WAS IT WORTH IT?
Jason N. Thelen
Veterans for Common Sense - Guest Column
Originally Post June 29, 2005

I have some questions to those who say "It was worth it."
Have you ever woken to the dull rumble of explosions in the distance?
Have you cracked the crusty salt-stains on your uniform as you donned it for another day in the sun?
Have you ever gone five months without talking to a single family member?
Have your muscles learned to load an M-16 without conscious thought?
Have you felt the blast furnace heat of a summer day roll through the open door as you patrol the back alleys of an adobe slum?
Have you laughed with your teammates at sights that should give a grown man nightmares?
Have you grown to trust that feeling of "something ain't right"?
Have you felt the beetle-buzz of an AK round passing overhead?
Have you heard the sudden silence and low ringing in your ears following your first outgoing rifle round?
Have you raised a hand to shade your face from the heat of a humvee in flames?
Have you seen a soldier's eyes turn marble-dull as his life retreats?
Have you ever seen the crimson splash of blood in the floorboards of a humvee?
Have you listened to the steady voice of an NCO over the company net as he reads the roster numbers for each WIA and KIA?
Have you ever stood at attention during the roll call for departed comrades?
Have you ever stood next to your wife in the kitchen as she sobs at the news of another deployment order?

Protecting our great nation is worth many sacrifices. Make sure you know those sacrifices before you judge their worth.

Jason Thelen served as a Captain in the US Army Reserve during Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is the one in a series of columns he is writing for Veterans for Common Sense. He can be reached at jthelen294@yahoo.com

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