I didn't know how to feel about the war until today.

My mom told me that one of my closest friends and role models leaves for Kuwait tomorrow. The years and distance between us have prevented us from keeping in touch consistently, but I've always looked at his life, the way he treats his friends, the way he loves his wife, and the way he loves his country, and I've always thought, "I wish I were like him." And with such short notice before he leaves, I am unable to find him and unable to tell him goodbye.

I understand the ideas behind the impending war. I understand the concept of sacrificing a few for the good of many. I even understand the notion that passivity solves very little. It's quite likely that I will see my friend again. It's also possible that this war will be over in a matter of months. But I can't help but feel for those whose lives are not spared for the greater picture of freedom. How great a cost are we as Americans going to pay for a war that might or might not solve anything?

Americans are going to die in the coming months because of this war. That is inevitable. And even if I see my friend again, countless others will never see a parent, a sibling, a lover, a spouse or a friend because, as we've been led to believe, there is no other way to bring peace to this nation.

But I guess that depends on how you define "peace." And the words "grieve" and "loss" are not present in my definition of the word "peace."

In honor of all the soldiers fighting on our behalf, I offer the following:

-It is the Soldier-
It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.”

-Father Denis Edward O’Brien USM