Happy Memorial Day

There aren't too many veterans in my family, and thankfully, at least as far as I know, nobody who died in war. My grandfathers were too young for WWI & too old for WWII. My dad and uncles were too young for WWII and Korea (well my dad might've gone at the tail end but he ended up being 4F), though some of their older cousins served in WWII. They were long past service age by time Vietnam really got intense. On my wife's side, she has a great uncle who served in WWII (he spent the war dropping bombs on Germany -- he has some good stories) and her father was in the Navy during Vietnam, but that was long before the fighting got intense so his worst wound was from a rough shore leave in Tokyo (and my mother-in-law still has the pearls he picked up). I had a few friends who would've gone to Iraq during the first Gulf War, but that ended before they were due to ship out.

This war, I know a few people who have actually served, but nobody close, so Memorial Day remains a holiday that is less than personal, except for the fact that it is to honor who gave their lives so I can type "[pick your own inflammatory political statement about your least favorite politician here]." Say what you will about where our nation is today, this is a liberty that should not be taken lightly. It is not difficult to imagine a world where the voices of democracy would've been snuffed out by now but for the work of fathers and grandfathers over 60 years ago. So for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in reminding us that freedom isn't free, thank you.
War sucks, plain and simple.

But what sucks even more is how we're treating our wounded veterans, returning from Iraq with injuries, both external and internal, that will affect them the rest of their lives. Our soldiers suffer mental anguish, and we do nothing. Our soldiers come home with wounds that will require them to be hospitalized for the rest of their lives and we make their families fight tooth and nail for just basic therapy in the hopes that the quality of their lives will be slightly improved. Actions speak louder than words, and our politicians have spoken.

Meanwhile, the top story this weekend seems to have been how high gas prices may keep some of us from lying on the beach this summer. Our "leaders," instead of arguing for improved health care for our veterans, aside from scoring political points one way or the other, seem to spend more time fighting for a gas tax holiday for the summer. Am I the only one who thinks our priorities are F'd up?

Whether you were for the Iraqi invasion or against it, one thing seems very clear; we're failing our vets and no one in power seems to really care. I don't mean giving speeches arguing for more care, I mean "we're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore" speeches. We voted, through our representatives, to send our troops into combat. It seems to me that the least we can do is truly honor them and vote to take care of them when they come home. Yes, this might mean we have to sacrifice some of our money in increased taxes to cover this cost, but that's cheaper, to me, then what they have given up. They've sure done more for their country then most of the rest of us have done.