It saddens me.

There was a very brief moment in time within this great country when you would never hear or read a negative statement relating to the war in Iraq. It was a simple time, kids playing baseball, Mom in the kitchen baking apple pie and old glory waved at the corner hardware store.

Darn that Normal Rockwell painting I saw on an old Post magazine yesterday, I cannot get it out of my mind.

One would assume that a fantasy about this war would include troops marching proudly in Times Square while a ticker tape mix of confetti rained down upon them. That is just about what it would take for any member of the fifth estate to have ever uttered one word of praise regarding the performance of our military in Iraq. Instead, on any given day and today was no exception, all I can read are reporters, politician’s, academia and respected media members offering their armchair quarterbacking of how the war should or should not be.

I can click on any link, turn on any number of national news shows, local news shows and pick up any newspaper and there they are, so-called resident military experts paraded before our minds eye. Usually a retired military, more often a Colonel, because that just sounds more respected than some junior lieutenant, fresh out of college, yet to fire weapon in defense of his country offering their insight into what went wrong and when did it happen.

At the start of this war, I would see them offering their views on the day’s military tactics and how far a unit had moved forward in their quest to reach Baghdad. Now, they sit there selling their souls for some media firm and tear down any number of military units, or worse yet, lately, being a retired military officer. The media will use the rank of the person to add weight to their anti-war and anti-military views.

Fox News, once the proud backer who supported President Bush in his elections are even starting to pick of this form of what I call, “back-up reporting” when offering a negative view.

It was very apparent that this war was not going to be winnable even at the onset when we staged what the military was referring to as “shock and awe” bombing of various strategic targets in Baghdad and the media was asking, “where the heck is it?’ Back then, I just assumed that firing billions of dollars in weapons and destroying a building without even touching the one next to it was an awesome sight.

The only thing that shocked the media was we did not offer them better entertainment for the evening news. It saddens me that back then, if a country music act voiced their displeasure the world came to a screeching halt and people boycotted their act. Today is a different story, if anyone mentions they support the war and offer praise for our military the other person looks at you as if they are ready to hand you a sign to wear displaying the fact of your ignorance to the world.

It saddens me to no end to know that I actually was alive once more to witness the fall from grace of our military. It not only saddens me, it disgusts me knowing once more in history these small group of people everyone was ignoring in the beginning stages of the war, or that small group of protestors outside our local college that even the local evening news ignored are now basking in the glory of their sunshine. It is disgusting me to a point of frustration that is unspeakable. This country can never support a military action longer than it took forces to liberate Grenada. The public’s show of patriotism runs only so deep and the specific depth of that well is when casualty reports begin flowing into the media’s news desk.

Yes, it is a very sad statement indeed, when Osama bin Laden’s name can be mentioned and no one cares or even questions why he has not been captured. This country has such a short-term memory when it comes to war. While all of the anti-this and anti-that crowd are celebrating and out shopping this holiday season they should remember one small fact.

There are people this holiday season still not in the mood to shop, not quite ready to mention the holiday or not bothering to put up lights and a tree. They are not yet ready because they lost their family on September 11 and the thought of a holiday still brings back those memories.

September 11, the day that our country will forget about in ten years or so.