A Prayer for Our Veterans

Unlike Trump,  I have great empathy and compassion for the unselfish men and women that have volunteered for the armed services since the end of WWII. As we look back over history with a critical eye, we have to wonder what good have we accomplished with our might since then. The Korean, Viet Nam, Afganistan, and Iraq wars achieved what?  As Hawkeye cried in the famous MASH series, "Mamed and wounded boys just keep coming and coming, for what"? 

Thousands upon thousands of our loyal troops have died, been maimed, and emotionally damaged to the point of daily suicides. Trump most obviously could care less. But is he the only one? Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Clinton, Bush, and oh yes, Obama sent our troops into harm's way for what? Our freedom was never at risk, but resources like oil and strategic alliances were. Strategic positions in oil in the middle east were at stake; we were not.

 Notice how the War on Terror just faded away, like an expired TV show. Please don't ask why we are hated throughout the world. We threw free elections and supported dictators the likes of Allende to Hussein and the Shaw of Iran. And please do not chant the trite knee jerk, "freedom is not free." I am less free and safe to travel the world for the lives and the trillions of dollars wasted than I have ever been. While on business in Malaysia, years back, merely producing my American Passport evoked frightening ire.  

My voice is muted by those who lust for world power. I grieve for the veterans. They did not ask why; they just went. We, the people, failed them when we let fear silence our hearts. We can start to make amends by really taking care of our veterans no matter what it costs. We must stop the next president that attempts to use our troops as centurions of hegemony. When we do this, we authentically "support our troops." I pray President Joe Biden will have such a heart.