QUESTION

Question

“My nephew has been home for six months and won’t come out of his bedroom. He served 2 1/2 tours but we can’t reach him.” This is part of one story that was shared with me at the US Social Forum in Detroit last week. This story was told by an uncle of an Iraqi vet from San Diego. His other nephew is on his second tour in Afghanistan. His comment about his cousin is that he is “weak.”

Another story from another family member of an Iraqi vet said that although he has been home for several months, “he still sleeps outside with his rifle.”

These are many heartbreaking stories about our young men who are returning from their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. One Iraqi vet said, “In Viet Nam, they served 12 months. We serve 15 and then they send us back and back and back. We are still citizens of the U.S. We still have rights.” With raised voice as if no one was listening or cared he said, “We can’t do it over and over. We can’t.”

My question is, if this war is so vital to our national security, why are we leaving that defense to less than 1% of the American people?