Back from Iraq

Washington Post:

After three years, there are at least 550,000 veterans of the Iraq war. The Washington Post interviewed 100 of them -- many of whom were still in the service, others who weren't -- to hear about what their war was like and how the transition home has been.

Their answers were as varied as their experiences. But a constant theme through the interviews was that the American public is largely unaffected by the war, and, despite round-the-clock television and Internet exposure, doesn't understand what it's like.

You can't understand unless you were there.

It's a timeless refrain sounded by generation after generation of soldiers returning from combat. But what sets Iraq war veterans apart is not just the kind of war they are fighting but the mood of the country they are coming home to. It is not a United States unified behind the war effort, such as in World War II. There's no rationing, no sacrifice, no Rosie the Riveter urging, "We Can Do it!" Nor is it the country that protested Vietnam and derided many vets as baby killers.

The United States that Iraq veterans are returning to is relatively indifferent, many said. One that without fear of a draft seems more interested in the progression of "American Idol" than the bombings in Baghdad.

I'd imagine feeling this way must sting like hell for a number of soldiers. That's unfortunate.

However, there's a good way to solve their predicament. It's not by throwing them fancy parades, but rather by pulling them out now.

Also, whether or not American soldiers feel like they're being appreciated for their actions in an immensely destructive, criminal invasion and occupation is not something that deserves our utmost attention. As always, we should be directing our empathy towards the primary victims in this affair: the Iraqis.