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Ravages of war continue
long after fighting stops

War by definition is inhumane. I reflect on the veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and now Iraq. In the past, those who survived the worst experience in their lives were expected to walk right back into the homes and workplaces they had left. I refer to some of them as the "walking dead" because of the high rate of alcoholism, family abuse and other maladies that result after war experiences.

Some people think those who come home are fortunate to have lived. Well, they do come home, but in what condition?

My birth father was reportedly the kindest person ever, but on his return from war, he was a different man. He came back an alcoholic who experienced flashbacks. Later, there was spouse abuse. My family took the brunt of the situation just as so many other families bare the brunt of war. On the eve of my birth, my birth mother was hospitalized as a result of one of his flashbacks.

My birth father was not alone. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) had not been identified in the early days after World War II. Therefore, others suffered as he did. Twenty years later, the Vietnam War left the same scars. More families faced the wages of war again.

My birth parents decided to divorce when I was 3 months old, so I was spared the daily trauma of growing up in an alcoholic home. While I did not suffer with my adoptive parents, I lost my birth parents to World War II. This loss has never been recorded as so many other losses from war go undocumented.

I'll never forget the veterans I have met whose daily lives were scarred by war: those who saw too many body bags; those with scars from Agent Orange; those whose medical care was curtailed after government cutbacks. I hated going to Tripler Medical Center during the time I spent working with veterans. How does anyone explain why a government reneges on the promise of lifetime medical care?

After all the centuries upon centuries of war, one would think that nations could find a better method of dealing with differences of opinion, differences of religious beliefs and differences of land boundaries.

Humans can be so ingenious. We created color TV, cell phones, home dishwashers, microwave ovens, space stations outside our atmosphere and home computers. In view of these clever inventions, why haven't we created a new means of settling disputes? Why must people continue to suffer?

War is outdated and upside-down. The little people -- those who don't make the rules of war and don't declare war -- are the ones on the front lines. We need to put those who start the war on the front lines, not just create media opportunities for them.

Now, the death toll increases in Iraq. When does a person's unwarranted death mean anything? If it did, war would be a horror of the past, not a horror of today.

As a child, I was told that war meant profit for the country through increased productivity. Yet, why are the unemployment rolls so high today? The jobless rolls are diluted by those who have either run out of benefits or never qualified for them in the first place. With today's federal deficit at an all-time high, war is more than a burden to our people and our government.

The only honor comes in peace. The horrible photos taken inside prisons with American military guards while they humiliate foreign prisoners are an example that there is no honor for Americans or the military in Iraq. The Geneva Conventions have been dishonored, and we are responsible.

Tally it up: the walking dead from war; the injured children and adults left after war; the lack of funds for medical care for veterans; the horrible loss of lives, livelihoods and families; and the diversion of funds from education, environment, health care that war demands.

The time has come for peace. The time has come for bombs to give way to tsunami sensors to stop the loss of lives in war and in natural disasters. Now is the time for peace.

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