Liberal College Kid

Iraq/Vietnam Protests

Different Paths in Vietnam And Iraq

The Army After Iraq

The last link is for an opinion piece which remarks on the sorry state of affairs that the American Armed Forces are in. I found it particularly interesting. Hundreds of billions of dollars are wasted on the newest technology and gizmos but we often overlook the people who actually wear the uniform. By allowing moral waivers, giving poor medical treatment and forcing multiple deployments, we are seriously jeopardizing our own safety.

Several politicians have recently argued that to truly “Support The Troops,” we need to start mandating a lengthy amount of time in the US (with their families) before troops can be re-deployed. Of course, this would further diminish the troops available to the commanders…but hopefully, at this point the commanders will have that as hard evidence to present to Congress and Bush. I believe it’s quite clear at this point that the occupation of Iraq isn’t sustainable but once we get the generals to bring forth stuff like that, we might get somewhere.

Of course, this ignores the societal effects that will play out in the next few decades…Have you ever seen a homeless person? Chances are, he was a Vietnam vet…now, imagine all the men and women who have been sent to Iraq. We have yet to see the ultimate costs of this war…by far.