The following article by Clint Van Winkle appeared in the December 27, 2011 edition of USA Today. In his closing paragraph, he states that, “How we treat our veterans is a direct reflection of our nation… And the first step is to acknowledge that the legacy of war lasts a lifetime.”

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It’s Baghdad, 2003. I’m a U.S. Marine sitting inside an amphibious assault vehicle at a large construction site where rats the size of cats lurk. I hear machine gun fire and explosions. The sky is filled with fire. We look and smell as if we’ve been dragged behind a horse and buggy the entire way from Kuwait. Many of us feel that way mentally, too. Our tour has been filled with patrolling and firefights. Already, I am numb from the death we’ve encountered every inch of the march to Baghdad. There isn’t anything funny about our situation, or the situations that I know we will soon face.
Commotion and strange noises, it almost sounds like laughing. I can’t imagine what could be so funny in such an unfunny place. I unholster my pistol, head outside. What I see is unbelievable. It’s Cpl. Shawn Kipper, a “husky” Marine. Here we are in the middle of a combat zone and this clown is wearing only a flak jacket and bright orange Speedo that is two sizes too small. Of course, he’s carrying his rifle, too. He sees me and with a straight face asks, “Have you seen my baseball?”
Random, yes, but the There’s Something About Mary quote and modified combat uniform broke the tension, providing a brief mental vacation from the war that surrounded us.
For each funny or amusing Iraq story I have, there are 20 more that are disturbing or sad. And no matter how hard I try to shake those memories, they are always present. I left Iraq more than eight years ago but, at times, it feels as fresh as yesterday.
There are thousands of war stories that will go untold, that will stay within the circle of people who were present: some funny, some tragic, and many heroic. Now, thankfully, there won’t be any more Iraq War stories created or missed holidays because of that war. The Iraq War is over, kind of.
Numerous Americans, and Iraqis for that matter, will continue to fight their psychological/physical battles with varying degrees of success. The majority will do an about face and successfully reintegrate into society, but too many will be stuck marking time in the sandbox of their minds. Either way, the Iraq War will continue to claim casualties.
Through the commotion, the white noise of punditry, I hope we don’t lose sight of what we really need to focus on: the veterans who will continue to pay the price for fighting that war.
The situation is dire for a lot of veterans, and most don’t have a Marine in a bright orange Speedo around to snap them out of it. For that reason, it is important we realize the Iraq War is not truly over. It is ongoing, something that is still being fought and will continue to be fought for decades. Same with the war in Afghanistan. Every day, new wounds — physical and emotional — are being inflicted. These battlefields never stay overseas.
How we treat our veterans is a direct reflection of our nation. We do a decent job, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has stepped it up in recent years, but we can do better. We must do better. And the first step is to acknowledge that the legacy of war lasts a lifetime.

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Clint Van Winkle, author of Soft Spots: A Marine’s Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a faculty associate at Arizona State University’s West Campus.