Today, Memorial Day of 2008, I have looked at a few blog postings, where some of our fellow Obama supporters have discussed the current war in Iraq, and then gone on to say that there are no just wars, and that all wars are the result of policy failures.  I do not agree with the statement that there are no just wars, but that is not the subject I have in mind today.  What I have not seen in my.barackobama.com - and I hope that I never do - is any implication that our men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces have some "higher duty" to refuse orders in connection with carrying out an unpopular policy.  I was draft eligible during the Vietnam War, although after the peak of U.S. involvement.  I had a high draft lottery number, and was never called to military service.  My contemporaries who did serve in that war, whether they volunteered or were drafted, were often called "baby killers" by some of those who managed to legally avoid the Service.  I remember an anti-war rally in downtown Chicago from that time period, where some idiot demonstrated his own commitment to the cause of peace by kicking a wounded marine who was on crutches.  In retrospect, I suppose it is possible that the man who did the kicking might have been acting in the service of Nixon's highly politicized (and misnamed) Justice Department, in order to discredit the anti-war movement.  Whether or not that is true for that specific incident, there was unmistakably a widespread sentiment that, not only was that war unjust, but the American soldiers (I mean the term "soldiers" here to include military personnel from all the branches) were often war criminals, as if there were at least a few in every platoon.   

If America as a nation learned nothing else from the Vietnam War, we hopefully at least learned that it was wrong to blame the soldiers who put their lives on the line because their commander-in-chief told them to.  It took several years after the end of that war for many Americans to realize that the men and women in the Service deserve our appreciation.  Whether or not we believe that a particular war is morally justified or politically sensible, it should not affect our respect for those who sacrifice so much (even assuming that they finish their military duties without suffering physical harm).  From what I can see, those who have served in the wars in Iraq and/or Afghanistan are respected and appreciated by nearly all Americans, regardless of ideology.  That is definitely progress. 

To show some practical appreciation for our troops, Senator Webb's new G.I. Bill, which appears about to become law, is a good start.   In addition, our honorably discharged veterans (as well as Reservists not on active duty) deserve excellent permanent health insurance at a very affordable cost. 

Nearly all of us who support Obama for president are strongly opposed to the war in Iraq.  We are probably more divided regarding Afghanistan.  In any case, if we have a war that we believe is bad policy, the blame is squarely on George W. Bush, the "decider" as he famously called himself.  It is quite likely that history's verdict on his presidency will be a harsh one.  We can also blame, to some degree, a few other civilian leaders, such as Mr. Rumsfeld.  Whatever we think of them, we should always remember that our military men and women are not the policy makers.  Without regard to our own political philosophy, we thank them for their service.