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His exit after 10 weeks there came after blogger Matt Drudge broke the well-kept media secret of the prince’s presence in the war zone. If only it were that simple for the tens of thousands of other parents’ princes and princesses stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Their lives, their potential and the love others have for them are no less valuable. That’s something to ponder this week as we observe the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and remember that U.S. forces have been in Afghanistan for almost seven years.
Each engagement has been bloody and fraught with problems for U.S. servicemen and women and their families. President Bush sent U.S. troops into Afghanistan just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But not enough resources or efforts have been devoted to maintaining the peace, ousting the Taliban and al-Qaida, rebuilding that country and eliminating the now accelerating opium production.
The war in Iraq followed in March 2003 with Bush pursuing weapons of mass destruction. None was ever found.
The news media helped spread Bush-fed fears that the invasion of Iraq was to prevent then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from using WMDs against the United States and break up Hussein’s alliance with Osama bin Laden. Those were just more fantasies spread like cheap fertilizer by Bush, other politicians and the media.
Phil Donahue’s documentary, “Body of War,” made that clear with many senators and congressional representatives in 2002 parroting Bush about the need for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. But the film also showed the cost of the Iraq war borne by Tomas Young, who was paralyzed from the chest down by an AK-47 bullet while in Iraq.
The film chronicled Young’s struggles with mobility, bathroom functions, medication and marriage. It showed deficient veterans’ services, even though Young and other veterans deserve the best.
Almost 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the war started and 2007 was the deadliest year with about 900 casualties. But what about the 30,000 injured troops?
There are the paralyzed veterans like Young and amputees. But Veterans of America also estimates there are as many as 300,000 veterans who suffered traumatic brain injuries, resulting in serious damage from the brutal shock of explosives.
Post-traumatic stress disorder has left even more veterans and their families wounded and alone. Routine and follow-up screenings have found depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues in returning service men and women. Sexual assaults and sexual harassment are additional concerns.
Homelessness is a growing problem for U.S. veterans who land on the street after finding they can’t adjust or fit in elsewhere. The high suicide rate of veterans is a serious concern. When vital, vibrant young people with so much potential take their lives, those deaths affect us all.
These are just some of the costs of the wars with the $1.6 trillion estimate from 2002 to 2008 for Afghanistan and Iraq. Imagine if our sons and daughters were to be brought home as Prince Harry was.
Imagine what it would be like if the $1.6 trillion squandered in the wars could be shared at home.
That would amount to $20,900 for a family of four. That’s tuition for college or a down payment on a home. Virtually anything would be better than war, which only blows our kids’ future away.
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