“Lord, bid war’s trumpet cease; Fold the whole earth in peace.”

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Iraq war isn’t over.

For tens of thousands of soldiers returning from the battlefield, it never will be.

Too many of these American heroes will turn to alcohol or drugs in an effort to assuage their mental injuries.

Too many will end up homeless.

Too many will be unemployed.

Too many will end up divorced.

Too many will commit suicide.

Most will be forgotten by their country.

This will be the legacy of nearly nine years of an ill-advised and unnecessary war.

And the worst will be that we still have learned nothing about the horrific cost of war in terms of both dollars and human sacrifice.

If you have one wish, one hope, or one prayer for Christmas, please direct it for these lost veterans who now have to try to put together their shattered lives.