My husband left for another deployment. And Bush is calling for more support from Americans, and more patience, dealing with Iraq. Condelliza Rice is telling reporters how the sacrifices, the deaths, the separation, is worth Iraq. I'm glad people who have nothing, and no one, to lose in a war zone have deemed the deaths worth the end.
I can't agree with them. I will ALWAYS support the troops, but I can no longer support the war in Iraq. That might be like splitting hairs since its the troops who are fighting the war, but what a lot of people seem to forget is that the troops don't want to be there anymore than we want them there. They miss out on so much while they're gone.
Yes they signed up for the military. Yes they knew going in that they'd be separated from their families. But that doesn't mean they're not allowed to be angry that they're away for so long. Soldiers, Marines, airman, Navy, and Sea Bees miss out their children's birthdays, children being born, anniversaries, weddings, even deaths in the family, all because they're doing their job. The military is the only job I know that, if your spouse has a miscarriage, they won't give you time off to grieve.
A friend of mine came back from the last deployment only to be diagnosed with leukemia. The military is paying for his current care, but after he's medically chaptered out, he won't be able to touch his SGLI (soldier group life insurance), nor will the military help out with future care. The kind of cancer he has a 40% chance of coming back. He and his wife are one of the strongest couples I know, and their love and faith has helped them get through the ordeal. But he will forever live day to day, unsure if he will survive till the next year.
I'm tired of people saying 'down with the military' and 'soldiers are baby killers'. Many in society seem to think that military personnel make thousands of dollars a month. We don't. After bills are paid, we come out with maybe $120 left for the rest of the month. Can you buy groceries and gas for a whole month on $120? And if you want to do anything extra, forget it, unless you can borrow the money from family.
When my aunt passed away, we skipped paying the bills for the month so we had money to get up home for her funeral. We're still paying catch-up on what we didn't pay. And while there are dozens of loan offices right outside of post, they scalp you on the rates and the time you have to pay it back. We're always two steps behind.
I'm slowly becoming bitter towards everything. I see the glass as not only half-empty, but downright useless. I go to bed alone and I wake up alone because of a war no one believes in anymore. I deal with people who wear their anti-military shirts and tell me my husband is an evil man because of his job. How I am a horrible, devil-woman because I love him.
Iraq is the new Vietnam people say. I just hope that, in the end, our generation of troops will be treated better than the men who came home from Vietnam to hate instead of joy.