A heroic cause?

I was saddened by the front page story in the Palm Beach Post today regarding area soldiers being deployed to Iraq.

I believe that their sacrifice is noble, and that they are behaving heroically. I do not, however, believe the cause for which they are being sent to fight and die is heroic, and that makes their words (and those of their family members) even more poignant.

John Allen, a dive boat captain from Boynton Beach, was surrounded by fellow members of Masonic Lodge 138 as he waited for his son, Carter, to arrive - and depart.

"This is like waiting for a baby to be born," Allen said, smiling stoically and eyeing the door. "I'm not happy about him going. I'd trade places in a heartbeat, but he has a job to do, and when he enlisted we all knew he wasn't signing up to work at Sears. He has a cause, and hopefully he'll be home. I'm very proud."

Carter Allen joined the Marines in 2004 after graduating from the Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

"He changed a lot after Sept. 11," his father said. "It's kind of ironic because his grandfather enlisted after Pearl Harbor."

[...]

In April 2004, [Lance Cpl. Bill] Simonet left this same parking lot for his first tour of Iraq. He was 20 then and full of smiles and self-confidence. He had introduced himself as Billy.

"I'm not worried, I'm looking forward to it," he said then. "I'm young and wild, I'm adventurous. And it's free!"

Now he's Bill and 23, and he's heading back. His smile is still wide and self-confident, but he has clearly become a man. His speech is less ebullient but more assured.

"I'm a little more prepared now," he said, "and I've learned everything isn't as it seems. I went over there expecting everybody was wanting to shoot and kill me, but it's quite the opposite, actually. The people are very friendly. They actually want us there."

Nearby, Capt. Matt Brewster stood with his mother and stepfather. A graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in building construction and finance, he has completed one tour in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. He's returning to Iraq at a time when public opinion polls find strong support for the troops but dwindling faith in their mission.

"We're fighting a counterinsurgency, and a counterinsurgency is a lot of very small battles," Brewster said. "So it's hard for the press to say we captured this guy and we captured that guy. But we'll never give up as long as you guys don't give up on us. This war is very winnable, and we just need the public to keep supporting us."

[...]

As the van pulled out of the gate and headed toward Belvedere Road, it passed a gray marble monument.

We Shall Never Forget Those Who Gave All For The Cause Of Freedom.
Robert B. Jenkins, Al Anbar, Iraq, 2 May 2004.
Scott R. McHugh, Al Anbar, Iraq, 2 May 2004.

I wish I could believe that they, and thousands of others, gave their lives for freedom. But the reality is that they gave their lives for nothing more than a vendetta, a personal grudge match led by Drunky McStagger, a cause that was far more political than patriotic.

That's the saddest fact of all.