I watch Jim Lehrer NewsHour (PBS) every night. At the end of the show they show the names and faces of the latest casualties of the Iraq conflict. "Here, in silence, are 4 more." "Here, in silence, are 7 more." And so on. I always stop what I'm doing and stand at my civilian version of attention. It is the only way I know to acknowledge their sacrifice, and it hurts every time.
I know that the toll is far lower than what we suffered in Vietnam, but still each of those lives is lost potential and so much hurt for the families and friends left behind. And the Iraqi civilian death toll is so much higher. The only thing that is worse than losing these people is fearing that it was all a horrid mistake.
I have strong opinions about what should or should not have been done but I also realize that the situation is complex -- there is no easy solution. Still, I feel that if we see something that seems wrong and we don't speak up, then we are letting the troops down in the worst possible way. Then I hear that protesting exposes them to more danger and get stalled out. It eats at me. Thanks again for sharing your perspective.