War? What wars?

Scene from "The Telling Project"

During all the pre-election hype and continuing through the post-election analysis Tuesday night, I don't recall more than a single reference to Afghanistan -- and none to Iraq.

Which is a shame. Because all the pundits and politicians would have you believe that the mid-term elections were solely about the economy and the deficit. Those are obvious issues, of course, but it's distressing to me that our foreign entanglements -- which are equally important to our fiscal health -- didn't register as a major concern with voters.

As if to make my point, a writer for the alternative weekly, Willamette Week, had this to say in a blurb about a forthcoming play about the forgotten wars:

"You probably don’t spend much time, on a day-to-day basis, thinking about war. I don’t. The country has been embroiled in violent overseas conflict since my last year of high school, leaving 5,787 men and women of my generation dead and tens of thousands more wounded, but most days I worry more about how all the damn ants are getting into my living room than I do Afghanistan and Iraq. I don’t think I am much different from most Americans, in that respect. We have placed our wars, and our soldiers, in the same mental box as the national debt and the eventual possibility of colon cancer." 

Give the writer some points for honesty. And if you're in the Portland area, consider attending a performance of "The Telling Project." It's a performance piece featuring six veterans who discuss their experiences at war -- and whose status as amateur actors makes their words and emotions all the more meaningful. I attended a show last year and it was a real epiphany for me. (Read my review: "Ordinary heroes")

As someone who's become a military dad, owing to our youngest son's enlistment in the Army, I've naturally taken more of an interest in the politics and military strategies associated with our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the U.S. electorate and scads of political analysts can't be bothered to acknowledge the wars, at least I can tip my hat to these brave soldiers, sailors and Marines who've served and are willing to let us in to their world.

Photo by  Patrick Weishampel, Willamette Week