Wake up calls.....

I had to take my dad to the VA again today for a follow-up to his prostate treatments, as well as some dental work. As in the past, while he's getting his treatment, I usually find myself hanging out in the waiting room, surrounded by other veterans. While there are a lot of older vets there, the sheer number of veterans my age, who are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, saddens me. I have seen everything from men missing limbs to a man today who had hearing aids in both ears due to damage from a roadside bomb blast. Even with the hearing aids, he said he is practically deaf in both ears. Talking to these soldiers brings tears to my eyes every time. It's both depressing and enlightening at the same time.

Worse than the physical injuries to our men and women that I see from our two most recent wars are the emotional scars these folks carry. I sat today and listened to a man who served as a medic talk about having to worry about his own life while trying to treat the wounded. While he was allowed to carry a weapon, he was only allowed to use it if the person he was treating was fired on first. There was also another man there who talked about the "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality which scares the living snot out of me. I will never think that philosophy is a good one, even in a war zone. But sadly, sometimes that is what it comes to when our soldiers are trying to preserve their lives and the lives of others. It leaves a lasting impression on them, even once they return home.

All too often in our society, war and fighting is glamorized to insure the support of the public. We watch movies like Rambo or even some current television shows about our military and think the hero always wins and none of the good guys ever get hurt. In reality, it isn't so. When we aren't faced with the cruel truth of what our soldiers endure on a daily basis, we tend to forget that war can be hell. While war may be necessary, I am quite certain that it is never as glamorous and exciting as we are sometimes led to believe. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I do know that each time I go to the VA, I find my heart aching for these men and women. Anyone who thinks war is glorious needs only to visit their local VA for a shocking reality check.