On Veteran's Day an important question for a thinking person is should service men and women be held accountable for the deceiving policies of an administration? When veterans returned from the Vietnam War they were, for the most part, blamed for taking part in the atrocities that went on there. While it was a war that Americans should have never taken part in, that didn't seem right. In the current Iraqi War, it appears the American people in general are able to support the troops even if they don't agree with the government's decision to be involved in a war under false pretenses.

How could one not feel bad for those killed, injured and permanently disabled while fighting for what they thought was their people's interest? Surely, every country needs brave men and women to protect it when bad elements come to attack. Such soldiers should be held in high esteem and fully supported.

While understanding the importance of supporting our troops, some say it is still advisable that a prospective volunteer think long and hard before volunteering for a situation that may be not for the good of their nation but ultimately self-serving for an administration and those shadow interests the administration really answers to. Is it not prudent and wise to hesitate about taking part in a possible unjust war where thousands of innocent men, women and children are slaughtered in order to line the pockets of greedy men in power? One should at least consider the possibilities.

Today I saw a man whose face had half burned off due to a road side explosion in Iraq. It is very upsetting to think that this may have happened due to corrupt leaders behind the scenes. Not only that, it is also upsetting that veterans do not get the medical and psychological help that they often need.

In a country where soldiers are often sent off to fight unnecessary wars where thousands of innocent people are killed, soldiers don't get proper treatment, and those opposing the war are considered unpatriotic, Veteran's Day can be a confusing day of the year. It is government's token bone thrown to unfortunate soldiers and families who have lost loved ones, or who have lost their way of life due to debilitating injuries. It is a way for the government to demonstrate that they are doing something, when indeed they are doing little and are themselves responsible for the atrocities in the first place. The soldier thinks he or she is fighting for the freedom of the citizens of the United States of America, when in fact he or she is fighting for something entirely different. That horrible betrayal, for which soldiers risk their lives, is what I can't help but think about on Veteran's Day.