The War for What?

Yesterday Thousand Oaks, California, where I live, buried its first casualty of the Iraq War: Lance Corporal Anthony Mejia. He was twenty, a graduate of my alma matter (Thousand Oaks High), and a seemingly great kid.

And now he's gone.

As I drove along Moorpark Road, looking at the flag-holding residents, I couldn't help but wonder what Anthony's life might have been if he hadn't enlisted in the Marines. He'd be in college, gaining knowledge from classes and from life's experiences.

This somber scene has played itself out in too many cities for too many families, nearly three thousand times. It will continue to hurt each time. So many lives wasted in a war for what.