Today is the 1,095^th day of the war. In two days, we will mark the 3rd anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq. Tens of thousands of Iraqis are wounded or dead; more than 2,300 U.S. soldiers and marines have died; approximately 17,000 more have suffered physical wounds; and 1 of every 4 soldiers returning home are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, or anxiety. While we don’t know how substantial the effects of depleted uranium (DU) will be, I believe that DU will be to Iraq War Veterans what Agent Orange was and still is to Vietnam War Veterans. There’s been a significant increase in DUIs and illegal substance use on military bases; the rate of domestic violence incidents has skyrocketed, and the unemployment rate of returning vets between the ages of 20 and 24 years is 15% - that’s more than 3 times the national rate of unemployment. These are the costs of war --- a war in which George Bush says we’re making progress --- a war that instead of winding down after 3 years, is escalating. Iraq is on the brink of civil war. Our military has been flying C-130 aircraft over to Iraq for weeks now, and just a few days ago began the largest air assault since the invasion three years ago. Additional ground troops were sent into Iraq from Kuwait, and the House side of our Congress just passed another $72 billion dollars to fund the war – bringing the total economic costs of this war to $400 billion. It has been easy for many people in this country to avoid thinking about the war, because they haven’t been directly affected by it. Their loved ones are not going off to war; they don’t lay in bed at night hoping that the next knock on the front door is a soldier or marine who’s come to tell them that their loved one is no longer walking among the living. George Bush has very strategically not raised our taxes, because he doesn’t want us to realize that we are paying for it – we are paying for it through cuts to education, cuts to health care, cuts to transportation, and cuts to every social service program in this country. The Bush administration has run the national debt up to almost $9 trillion. This is the legacy that we will leave to our children and our grandchildren.

My son is a 27 year old staff sergeant in the army’s 82nd ABN, and he has spent almost 2 of the last 3 years in Iraq. He recently returned home from his 3rd deployment, and for that I am thankful. However, it is clear to me that he will never be the same. I’ve watched him turn from a sensitive young man, who wore his heart on his sleeve and was in awe of being "in the cradle of civilization," into someone who is filled with so much anger that he can barely speak. You may think his anger is directed at the Iraqis or at those who’ve been variously described as terrorists and insurgents, and on some level you’d be correct. However, those with whom he is most angry sit in Washington, D.C. He is angry at all of our leaders for taking us into and supporting this war – a war that he questioned from the beginning, and he is now convinced is illegal and unjust. He has told me that he’s "tired of putting kids in body bags, so that some people’s pockets can be lined with blood money." He has told me that he feels betrayed – betrayed by our elected Congressional representatives who have the power to stop this war, yet remain silent. He has told me that troop morale is low, and the reason for that is because "our government sends us back over, and over, and over again." Prior to his last deployment, I asked him what his mission was; he replied, "I don’t know what our mission is; I haven’t known for a long time. All I know is that when I get over there, it’s me or them." Is this what freedom and democracy are about? Our loved ones are fighting solely to keep themselves and each other alive.

My son did return to the United States physically unharmed, but he doesn’t sleep at night; he can neither eat nor be around groups of people; and he jumps at every sound. He was only home for four months between the second and third deployments, and he’s told me that it will take him years to get over this. I don’t believe he’ll ever get over this, and I live in fear that he’ll be sent back for a fourth deployment. However, as terrifying as that is to me, it isn’t the worst of my fears. My greatest fear isn’t that he’ll return in a body bag but that he’ll return as someone whom I no longer know… someone so different from the caring young man I raised that I’ll no longer recognize him.

A few of our elected representatives are speaking out and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. But they are a minority, and their voices are muffled by the shroud of silence that covers Washington D.C. Our Congress is responsible for allowing the president to take the nation to war, and it is responsible for the continuation of this war. It is past time for both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to show some courage. This isn’t about right or left; it’s about right or wrong. It’s time for Republicans and Democrats to take leadership, to speak out, to take action to end this war. Senator Feinstein recently told a small group of representatives from Military Families Speak Out and Iraq Veterans Against the War she isn’t responsible for this war; that this is Donald Rumsfeld’s war, and that we should address our concerns to him. This is a Senator who represents the people of California…this is a Senator who has abdicated her leadership role…is this a Senator who represents you? She doesn’t represent me!

During his second deployment, and in one of his darkest moments, my son called home and asked, "Mom, where are the American people? Do they know what’s going on over here? Do they even care about us?" Today, I put that question to you - do you care about our sons, our daughters, our loved ones? If you do, then what action are you willing to take? Participating in marches and rallies is important, but it’s not enough. I am often asked if my son supports my speaking out, and I can unequivocally say, "yes, he does." He has told me many times that when he enlisted in the military, he gave up some of his rights – particularly his right to free speech, ostensibly to fight for ours. Today, I challenge you to use your voices, to speak out by contacting your elected representatives. They work for you. They work for us. It’s time to demand that they stop funding this war. It’s time to demand that the troops be brought home NOW and be taken care of when they get here. And it’s time to demand that we pay restitution to the Iraqi people for what we’ve done to them and to their country. And if our representatives don’t act on your demands, then vote them out of office! I believe that this is the greatest way that we can honor all of our troops, particularly those who, by their deaths, have paid the supreme price for this war.

Thank you.