"In War There Are No Unwounded Soldiers"

I grew up during Vietnam. I was young, but not that young, had a brother in the Marine Corps who served in Vietnam, married a Vietnam vet and count among my friends several more.

I know the songs, have seen all the movies, read most of the books and still remember the nightly TV --Khe Sanh, Tet, Paris Peace Talks, Vietnamization, Burning Draft Cards, Hearts and Minds, the Fall of Saigon, the Wall-- the images and effects of that War are all part of the hardwiring in my brain. I think that is true of everyone in my generation.

Something tells me that when it's all said and done, the impact the Iraq War is going to have on every aspect of our lives will, in comparison, make the Vietnam War look like pretty meek stuff. I don't know why that is exactly.

Maybe it is simply the immediacy of communication, the advances in technology allowing for significant impact without any filters. No one tells us what it all means, we are better able to figure it out for ourselves.

Maybe this War just seems so much more complicated, and that's saying a lot. But the greater the complication the deeper and more long-lasting the impact? Maybe it's just me at my age and who I am now. I don't have the answer.

I know they are two different wars. I don't mean to imply that one is more or less meaningful or significant than the other or any war, especially for those who have done or are doing the fighting.

Title is quote from Jose Narosky.