Soldiers return to another war

The News Virginian / News Virginian
Published: October 2, 2007

Our view of the human cost of war in Iraq will become increasingly more vivid, provided we are willing to look. Waves of soldiers maimed by bullets, bombs and improvised explosive devices are in the final stages of relearning such daily tasks as dressing and feeding themselves. Their next battle: preparing to return to the workplace. For many soldiers, that effort likely will involve our own Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville, which is readying for an influx of vets looking to rebuild their work skills.

Advances in battlefield medicine and body armor since our last foray in Iraq have resulted in more warriors surviving than in previous wars, but also in more coming home badly wounded. More than 185,000 soldiers have sought care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and that number is expected to soar past 700,000. The price for caring for the wounded is extraordinary — one estimate puts the figure at $700 billion for VA, almost as much as the cost of the war itself. Billions of dollars more will be needed.

Our government's record so far in caring for the wounded is generally considered strong, although soldiers suffering from mental and emotional scars sometimes struggle to get the help they need. Iraq veteran John Walz, of Hebron, Ky., is an example. He's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The Associated Press reported over the weekend that he saw his medical bills pile up to $12,000 while his condition and claim were evaluated. When AP spoke with Walz, his money had dwindled down to a couple of dollars as he awaited another payday.

Doubtless, there are countless others back from the front who endure war's mental toll in the quiet of their own minds. Some might wind up in classrooms at the Wilson Rehabilitation Center, soldiers whose once fit bodies have been broken and whose eyes have seen unthinkable terrors from which their thoughts cannot escape.

Those who have championed this war from its onset would do well to consider the plight of such men and women, who have returned from the battlefield to face an all-new war, one whose duration will stretch over the course of a lifetime. To be sure, all wars demand an inhuman price, and it is one that sometimes must be shouldered, lest tyranny rule. But wars lacking a concrete objective — Vietnam is the prototypical example; Iraq is its virtual equal in this regard — add bitterness to the sacrifice.

Determining what precisely it would take to accomplish the mission in Iraq now is decidedly more complex than it was when President Bush was landing on aircraft carriers. Even withdrawal is thorny because of the danger of troops being overrun. We can only hope the president's predecessor will demonstrate the prudence he so frequently has lacked.

In the meantime, this much ought to be clear to neoconservatives and progressives, war backers and peace protesters and everyone else in between: Our heartfelt thanks are owed to those who have braved war's horrors in service of their country. We need not concur with the decision to invade nor must we stand in idle support of the miscues that followed to recognize the rightness of gratitude to the people who carry out the marching orders.

As soldiers approach the next phase in their weary progression back into society, it's worth considering that those among them who sense the affection and appreciation of their countrymen will be those least likely to feel their sacrifice in vain. If that eases even slightly the abiding pain this war produces, it's a mission well worth accomplishing.