The Reach of War.

In the month of October, 103 American soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This story is accompanied by photos of the funerals of some of these soldiers. Pictures of their wives and mothers and children. And this alone is enough to remind me of why no good can come of this war. But we don't see the pictures of the thousands of funerals in Iraq, or hear the names of the 600,000 civilians who have been killed. We rarely hear how these days at war effect the soldiers, most whom are so, so young, and how it is that they are expected to go back to any sense of normal life once this is finally over. Today there is a story about a Marine who is a medic in Iraq who is all of 22 years old. I cannot even imagine the weight of his world.