Reply #23: You know what? [View All]

[whathehell]

I'm sorry for the anguish this war has brought you, your friends and your family...I understand it, perhaps a bit better than you think, having a friend who's son tried to commit suicide right before he was redeployed to Iraq.....I'm happy to say he's now home and doing okay.

Having said that, I must respond to your plea to "forgive" you as I have nothing to "forgive" and don't care if you're not "grateful". As I said: " I won't thank them..fine"....End of story, as far as I'm concerned.

Beyond that, I think it's a mistake to assume, as both the original article and you seem to, that a. Those who did/do this are not THEMSELVES veterans or B. That everyone who chooses to do this is some sort of shallow, pro-war individual who is NOT involved in stopping the war.

We are not all so "inured" to the real effects of war as you seem to think -- A brother of a friend of mine was killed at nineteen in Vietnam...I have six close family members who fought in every war from WWII to Korea to Vietnam....One was killed and three others came home with PTSD, one of them, my father and another my uncle who suffered his entire life with it until he died prematurely at fifty nine.

My husband and I give REGULARLY to veterans groups, I volunteer in a nearby veterans hospital, and am engaged in Out of Afghanistan activities.

Now, I know that's not the same as "being there"..but being a female of an age when women were NOT allowed into the armed forces, I'm afraid that's the best I can do.

Incidentally, W8lifting Lady, I've sent you at least three positive posts, at least one responding to your heartfelt posts regarding your son and this is the FIRST time time you've respond to me.

Best to you, anyway.