Iraq War's 7th Anniversary Came and Went

(CBS)  Washington has always been a one-story town. And for the last few weeks - months, really - the story has been health care reform. It's all we've been talking about.

Which is probably one reason a rather important anniversary passed almost without notice: March 19.

Ring a bell? Probably not. But March 19 was the seventh anniversary of the Iraq invasion, which began our longest war.

A heavy news cycle was not the only reason it went unnoticed. We remember the wars and events that had an impact on our daily lives - December 7, or Sept. 11.

But in the age of the all-volunteer military, few of us remember much about a war that had so little effect on our day-to-day lives - especially a war where questions still exist over whether it should have been fought at all.

The Iraq War was fought by one half of one percent of us, and unless we were part of that small group or had a relative who was, we went about our lives as usual most of the time - no draft, no new taxes, no changes.

Not so for the small group who fought the war, and their families. Ask them about the sacrifice, the death toll of nearly 4,400 Americans, and the thousands more who were wounded.

Now that it is finally winding down, thousands of Americans are still there, and history will eventually decide if it was worth it all.

While history decides, let us remember that whatever history's verdict, the fate of those who died there or suffered life-altering injuries can never change.

Good war or bad, for them it is the same.

The war may have had little impact on most of our lives, but we owe that small group of people.

[rock0223]

The arms merchants are supported by corrupt governments on both sides. Therefore they have practically unlimited power. Citizens are charged taxes and are put in jail if they refuse to pay. If one is paying taxes, that's supporting the killing. We know what happens to people if they don't pay.

[noloyalisti]

This is just like Orwell and 1984. Most of the sheeple population has NO idea why this even started and why we are fighting or who are fighting. Just like endless war of 1984, all that matters is that people are fighting and dying.

This is what Bushoccio's Mission Accomplished was: another war for big corporate profit that just drags on with no mission, no reason and no end in sight.

[Cleoaa]

Dear Mr. Scheiffer- Thank you for your commentary on the 7th anniversary of the Iraq War. You are right that most people don't give it much thought, but I do. My son-in-law, Sgt. Shawn Martin, USMC, was killed there on June 20, 2007. He was an EOD which is dangerous enough, but combine it with a country full of IEDs, it is so much more hazardous. It has been almost 3 years and the process of fully coping with this tragedy continues. I maintain a blog in his honor where I put up the losses on a regular basis. I also add links and info that I think will be interesting and, hopefully, informative. (www.fallenstarsmemorial.wordpress.com) If you have a moment, I would be honored if you would take a look. I have recently found an organization- Honor and Remember- that is trying to have a flag adopted to fly along side the American flag and the POW/MIA flag. I put one up at my home today. Thank you again for remembering and your kind comments. In the words of Lee Greenwood, "God Bless The USA."
Cleo Adams
Mohawk NY 13407