(AP Photo)
As many of you watched, as I did, the news reports of the last combat brigade to leave Iraq–I took a moment to reflect on what the Iraq war has meant to me personally, to our soldiers, and to our nation.
As I considered these things, I thought about how it is very unlikely that I will be back. And, for now, our attention should remain with Afghanistan. I worry that as we pull troops out our attention will move elsewhere. I fear that the collective national attention will move away from our soldiers and the work that they do every day. To see the reunion video of these Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans returning to their families emphasizes to me that all of us should adopt the USO motto of “Until They All Come Home”. We should never forget those that remain in harm’s way and we should never falter from praying for these soldiers and their families.
The war is not over, it continues, maybe in a different place but there remained soldiers downrange and families at home.