Look around: War zone has hit home

Shots ring out; a young man lies dead. A mother’s tears fall unabated and a community mourns the loss of one of their own.

Armed factions roam the streets; men in Kevlar line rooftops, their guns silhouetted against a bright sky as the townspeople look up in fear at the strange sight.

Baghdad? Nasiriyah? Some far-off land? No, this war has landed in our hometown.

We expect that, when our sons and daughters don a uniform and take an oath to serve, they may be placed in harm’s way. They signed up to fight the fight; they are well-trained and equipped.

As I write these words, it doesn’t escape my notice that the mothers in Baghdad are wondering how their hometown turned into a war zone. I am not dismissing their worries; my heart aches for their pain.

The question is this: How can we make it stop? When will it be safe for children in Bradenton and Baghdad to ride their bikes in the sunshine, free from worry of bullets strafing the air?

I know we are making strides in Iraq. Every day, it seems, another province is handed over to Iraqi control, another step closer to our troops coming home and for Iraqis to patch up their wounded country and edge toward autonomy.

But will our troops come home to find the war in their backyard?

When my kids were little, they were allowed to roam as far as my voice could carry. My only worries were that they would fall out of a tree or run into the road without looking.

I don’t want to go to another slain child’s funeral. I don’t want to look into the face of another bereaved mother. I don’t want to live in an armed camp.

Let’s figure out how we can make our own streets safe, so our children’s children can grow in peace and safety.

Tiffany

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Last Monday's Marine Mom meeting, where we welcomed Kyle Pick and Brent Romeo home for visits:






June's four-year anniversary meeting with special guest Lance Carrington:

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Around the military:

U.S. Army Spc. Adam Brown patrols through a neighborhood in the Taji Qada, northwest of Baghdad, July 9, 2008, en route to a tribal sheik’s house to discuss essential services and grants. Brown is an infantryman assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. J.B. Jaso III

Christopher Payne Jr. enjoys his new home in the Operation Homefront Village serving Water Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., July 15, 2008. The village offers transitioning wounded warriors and their families rent-free housing while they recuperate at one of the medical facilities. Photo courtesy of Operation Homefront


Iraqi children gather around U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Haggard for a group photo during Youth Outreach Day on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq, July 12, 2008. The Provincial Reconstruction Team coordinated the event to increase understanding of coalition forces for children in the local community. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Micky M. Bazaldua



U.S. Army soldiers and Marines conduct sling load operations on Chabelley Air Field, Djibouti, July 14, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 18th Field Artillery Regiment's Battery B, 2nd Battalion, and the Marines are assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 operating CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters. U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt Samuel Rogers