Onward The Soldiers

A few days ago, the friends and families of our men and women in the armed forces received the unwelcome news that some 30,000 of their loved ones will be sent into harm's way.

That's 30,000 more lives tossed into the deadly puzzle of Afghanistan. How many will make it home unscathed and how many will pay the ultimate price of war?

I am sure that question haunts the thoughts of President Obama and his advisors. And I am sure he considered the human costs when making his decision.

The situation he faces in the Middle East wasn't a problem of his making. He inherited it, and now has to manage it the best he can, using the soundest advice he can solicit.

But I am disappointed in the outcome. Like many other parents with children old enough to be sucked into this 'war', I am disheartened and frankly terrified by the news this mess will continue at least until 2011. More than enough time for unforeseen developments to swallow the 30,000 and beg for more, more , more.

Many of us remember the horror of Vietnam and what is was like to be young and vulnerable to being drawn into that mess. Some of us remember friends who served and never came back, physically or emotionally. Our soldiers now may be volunteers rather than draftees, but they are still young and vulnerable, and many of them will serve and not come back.

It is sad and sobering to consider we may have learned nothing, after all, from Vietnam, or from the eight long years already spent in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan.