Reality and the Iraq War

Almost 4 years after the beginning of the Iraq War, what have we learned so far? We have no heart, a selective memory, and we've lost our minds. To date, 2,900 members of the U.S. military have died in Iraq. Add to that the 350 that have died in the Afghan offensive, and 3,250 of our soldiers have died in battle. What a terrible loss that is. I have known families who lost their son or daughter, and the pain and helplessness they feel is enough to bring you to your knees. I don't want to belittle their loss and our country's loss. I would be remiss, however, if I did not point out that this number is much lower than any major military action since the Spanish-American War of 1898.
My point? Our generation does not really have a grasp of war. Vietnam was the first time that the war was brought into viewer's homes. As those men and women began to realize that war is horrible, they predictably protested. And why not? For the terrible toll WWII took on American lives, it did not touch the collective American psyche the way Vietnam did. There was a clear enemy to fight. The news was scarce. The need to sacrfice on the home front meant those civilians had some grasp of what the soldiers were sacrificing on the war's many fronts. They were not, however, bombarded with video footage of soldiers missing arms or legs, little children screaming from shrapnel, the chaos of battle. Had they, I doubt that we would have had the resolve to finish WWII. We certainly didn't in Vietnam.
None of this is really suprising. At the beginning of the civil war, people brought picnic blankets out to watch the fighting - until they realized just how horrific war really is. For most of America's history, citizens have been protected from that knowledge by slow dissemination of news and by responsible journalists who understood the American mind.
The Persian Gulf War was different than any other war in American history. Often referred to as "the video game war", American's were once again distanced by the almost unrealistic view given from jets and night vision cameras. We saw no real suffering, and with a short campaign and only 382 Americans dead, this was a war we could accept.
Things have changed dramatically in the past 15 years. The internet, blogs, imbedded reporting, and specialized media have all contributed to the chinese water torture known as the Iraq War. Each death, complete with personal profile, adds to the tension. Each day without a death adds to our apprehension. Our will is being sapped one death, one day at a time. Should it be? Lets look at the facts.
Over the course of the war, 3,250 soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghnistan. That comes out to 18 deaths a week. Again, I don't wish to minimize the tragic impact that has on communities and families, but Vietnam had about 100 American deaths a week, the Korean War had about 182 American deaths a week, and WWII had over 1500 American deaths a week for the duration of the war.
Perhaps it is the circumstances that make these deaths resonate with us more. Instead of being on the offensive, our soldiers are now being stalked by determined snipers, picked off in groups of 4 or 5 by IEDs, kidnapped and executed by hooded assailants.
Whatever the reason, Americans are beginning to balk at this war in greater and greater numbers. For this, the blame lies squarely at the feet of irresponsible journalists. Rabid devotion to "the truth", rabid hatred for Pres. Bush, and an obvious gap between journalists and the public they serve has led to a callousness equal only to that seen in Vietnam. Their actions, more than that of al Qaeda or any other insurgent group, has sapped the American resolve.
At some point, I hope we as Americans begin to truly see the big picture. But I doubt it. We're too wrapped up in our personal vendettas to see that there are those who truly hate America and will do anything to see it fall.