A Reply to a Letter from a Soldier in Iraq

The other day I received an email from a friend. It was one of those emails that traveled from one friend to another and then another. It contained a letter supposedly written by a soldier, Issac, stationed in Iraq. It well may have been or it may have been written by a different author hoping to increase the efficacy of his/her thoughts by attributing the ideas to what might appear to be a more credible third party. Since I can't vouch for the authenticity of the letter, I won't reprint it here.

The crux of the letter deals with the soldier's need to "rant" about the callousness of the American public and Congress in paying tribute to the late Michael Jackson through memorial tributes and moments of silence, yet failing to provide the same homage to those American soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American people flocked to Hollywood to mourn the passing of one man whose only claim to fame was his ability to sing and dance, while no fitting public recognition of those giving their lives for freedom is forthcoming.

Dear Issac,

I can understand how you feel, believe me I can, because I once walked in your shoes. Far away from home and loved ones, engaging hostile enemy forces and a civilian population not too keen on your being there, death, destruction all of these can cause you to feel that you are walking about with an anvil tied to your neck. Then those doubts that no one cares tightly grip your throat, strangling you, smothering you, until a feeling of hopelessness shrouds your body , more importantly, your mind. You have to get over that for your very existence depends on clear thought and focusing on the tasks at hand.

War is an ugly business, my friend. Not many have the mettle to hoist the banner and face what you face. I don't believe that the American people are as calloused as you say. Don't despair for most Americans hold you and your comrades-in-arms in the highest esteem and pray for a safe journey home. But some are so far removed from the reality of war, the exception being those directly affected by having a loved one thrown into the fray, that they are unable to comprehend the savagery. So, yes, they retreat to their safe harbors and admire celebrities and even mourn for them in death. They go about their daily chores only knowing about war from what the media offers. And when their systems are overloaded with the information, they have no alternative but to shut things down.

Your rants are nothing new and have been the lament of soldiers from the beginning of time. The problem is war itself. There has never been a good war, especially those brokered by politicians looking to advance their own agenda. No one truly wins.

Remember these words, Issac. There are only two rules in war:
Rule 1. Mothers will send their sons and daughters to war and some of these sons and daughters will not return alive.
Rule 2. You can't change Rule 1.

God be with you,

Dan