Memorial

As I was having my Sunday breakfast at SoBe's Cafe Milano an interesting sight caught my attention across the street on the beach. The Veterans For Peace Chapter 32 had erected a makeshift memorial to honor our servicemen who have lost their lives in Iraq. It was a very sombering affect and after my breakfast I went to take a closer look. This is my reflection.As I walk among the symbolic tombstones and it's not the names that reach my core but the ages of the fallen represented. We always remember the war dead using the phrase "Don't allow their sacrifice to be in vain", this has been such a cliché. Like the majority of us, these fallen soldiers could not ever understand less agree with the policies, much less the rationale that our suit and tie clad politicians come up to justify the decision to start, much less carry on this dessert version of Viet-Nam. These men died trying to safely return home to their families, to their dreams and fighting for their comrades. Ask any serviceman, any veteran and they will confirm this.We went into this war in the belief that we were fighting a tyrant that had WMDs at his disposal. We were led to believe that this regime was financing terrorism aimed at their neighbors and ultimately our country. We as a Nation believe we were doing the right thing, It has been proven time and again that we were mistaken and our “just cause” has reduced this nation to the role of unjust occupiers, torturers and true imperialists. To continue to pursue this course is to turn our mistake into a crime, a crime against humanity. If we as a nation continue to back up the policies of this government towards this war then we are as guilty as the politicians that support it. Not all Germans supported the Nazis, but their inaction made the whole German nation guilty. And if that’s the case, then we as a nation deserve to be obliterated from the planet because we are no different than our enemies.These tombstones don’t represent this country's sacrifice, once again that's a loosely used government and media clique; these tombstones represent this country's ultimate mismanagement. Our political mistake paid for with the blood of our youth. As we learned in Viet-Nam, enemy body counts are not a sign of a war won. This war has to be measured by the social and moral effect that it’s had on this nation. We have lost this war and our failure has taken us on course that we cannot easily turn away from. We have planted Dragons Teeth and our enemy’s ranks swell on a daily basis. Our allies do not back us because we represent freedom and decency, but rather to gain leverage in our current and future trade policies with them.Every politician in Washington should be taken to Arlington to reflect on the gravity of their decisions. Rest in peace beloved children, the ranks of those that oppose this vain blood-letting grows on a daily basis and we will try our best that this never happens again.

Thank these Heroes for SoBe