Well said Sir......and even now, we have thousands of troops in the middle east and anyone who opposes occupation is labeled a terrorist, a savage, etc.   BTW, I am a veteran and I served during the first gulf war.    When the invasion of Afghanistan/Iraq went down in late 2001, my enlist was up.  I know young men and women who went to the middle east, fought, suffered mental and physical trauma, then came back home and no one cared.   This government will treat you like a condom.  Flush you once you've "served" your purpose.   I've seen it first hand.  I grieve for those young people.   I also grieve for the IRAQI and AFGHAN military, civilians, and resistance who fight against a decades long foreign occupation.  What about their lives?   They have families, communities, hopes, dreams, etc., just as you and I do.