Five months ago, picking up a newspaper or turning thetelevision to CNN meant inundating yourself with news about the menand women who were serving our country in Iraq.
From heroic rescue tales to saddening memorials, Americanscouldn't hear enough about the troops overseas. They bled yellowalong with red, white and blue. They cleaned out cupboards to sendfood and toiletries to soldiers in the desert. They flooded USOoffices with thousands of letters filled with prayers for safereturns, and they sponsored dozens of support rallies to boosteveryone's spirits.
So what has happened to that compassion? Why is it suddenly aselusive as the nuclear weapons no one has been able to find?
Perhaps our disdain for the Bush administration and the way ithas handled this debacle called war has clouded our thoughts of thesoldiers who continue to faithfully serve our country overseas.
Or maybe we've just chosen to forget about the "problem overthere," focusing instead on that first term paper or pop quizbecause, let's face it, it's easier that way.
A close friend recently told me that one of our high schoolclassmates stationed with the 101st Airborne Division outside ofBaghdad wrote home to tell his family that many soldiers havebecome depressed. They feel forgotten since Baghdad fell in April,and they believe there may be no end in sight to the fighting.
Hearing this classmate's thoughts made me ashamed to know that Iam one of the countless Americans who has taken this soldier'sservice and the service of every other active-duty soldier forgranted.
Why have I forgotten about the troops? Because, like everyoneelse, I am fed up with the fighting, with America stretching itselftoo thin and with the recent counterattacks that destroyed the U.N.headquarters in Baghdad and killed a respected Shiite Muslimleader.
Last week's news that more soldiers have died in post-war Iraqthan the number killed during the war shocked me out of my stubbornstupor.
According to the Department of Defense, as of Aug. 31, 282 U.S.military personnel have died since President Bush declared war inMarch. Major fighting ended on May 1, and 144 of the 282 deathsoccurred on that day and after.
As that number continues to swell, less and less is said aboutthose who are part of its count. We have gone from sweepingtributes and glorified obituaries to marginalized news clips thattell us fewer and fewer details about the most recent soldier tohave been killed.
I'd like to think the reason I have failed to pay closerattention to this inattention is because I am young, naive and busywith a million other trivial things on my mind -- things that nolonger seem so important.
In the days ahead, I will certainly try and give more thought tothe men and women I know -- and those I don't -- who remain stuckin Iraq. I only hope that something as trivial as a letter will beenough to remind at least one stranded soldier that there are thoseof us who still care.
Write to Gail at glkoch@bsu.edu
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