For decades now the Korean Conflict has been called the Forgotten War.
Sandwiched, as it is, in American history between World War II and the Vietnam War, it is little wonder the two-plus-year-long conflict gets the short shrift in the history books.
For the men who fought there, who paid the ultimate sacrifice there, and to their families it was real enough.
Sad to say, it might be easy enough to argue the war in Afghanistan is a forgotten war right now. However, for those of us on the home front, it is easy enough to tune out the war effort, most easily just by changing the channel.
It says here that we shouldn’t overlook or take lightly the sacrifice being made right now on our collective behalf. Even as this issue of The Lincoln County News goes to press, American troops are in harm’s way.
The men and women serving in Afghanistan, and serving still in Iraq, are as much heroes as the fathers and grandfathers who fought the legendary battles of World War II.
Most of the current generation of troops will be home soon enough and many will bear the scars of this conflict, emotionally and physically for the rest of their lives. We don’t know because we haven’t been there but we take it on faith that one can’t see the fruits of combat and not be changed.
As Americans we are free to protest this war and all wars. We are free to argue for or against any action by our government. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, laid out so eloquently in the Declaration of Independence and bought and paid for with the kind of sacrifice our troops are making for us right now.
Tomorrow is a day off for many Americans, but it is not a holiday. It shouldn’t be.
It should be a time of solemnity and celebration for this day was paid for in blood.
