The following was written by Scott Bates and was first published on CTPost.com on November 25, 2009

This Thanksgiving, family and friends will gather round in the safety and security of our cozy Connecticut homes to enjoy tranquility that is often rare in other parts of the world. While it is true that too many families are undergoing stress during these troubled economic times, we still have hope, each other and the future. Others are not so fortunate.

For the past eight years our nation has been engaged in war; one thrust upon us and another of our own choosing. The men and women of Connecticut responded to the call to arms after the attacks of Sept. 11, much as they have since before the founding of our nation. Their sacrifice has been high. This Thanksgiving, 43 Connecticut families will have an empty place at their table, a loved one lost in Iraq or Afghanistan. Hundreds more bear wounds that will not go away.

For most of us, it has become too easy to ignore our wars. While watching "reality TV," we can ignore the reality of the human, spiritual and economic cost of seemingly endless conflict on ourselves and our nation. We have lost more than 5,000 Americans killed in action and tens of thousands grievously wounded. Our government has spent over $1 trillion, all of it borrowed from foreign sources, to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our politics has become bitterly divided with positive action almost impossible to achieve and the unity of purpose stated after the attacks of Sept. 11 a long-forgotten memory.

These wars are far from our shores, but the casualties are here at home: in the citizen soldiers lost to their families and opportunities lost, as jobs and school budgets are cut because of the economic toll of war debt unpaid. The path we are on cannot be sustained, yet it continues. This past week, 700 members of the Connecticut National Guard have answered the call and are on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan. As someone who has been to both Iraq and Afghanistan, I can tell you they are in harm's way. As someone with a family member in that group heading out, I am proud of their courage and pray their mission is changed before any further sacrifices are made in vain.

This Thanksgiving, let us all take a moment to remember those who are not home with us here in Connecticut, and especially those who will never come home because of their sacrifice in the deserts of Iraq and the hills of Afghanistan. Let us also resolve to once again become active citizens who demand an accelerated withdrawal from Iraq and a realistic strategy in Afghanistan with achievable goals within a short time frame. Let us decide that it is time to bring the troops home. 

Scott Bates has worked in Iraq and Afghanistan on democracy assistance projects supported by the U.S. government. He is a resident of Stonington, where he serves as police commissioner. 

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