Why I have a bee in my bonnet...

Yes, I wrote that. I say things like "aren't you the cat's pajama's?" too. It's part of my charm.

Anyway.

I go on and on and on about this Presidential Forum on Veterans, Wounded Warriors, and Military Families. I work tirelessly. I blog. I email people and call people and network and research and write and constantly look for another reason why America should care, the candidates should care, the networks should care...

I believe our service members do the work that needs to be done, that others don't want to do, that others don't want to think needs to be done... the dirty work of war that continues among men today (I use the word man in the general sense). Yet for this work, they are not adequately compensated, nor are they justly rewarded. In fact, we have evolved just enough as a species to feel shame for these acts of war but not enough to avoid engaging in these acts. So now our "warriors" are relegated to the status of "necessary evil" and all that is associated with that is easily demonized or quickly dismissed.

An example, I think, of how the military is marginalized and unappreciated by both parties:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/11/9/204920/645

First, that broke my heart.

Then it just pissed me off.

So I keep writing. And blogging. And work on helping others find their voices to share their stories. Because the military and veteran community should NOT be marginalized. It should not exist in the shadows of a great nation. It should not be a tool for abuse by a great nation nor should it be abused BY a great nation. It should be a reflection OF a great nation.

Men and women die EVERY DAY. Men and women face death or the fear of death or the possibility of death by virtue of their service to this country every day. By virtue of voluntary service that is undervalued, misused, and misunderstood. Service that should be appreciated b/c were it not for them volunteering, there WOULD be a draft.

Every day there are men, women, and children whose lives are irrevocably altered by virtue of physical and emotional separations and traumas that transcend the traditional definitions of "wounded" and "casualties".

Since 9/11, the military community has witnessed the devastation of thousands of lives that cannot be categorized by any word other than broken: broken hearts, broken homes, broken lives, broken spirits, broken dreams. Broken. And loss. Loss is another word that can describe what is experienced by thousands. Tremendous loss.

Every person on that helicopter lost something that they will never get back and every family member of every person on that helicopter lost someone or something.

Our nation doesn't mourn these losses. And we don't mend what is broken. We don't see what is broken. We don't talk about what is breaking.

That pisses me off.