I was in Iraq in 1991. My friends and I were astounded when we heard of the cease-fire; we could easily push towards Baghdad and take care of Saddam Hussein, w

I was in Iraq in 1991. My friends and I were astounded when we heard of the cease-fire; we could easily push towards Baghdad and take care of Saddam Hussein, who was clearly the Hitler of our time. "We'll be back in a decade" I thought, as it seemed as if we were leaving with our work unfinished. I was off by a couple of years, but in 2003 when we went back into Iraq to finally take care of Hussein, I was pleased. Of course, I had long since left the Army and now it was some other bunch of soldiers sitting in a tent. When they pulled Hussein out of his spider hole, I was thrilled. Justice, right? But Iraq didn't turn into a shining example of emerging democracy; it was a shit-show of tribal feuds, incompetence, waste, fraud and abuse that continued to kill decent American kids. The contemporary Iraqi WMDs -- the reason for our costly endeavor -- never really materialized (though their historical presence and usage against Kurds and Iranians was often downplayed). It became increasingly clear that all our involvement contributed to was a power vacuum in which something nastier could breed. Afghanistan, a seemingly more focused war due to the Taliban's sheltering and support of al Qaeda in the wake of 9/11, at this point appears to be no more productive. Different tribes, different waste, fraud and abuse, different American kids killed so career politicians can check a box on their list of accomplishments. While I still respect men & women who join the military, my disdain for the "warrior worship" culture that has become the norm has grown. When I returned from the Gulf in 1991, I was amazed by such goodwill and support for the military; it was, I believe, a collective reaction to the infamous reception Vietnam-era soldiers received upon coming home. I would not want to deprive returning troops of the same feel-good experience, but at the same time I've grown weary of almost seventeen years of "thank you for our service" and the obligatory shots of troops abroad watching the sportsball game du jour, the abuse of the term "hero", and this somehow normalized condition of young men and women being sent to shithole third-world countries "to keep America safe". We're in the second decade of this madness, with no clear goals for victory or even to declare a statemate. As much as I love my country, at this point were there even a hint of a draft I would be the first to drive my teenage boys to the Canadian border -- a concept that would have astounded and enraged a younger me. Amidst the author's pious wailing and gnashing of teeth, the question "where are today’s skeptical veterans?" is posed. Well, here's one. And I'm far from alone. Most of us, I suspect, aren't vocal because of one simple reason: it will accomplish nothing. As with other causes, such as the environment, drug legalization, investment in national infrastructure, additional funding for scientific research, our political class turns a deaf ear to the populace. We the little people have our designated role: fly the flag of Team Pepsi or Team Coke, pay our taxes, and become enraged at each other while the aristocracy does what they will. We are largely jaded, and having assessed the impossibility of stopping the tide many of us merely do what we can to stay on higher ground and be cognizant of storm surges.