4,000 Souls

So, Easter Sunday marked another anniversary, but not of the resurrection kind. The news headlines announced boldly to the world that we have met the 4,000 mark of soldiers who have died in IRAQ. Four thousand! Four thousand sons and daughters; four thousand moms and dads; four thousand best friends; four thousand children. I read the headline and my first thought was, "what? Am I supposed to applaud?" Is this a milestone number that I am supposed to celebrate?

This country went to war because of events from September 11, 2001. It is significant I think that we have lost 1,000 more in Iraq than we did in New York, Virginia, and Philadelphia in a terrorist attack meted upon us from Afghanistan. Have we proved anything other than exacting our revenge? Sure - we were able to execute Hussein - something we should have done in 1991. Had we done that, we might have had more operative intelligence to focus on the new threat of Bin Laden.

My sons are the ages of the soldiers in Iraq. My oldest was in the Army during the beginning of Desert Storm, getting out four years before September 11. I scoured the papers and tv every single day for news of Desert Storm and the various skirmishes all over the world that weren't making front page news. I was a wreck! My heart would bleed for the Moms and Dads in the loss of their child. When he arrived safely home, I wanted to kiss his feet!

Now this. We've reached four thousand losses of our children that has affected parents, teachers, children, friends in the multiples of thousands.

I'm not going to memorialize this so called achievement. I will memorialize instead each soul, each child, each friend that has been taken from this earth far too soon.