I do realize that I was stupid to ever believe this, but I joined the military to actually make the world a better place and to help people. I was a stupid naive kid and I happily lapped all of the propaganda up and truly believed it.

As soon as politicians and people vow to never send the military into a frivolous war or a fight that was built on lies and a war that is actually about either protecting our country or actually making the world a better place, then I feel they can talk about reducing military compensation. I would have been honored to have been a part of such a conflict. However, my war was about none of that.

Vietnam, Grenada (??), Iraq, Afghanistan were all about taking the military out for a 'spin'.

Wars of choice.

With our all volunteer military, most Americans don't have any skin in the game. With the ever-eternal AUMF our President can start whatever he wants and must go to Congress within six months. Something needs to change.

I know how touchy a topic my military experience is to me and how I feel about my military service in Iraq. With that in mind, I don't feel comfortable making the same assessment on any other war and their respective veterans' service. I know that I fought and gave everything I had for nothing in Iraq, but I have a hard time hearing that from someone else. That is why I only referred to "my war".

Again, I sincerely did not mean to offend you or anyone else. Although I've never met anyone on this forum in real life and I wouldn't even say that I "know" anyone personally on this forum, you and a handful of mostly Vietnam veterans are guys that I look up to in a lot of ways.

Victor

Mine was Vietnam; yours was Iraq.

We have both been changed by those experiences. One result of nearly every adventure we have been on: