Eight Good Men

Very few things would make me post a second entry in one day. But I just learned that eight G.I.s were killed in Baghdad on Monday. Eight in one day in multiple incidents. Eight.

We’ll never know the complete tally of suffering for the day, because we don’t know how many wives, fiancées, children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, classmates, co-workers, and neighbors just had their lives permanently altered by the pain and grief that comes with each lost life. And, lest we forget, there were other soldiers or marines with these eight good men on Monday; other men and women who will bear the scars of what they saw and heard; other men and women who will endure the loss of close comrades in arms.

Then I just read that the Defense budget for fiscal year 2006, which ended on September 30, included a special appropriation of $20 million to pay for the military participation in a celebration in the nation’s capital “for the commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation called on the president to designate “a day of celebration”. Nice idea; a well deserved recognition of every man and woman in uniform.

But the money wasn’t spent – for obvious reasons – the precondition of “mission accomplished” wasn’t met. Senate Reb leaders insisted that the $20 million be rolled over into fiscal year 2007, which began on Sunday. Still a nice idea; but they should have increased the amount for this event because with each passing year we should be willing to double what we spend in honor of the troops who keep going back to war, tour after tour.

But, what is the definition of success in Iraq; how will we know when to commemorate it; what is the plan for achieving that success this year; how does this year’s plan for success differ from the plan that didn’t work last year, or the year before, or the year before?

One day into the new fiscal year, eight soldiers had their names crossed off of the list of potential military attendees for this future celebration. Each of them deserved to be part of the celebration. Each of them will forever be part of the commemoration. God bless them.

What will tomorrow bring?