterans, and he said that they “did not loose an arm, they did not loose a leg, they gave an arm, they gave a legâ€. This is an important distinction that is little understood. Everyone talks about how much the war costs and how hard it is on everyone. I would beg to differ. This war has cost the military and their families nothing, we have sacrificed and given more than is measurable, but it still has cost us nothing. Those who do not understand pity us, and say they want to bring us home as soon as possible, we do not want and nor will we accept your pity We are proud of our sacrifices in ways that only those who have truly sacrificed can fully understand. Our sacrifices hurt, and cut deep. Seeing good men give everything, and the pain in their loved ones voices and hearts is a hard thing to bear, but this is a willing sacrifice given for their comrades in arms. We ask for support, especially for those left behind, we ask for compassion, we ask for remembrance, we ask for others to come and share the burden, and most of all we ask for respect. We ask for the means to ensure that these sacrifices are not given in vain. To demean our sacrifices with pity and false support is the worst sort of betrayal to those who have given so much, and will continue to give more.