It is Memorial Day weekend, and the United States is again in a difficult and expensive war. It is important to reflect on the sacrifice, endurance and courage of those men and women who are at war for us.
Memorial Day is also about celebrating the Indianapolis 500, backyard picnics or a good mattress sale. Some folks might think this crass and vulgar. But the men and women I remember this Memorial Day would have cherished the race, a good burger and a beer. They were real, flesh-and-blood folks who’d feel awkward criticizing any of the ways we take our leisure.
As I write, we are in an uncertain ceasefire in which American troops are daily at risk. Iran’s attacks against U.S. troops have been relentless and effective. Troops in static bases have been especially vulnerable.
According to the Department of Defense, 279 U.S. Army troops have been killed or wounded in Epic Fury out of fewer than 10,000 deployed. This casualty rate is more than 15 times that of Desert Storm. Right now, roughly 1 in every 35 Army troops in theater has been wounded.
These data come directly from Department of Defense records, yet I have seen little reporting or discussion in Congress on them. That is shameful.
I’m not ignoring the risks or sacrifices of Navy, Marine Corps or Air Force personnel. It is simply harder to know from Defense Department briefings how many of these are actively involved because they operate from distant bases and ships that move across the theater.
Beyond the immediate risks of ballistic missiles, Shahed drones or quadcopter UAVs, it is necessary to consider the conditions of the battlefield and what that demands of men and women.
Most of our bases across the Middle East have been badly damaged, if not destroyed; the full accounting of which will likely be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. There is no mail delivery and no care packages.
For most deployed troops, this war means sporadic hot meals, weeks without showers or a change of clothes, nights sleeping in crowded bunkers and long days supporting missions. For air crews, it means constant mission planning and risky flights, even routine ones.
For air defense crews and those guarding bases, every day has been active combat. For maintenance and support forces, it means constantly moving fuel, maintaining equipment in harsh conditions and long days, not infrequently 24 hours straight. Precious sleep is interrupted by attacks.
Sailors and Marines work 18-hour days or longer on ships, facing constant alerts and risks from mines, enemy drone surveillance and the stress of constant vigilance. On top of all that is the uncertainty. Do we fight next week, or next month? How long will this last? What is the likelihood our ship will be hit? How bad can it get? It is grim business.
If you have been to war in any capacity, at any time or place, much of this is familiar stuff. Frankly, that is my point.
We must not forget what that means. On Memorial Day, we set aside time to remember those who have died in our wars, but we cannot forget those now fighting them.
Sadly, there’s no way to write about the Iran war without admitting that it proceeds poorly. Though we’ve inflicted considerable damage on Iran, they are not losing this war. That is unfortunate, since Iran is led by an especially evil regime, which richly deserves to end violently.
No matter how well or poorly the war goes, the effort to end that regime is noble work, worth the greatest of personal sacrifices.
If this war is lost, it will not be because of the failings of those now in harm’s way. They do what we ask them. They honor their oaths of office and perform their duties. If this war is won, it will be because of their skill, endurance and courage.
No matter how it ends, when our troops return from this war, we owe it to them to honor their sacrifice. We will learn more about their experiences, the level of preparation and the challenges they faced. We will also see the individual courage and leadership so many displayed in the most difficult of positions.
Over time, we will learn much from this war, as we did from wars before us. The one enduring lesson, which too many Americans forgot after Vietnam, is that the men and women who fight for us deserve our thanks and respect. They are our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers.
No matter how unpopular or ill-considered, we must thank them and welcome them home.
Michael J. Hicks is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Hicks: Remember those whose wars have ended, and those who still fight
Reporting by Michael Hicks, Muncie Star Press / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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