Open your eyes America

Yesterday on Oprah, she had a segment about a wounded war veteran.  Before she brought him on she stated that she was not very aware of what was going on in the war and wasn't aware of how the war affected so many lives.  I thought this episode was a good eye opener for people who turn a blind eye to the war that's been going on for 10 years with no end in sight.  Yes Obama is withdrawing combat troops from Iraq.  Most people see that as a victory.  I do not.  50,000 troops are going to be left in Iraq indefinitely.  Yes, those troops are not combat and will not be in as much danger, but they will be in some danger.  And in addition, he might be withdrawing troops from Iraq, but what about the fact that he is sending more into Afghanistan?  What kind of victory is that?  What does it matter if our troops are in Iraq or Afghanistan?  What matters is the fact that troops are still being deployed to a war zone on a daily basis and most of America has no idea what is going on.  Or chooses to turn a blind eye because it's not their family that is risking their lives for our freedom.  And being a family member of an active duty military man, this drives me crazy.  It makes me so mad that there seems to be less and less support for the troops and awareness for what is going on as the days go by.  I understand that it's a long war with no end in sight, but these soldiers are risking their life, giving up their time with families so that we can be safe at night.  And they need to know that America supports them. 

People are deployed everyday and some never come home.  And those that do come home, are left with not only the memories of what they have been through but all the side effects of being in  a war. Most of them come home with PTSD but they can't get help for it because they'll be honorably discharged from the military.  How is this fair? I hope that Oprah's show yesterday helped to raise a little bit of awareness about the obstacles these troops face when they come home.  Some have physical injuries that can be seen, but most have emotional issues that can not be seen and people need to be as supportive as possible towards these men and women.  Because if it wasn't for them who knows how safe we would really be.

Michell Obama was also on Oprah yesterday stating that she supports the troops.  Well, I find it odd that she supports the troops but her husband just cut the defense budget.  If the defense budget is getting cut, these troops that are deployed wont have the proper training or equipment when they go overseas making it that much more dangerous for them.  Again, how is this fair? They are fighting so that we can be safe but we cut their budget?  The defense budget is the one budget that I think should not have been cut.  Unless you are going to end this war which clearly Obama has no intentions of doing.  

Please, if you have free time sign up to write a letter to a solider or give them a care package once a month.  let them know that you care about them and appreciate what they are doing over there.  Mail is one of the very few things that they have to look forward to, and when they get a letter from a stranger thanking them for their service it means more to them than you and I will ever know. 

http://adoptaplatoon.org/ 
http://www.opgratitude.com/index.php 

xoxox