But even worse is that people aren't thinking about our troops anymore. President Obama brought our troops home from Iraq and I trust him to bring the troops home from Afghanistan in 2014. We are not a safer country because we are there. The world is not a safer place because we are there. Afghanistan doesn't want itself, why do we want it for them? It doesn't do us any good to be there, not one little bit. Mitt Romney wants to rely on military leadership only, and as we all know leadership isn't always hot. For some, war is a business and without business a lot of people would be out of a job. I don't trust some general to not take into consideration his livelihood, which might well depend on war. Some leaders are good at taking in calculated loss: sorry about your husband, it's just part of the cause. Thank you for your service.
No, I don't trust it and no one else should, either. Yes, that's judgmental. But until you've stood in my shoes, you don't know. You don't know the cost of freedom. The only ones who know better than me are the ones who lost their loved one, and that is a hell I thank God every day that I don't know about. I just want to scream. People just don't really care, do they? They just don't really get it.
It is only because of our nation's choices that my husband and I are here. I don't think the world is a safer place because of the price he paid. In fact, the world lost something that day. We lost an incredible EOD tech, a soldier committed to his job, someone willing to fight and not question those who told him to go. He's a far better human than me. He tells me he hasn't a single regret, that he'd do it all again in a heartbeat. God, he's amazing.
I'm angry about this war. It's personal. It's personal for anyone who has to go through a deployment, but that's not the worst. It gets worse. Oh, a deployment would be heaven compared to this. I have him everyday, and he is safe now. But I'd give anything to go back to the life that's gone, that burned up.
No one should live this life. Not another person. It's hell, it's not worth it, and it makes me angry that more soldiers are deployed every week for a cause that doesn't actually make us a safer country. This life costs too much. They all just need to come home. That's all that matters to me right now.
Thank you for sticking with me if you've made it this far. I'm ranting, I'm angry, I'm bitter. Pardon the progress, ya know?
When my husband was in Iraq in 2011, I got into an argument with a woman who doubted that President Obama would bring the troops home (My husband was one of the last people out). Then we found out he was deploying again one month after he came home, and would barely be home for 6 months. The same woman said "I thought your buddy Obama was bringing the troops home from Iraq."
ReplyDeleteThe American people have forgotten about the other wars. They don't understand the sacrifices of our troops. And, for the most part, they'll blame anything they can on a man who has very little control over the situations he inherited.
I'm so incredibly sorry for everything you and Aaron have gone through. He sounds like an amazing man and you are an amazing woman.
I had an anesthesiologist completely stunned when I told him there is still a war in Afghanistan going on. He had NO clue. Most Americans don't really have a clue what's going on. I really don't have faith in either Obama or Romney making any sort of progress. I really don't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this 100%. I don't understand why we are still there, especially since, like you said, the people of Afghanistan don't even want us there. My boyfriend is deployed and while he's been safe thus far, every week I hear more stories about someone losing their life of being injured and I just "wonder what's the point?"
ReplyDeleteIt has been over a decade. Whatever we're doing there, it's not worth what's happening to the troops overseas and their families.
I have been planning this same post, almost point for point, for awhile. You may see it show up on my blog in the next few weeks. If you do, I'm not trying to copy you--you just took the words right out of my head!
ReplyDeleteYou're right. This so-called war is not about our freedoms or national safety. (It's about money, business, and saving face at this point.) It exacts a very high price on a very small section of the American population--and the rest of the country doesn't have a CLUE.
I posted an article on my FB page yesterday, along with a quote from the article that basically said: Incredibly, neither Obama nor Romney is talking about the war in Afghanistan, in which Americans are currently serving and dying. I got a comment from someone bashing Obama and criticizing some of his (misunderstood) policies that weren't even mentioned in the article. There's that spin and hatemongering you mentioned.
AHHH! I could go on for awhile since this is a topic that burns me up too. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my opinions.