I hope everyone understands that once Obama starts Iraq War III, everything that

[Victor_c3]

45. Thanks for that

In a large way I look up to you Vietnam guys.

I'm not trying to discount either my experiences or yours, but most Vietnam era guys had a double whammy. Many Vietnam era guys were drafted and then sent to a shitty war while I volunteered for the Army and later found myself sent to a shitty war.

Anyways, it's always good to see you around as well. Vets need to talk about their war experiences to make sure people like me aren't so easily suckered into conflicts like Iraq in the future. I joined the Army after watching events in the late 90s unfold in the Balkans during my teenage years and I joined in 1997 believing that we had learned our lessons from previous conflicts. I joined to be a part of a mission like that in the Balkans to stop a genocide. I truly wanted to make a difference. Instead I found myself in Iraq. To quote a favorite author of mine (Kurt Vonnegut) in reference to a bunch of shitty occurrences a character faced in one of his books, "so it goes".

It's a shame that both of us are in a position to understand or get what the other is feeling when it comes to war experiences. However, at the same time, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

I certainly hope that my children or grandchildren never have to face combat. I need to and will work to that end.