Where Have All The Ribbons Gone?

Is it just me or have you noticed as well?

I live in a town of about 35,000 people.  When the Iraq war began, within weeks I estimated that half the vehicles in town carried the “Support Our Troops” ribbons.  I became convinced that there was an unbreakable connection between supporting our troops and supporting the war.  My town is populated with people who are old enough to remember, sadly, Viet Nam and how those vets were treated when they returned.  Clearly, this was not going to happen again, a view I deeply share.

For those who didn’t take the time to go behind the sound bites and masterful manipulation of PR appearances and news releases, any indication of opposition to the war was seen as unpatriotic.  Then the military funerals began to happen in this little town.  It wasn’t supposed to be like this.  Wasn’t the “…mission accomplished”?  

Over time, the ribbons started coming off the cars and trucks all over town.  Reality was setting in.  This war was not a good thing.  The connection has been ripped -if not severed.  We love, respect and honor our kids.  We mourn those whose lives have been taken, not given, as our leaders continue to say.  There is no shame or lack of patriotism in demanding this madness to end.

The ribbons have all but gone.  But the caskets keep coming home, although we can’t see them unless they carry our own family. The faint outline of the ribbons once proudly displayed on the backs of our cars carries a new message:  What were we thinking?  This must not happen again.