Afghanistan: when a soldier makes it home

We're talking about sending 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan. We're not talking about the ones that are coming home. I used to work for the VA. There's lots to talk about. Let's start now:

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Thousands of body bags later.... and still not a Victory Parade in Sight. After all this time, never, ever seen even one. And yet there are still a lot of us who do give a damn, Revere, aren't there?

Yes, O'Leary, there are many, many who give a damn. I know you do and I think most people do. And in coming days we'll talk about (or listen to people singing about) the ones who don't come home in bags, the ones we can now save but who live severely degraded or even wretched lives just because we sent them to do something that was fundamentally wrong and is getting wronger by the minute. I'm having trouble controlling the depth of my anger about this. Music helps when it hurts.

First Phil Ochs. Then Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. Now Ario. Geez guy, you are sure showing your age. How about some hip hop or rap. Most of my patients have no clue who your magnificent 4 are.

By BostonERDoc (not verified) on 09 Dec 2009 #permalink

You forgot Buffy St. Marie. Arlo is still around. And Eric Bogle is to come. And maybe Dylan at some point. But not likely to get rap or hip hop from me. I understand its value and it's an art form. I just don't enjoy it. And I have access to the front page. Sorry.

Right on, Revere. Let's keep this enjoyable. Bit of Grace Slick wouldn't hurt, either. Not to mention Country Joe. Next stop, Paki-oops-ghanistan!

Reveres-

I just wanted to say how much I've been enjoying these daily music installments. I'm young, but thanks to fantastic parents, I grew up with Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and the like. It's fantastic to hear music from when music meant something, and to hear that music mean something again today (though I wish the circumstances weren't such that the lyrics are so particularly fitting.) Your posts are an important reminder in my daily life that this war is still continuing, a reminder that I don't really get in a tiny, secluded college campus.