Our Duty as Veterans -

Garett, Iraq Vet, Writes It Like It Is!

Tuesday, 13 June 2006
The Duty of Veterans
Posted By Garett Reppenhagen

What do Veterans owe the Country once they have separated from the service? I have a deep sense of duty still to my nation. Especially since the Global War on Terror continues to wage on. There is an unfinished commitment that may never pass as long as I live, perhaps even longer as I plant the seeds of social change within the next generation.


I have been asked “Repp, why the hell do you still wear your dog tags?” Well to me, my war is not over. I continue to fight to survive along side the other veterans of this war. I will likely resume the fight with the veterans of future wars just as the veterans of previous wars mentor and stand beside me.


It is because there is a horrible injustice to the veterans, those who are the few .4% of Americans who choose to sacrifice for this nation’s majority and who are being neglected and abused by the institution that causes me such unrest. We receive inadequate healthcare and are avoided in most other areas of benefits. We are expected to continue our sacrifice long after our discharge.


For that reason I stand along side my brothers and sisters who wore the uniform in a struggle to gain the fair treatment that might set us on par with our peers who decided not to serve their country.


As a veteran I also am obligated to educate civilians on the realities of modern warfare in the Middle-East. Where popular media has failed to report honestly on the Iraq War, I feel we veterans are a missing link so society may understand the experience of a soldier and what it is to be at war. I feel bound to report what I have witnessed and give expression of my perceptions of the conflict.


I also felt first hand what it is like to be an instrument of the military industrial complex. I have a passion to attempt to change the system so it has less ability to control the Armed Forces and put soldiers in harms way in a war of choice. Hopefully altering the role citizens play in this democracy, forcing more accountability to our leaders.


I also feel a responsibility towards the war torn region that I left over a year ago. The guilt I have over my part in the destruction of Iraq is haunting. I will be fettered by a duty to the Iraqi people for the rest of my life. As a veteran of the Iraq War I feel that in a large part I must have a position that will heal the growing divide between our cultures and reconcile our differences.


My place as an American war veteran is an honorable but underrated role in our civilization. The wisdom that soldiers gain through war is not always self-realized. However, I hope that our country has the openness to listen when we voice our opinions. For those views have been tempered and forged in the hottest of fires.