When War Comes Full Circle

-By Christopher Moore

I was a young man when we invaded Iraq.

We were told Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. That he was a threat to America. That we had to strike first.

We believed them. So we went. We fought. We bled. We buried friends. And we came home carrying things no one could see.

Later, when the truth came out—that there were no active WMD programs, no stockpiles, no nukes in the basement—the war didn’t stop. We just kept going. We kept dying. We kept watching our brothers and sisters come home messed up, or not come home at all.

But that’s not the whole story either.

Saddam was a tyrant. He was committing genocide against his own people. His sons were monsters. We did some good over there.

We brought humanitarian aid. We rebuilt schools and hospitals. We protected villages from militias. We did help people. We took the fight to their turf instead of waiting for it to come to ours. WE did that.

There’s pride in that. And pain.

Because as much good as we did, we still lost too many. Too many of us came home in pieces—or not at all. And when I ask myself if it was worth not being able to bring everyone back?
That answer changes depending on the day.

But don’t get it twisted:
We were betrayed.
We were used.
And we haven’t forgotten.

Now I’m older. I’ve seen how this country works behind the curtain. I’ve seen politicians light matches they’ll never have to carry through the fire.
And I’m watching us bomb Iran now, with the same language, the same swagger, and the same lack of clarity.

It feels like déjà vu.

I don’t cheer for airstrikes anymore. I ask hard questions.
Because I remember what it’s like to believe the reasons—only to bury someone who believed them too.

Call it whatever you want: “deterrence,” “readiness,” “precision strike.”
I’ve learned to read between the lines.

This isn’t about being unpatriotic. It’s about never letting another generation walk into war with blindfolds on.

So if you’re one of the ones who thinks questioning a war dishonors the troops—you’ve got it backwards. Blind obedience dishonors the troops. Silence after betrayal dishonors the troops. Holding politicians accountable and demanding better for the next generation of warfighters—that’s what honoring the troops looks like.

We’ve done our part. We carry the cost.
Now it’s up to the rest of the country to pay attention before history repeats itself again.

Semper Fidelis

-The Gun Loving Hippie Dad … Who Fixes Stuff

Rants, repairs, and realness