Note: The Tribute To The Fallen event that we held this week has no partisan purpose, and whether you are for or against the war, I think we all agree that our men and women in the military deserve honor and respect. We aren’t going to tell you what to think about the war, and we hope that you can respect the fact that most of us believe this war should end. That said, the UNO College Democrats Blog is a partisan blog, and we pride ourselves on having frank and honest discussions about the issues. We’ve spoken about Iraq here before, and we will do it again. And with the emotions that this week’s Tribute brought out in all of us, I think it would be wrong to stay silent. The opinions expressed in this post are mine, and you are welcome to disagree with them. But I think those soldiers who the 3,334 flags represent deserve this debate. They deserved it long before this war began.
On Monday, nine soldiers died in Iraq. Among those soldiers were two Nebraskans, Ken Locker, Jr. and Kevin Gaspers. Monday night, as we were placing the flags for Tribute, we had to add nine more flags for these soldiers. Tuesday, after we finished reading the names of the dead, two more died, and we added two more flags for those fallen. 3,334 American flags, representing 3,334 men and women who are never coming back home. 3,334 families who will never see them again. 3,334 brave Americans who gave their lives for this country.
But the tragedy of this war is grander than the American lives lost. The thousands of wounded American soldiers whose lives will never be the same. The thousands of Americans who are seperated from their loved ones. The thousands of Iraqi soldiers who die each month. The tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died in the streets and marketplaces of Iraq. The millions of refugees who have fled their homes in fear. We have no flags for them. They are forgotten.
Our sincerest hope is that next year, there won’t be any more flags in the ground. Not one more. We realize how futile this hope is. Between the time that we took the flags down last night, and the time of this writing, three more Americans have died in Iraq. 3,337. April of 2007 is the deadliest month in Iraq in 3 years, yet our President continues to insist that his “new strategy” is working. We need our troops out of Iraq. We need them home.
Not one more day in Iraq. Not one more lie from this administration. Not one more life lost. Not one more flag in the ground. It’s time to bring our toops home.