I would think that there are individuals enough in this country over the past 242 years (sorry if my calculations are a bit off) for there to be controversy over every single war (declared or not) that we've fought, but I feel that the subjective legitimacy of a war should not negate the loss of lives. They are all important and tragic losses. And sometimes the ones who have died are the lucky ones. Their families have to pick up the pieces, but the dead are able to rest. The survivors of war (if they can be so called) are the ones who have to pick up their own pieces, and their families are often-times at a loss of what to do with them.
Working for USAA has really brought this closer to home for me, because I work with the people who have come back and I work with their spouses. I don't often hear about fallen men and women from combat situations (because, of the hundreds of people I speak to a week, only about half of them are military, and many of them are so young that they haven't lived to see that kind of loss) but I do hear survivor stories, the ones where the wife says, "He just didn't come back the same. YOU know..." And though I haven't lost anyone in a war, I, sadly, do know. It's enough to break my heart.
So, I thank all of the men and women, past and present, who have served our country's military. They may not always serve my present ideals--depending on what the war is about, and who is leading it--but they try to serve me to their best abilities, and I honor that.
