The Fallen Soldiers

Over the past five year in Iraq, the death toll of American soldiers has rose to at least 4,000. I find this number chilling due to the fact that our country has lost 4,000 men not for the benefit of our own country, but for the benefit of another country. We have given up the lives of 4,000 in order to bring “peace” to another country. “Peace” that is still non-existent after 5 years. Last year I went to Washington DC on a school trip and at Arlington Nation Cemetery, a memorial has been set up called Faces of the Fallen (picture at top), in which a painting has been done of every single soldier that has lost their life in Iraq. I did not even complete my walk around the entire building because it seems to continue forever. I was shocked to see the ages of these soldiers. So many looked like my age, mainly because they practically were. Many of their pictures were of them in their graduation gowns. These were high school graduates from the class of 2005 and 2006. They were not even legally allowed to drink. They were hardly grown up at all. Most still teenagers. But, they all died for Our Country. I have attached the article, Iraq: US Death Toll in War Hits 4,000 .I found it very interesting and I think you would too. But, the fact that caught my interest was the death tolls of other wars. In Vietnam, the U.S. lost on average about 4,850 soldiers a year from 1963-75. In the Korean War, from 1950-53, the U.S. lost about 12,300 soldiers a year. I have heard these facts for years now and just believed it meant that those wars were much bigger and more violent. But the fact that has been left out for so long is that the War in Iraq has seen many more injuries than past wars. The reason for the increase in injuries and decrease in deaths is due to the advances in medicine that our world has seen since the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s; as well as the enhanced protective gear worn and reinforced armored vehicles. Think about this….there have been 15 soldiers wounded for every fatality in Iraq. In Vietnam only 2.6 soldiers were wounded for every death and in Korea only 2.8. Although it is much better to have our soldiers returned with lost limbs rather than lost lives, I am truly affected by the fact that 60,000 American Soldiers return to the United States and receive a Purple Heart for their duty. If we stay in Iraq, a year from now at least 1,000 more soldiers are estimated to lose their lives and over 15,000 more purple hearts will be awarded.

Commented on "Your Brain on Steroids: Finding Flow?"

I commented on CEC's post about the use of Adderall because I feel this is a current issue in our community.

Are College Students Safe?

All the media attention surrounding the several murders of women on college campuses has really created a cloud of fear across the country. Several months ago a girl was abducted in my home state of Nevada. Briana Denison was visiting some friends at the University of Nevada Reno when she was abducted from a friend’s apartment in the middle of the night. This hit me personally due to it happening in my state and at the college in which many of my close friends attend. After a month of Briana’s story streaming across the country, her body was found in a nearby field. He killer is still on the loose and is believed to be responsible for several rapings and killings across the city. Just a few weeks ago the Student Body President and the University of North Carolina was shot and killed. And also a couple of weeks ago a freshman at Auburn University was murdered on her way back to her dorm. The baffling question is what is happening across the country to all these young girls? Why has so many horrific events been occurring. My parents have gotten very worried and are constantly on my back about me NEVER walking alone. I know I should always be careful because this type of stuff can happen anywhere, but here at SMU I really do feel safe walking back to my dorm from the library or the gym at night. But after thinking about it, it really is possible for anyone to get onto our campus. Just because we are in a nice neighborhood SMU is at risk, just like every college. I think the SMU police should increase their watch of our campus, especially at night. I have never seen police in the parking garage, and we all know that parking garages are one of the most common places for robberies. I am not trying to scare any of the other girls at SMU, but I feel that we all need to watch out for each other and make sure everyone in our community is safe. Don’t ever walk alone and offer to go with a friend when they have to move their car to Moody and walk back at night. Guys should also join in and look out for their community because we will all be affected by a tragedy.