On the third anniversary of America's invasion of Iraq, many are discussing the cost of war. But a candid and constructive conversation about Operation Iraqi Freedom must acknowledge the debt we owe those who defend our country.
In order to understand the depth of our obligation, we must consider what and who has been lost.
Locally, there are at least 45 children whose parents died in the Iraq war, according to The Arizona Republic. Nationally, there are about 1,600 children who have suffered this same tragic loss.
One of the children described in the Republic's March 19 "Children's Sorrow" article is 13-year-old Kimberly Hunt, of Yuma.
On Oct. 12, Kimberly's 13th birthday, she traveled to Texas to spend the day with her dad. In the months since his hospitalization, her brave father, Marine Master Sgt. Kenneth E. Hunt Jr., had undergone more than 20 surgeries. He had his leg amputated and his kidneys were failing. A tracheal tube helped him breathe.
But he could barely speak.
Kenneth Hunt died on his daughter's 13th birthday. Birthdays will be "a day of remembrance," Kimberly told the Republic. "So I can always remember him no matter what."
For those of us who have not lost a loved one in combat, our responsibility lies in remembering the fact that Kimberly's loss is the true cost of war. We owe this to the families of the more than 2,300 dead U.S. troops.
Yet I struggle to find accountability in the comments of our leaders and in the actions of many of our citizens.
Sen. John McCain's Sunday editorial in The Arizona Republic acknowledged that "the war in Iraq has not gone as well as we had hoped, and we have made mistakes that have cost us dearly."
So I was obviously disgusted when I read his following assertion that "there is little to be gained from rehashing the pre-war debate over the wisdom to toppling Saddam Hussein...this is now a debate for historians."
No, Sen. McCain. This is not a debate for historians. Not when our soldiers are still dying in Iraq. And not when we made the decision to risk the life of Kimberly's father on faulty intelligence. It would be unconscionable to forgo our obligation to review the path that led us to war.
You ask us to understand: "It will take more time, more money, and more brave Americans will lose their lives in the service of their country. That is the reality of the situation today."
Yet you fail to understand there can be no reality without an account of our mistakes.
Sen. McCain, I am less than convinced that our debt to families like the Hunts is fulfilled when I read your loose plan for how to "see our mission in Iraq to victory." Nor can I trust President Bush's assurances in his Sunday address that, "We are implementing a strategy that will lead to victory in Iraq."
This is the root of our country's current failings. Too many politicians spent this anniversary touting their own ideas about the war instead of coming together to design a strategy for how we will limit the risk of life, support a country that has been ravaged by war, and bring our soldiers home to their families.
It is our responsibility to denounce those who are more preoccupied with promoting an agenda for election or re-election than a plan for compromise and intelligence.
The legacy and life of thousands of American families is at stake.
We must honor the Hunts and all the other surviving military families by demanding a plan that abandons public relations and political pissing matches.
This should not be a plan for politicians alone to formulate. It's not the Democrats' or Republicans' plan. And it's not President Bush's plan. It is our plan--our united country's plan.
Americans must demand a well thought-out, bipartisan strategy that will set our country on a path to secure Iraq and bring parents home to their children in one blessed, safe piece.
It is time to stand together as a country of families. One family united in a plan for peace.
Reach Dianna at Dianna.Nanez@asu.edu.