With World War II, troops were welcomed home as heroes, with parades and holidays. For the most part, these veterans all returned from war together. After Vietnam, when troops came home sporadically as Iraq veterans do now, feelings of confusion and depression run rampant, and those who fought were not always treated honorably.

Today, many troops come back to the states and are left feeling lost and unappreciated. Haunted by nightmares or aching for missing limbs, these Iraq vets are a growing group and are an entirely different breed of veteran than the United States has had to deal with before.

Some soldiers are on their third tour of duty in Iraq and are dealing with things like post-traumatic stress disorder, or scars and facial deformities.

But none of this is news. We are now entering the fifth year of the war in Iraq, a war that seems to elicit many of the same feelings Vietnam did years ago.

Growing numbers of dead and injured have jaded many Americans, and those who have fought no longer seem to hold our respect as they once did.

Especially for those who have suffered irreparable damages, psychologically and physically, attention and credit from others are missing. Sadly, these veterans are often seen as disabled members of society, those who can no longer contribute.

“All soldiers are given psychological assessments upon their return from deployment,” said Sgt. Nhu Tran, who served 14 months in Baghdad with the Army National Guard. “However, many soldiers refuse to seek treatment when they know they have a problem because they feel it would be a career stopper.”

Because of this feeling, a government-run program which would find jobs for veterans might be a positive solution to this problem. A solid job where a disability would not matter might help them more than just checks from the government.

We seem to be forgetting that these are people who have fought, and are fighting, for the rest of us. Despite personal feelings on the war, veterans are worthy of respect. They continue to volunteer, while the rest of us sit back and pray the draft isn’t reinstated.

Men and women are returning injured, or not returning at all, from a war that seems to have little purpose. This is something that can be, and must be, changed.

Current legislation to put an end to troop surges by 2008 has been debated in Congress, and though President Bush may be opposed to it, Americans do still have a voice in their own country.

When voting for an elected official, it’s important to understand his or her stance on the war. Those candidates in favor of a troop surge are, in effect, in favor of a casualty surge.

We’re dealing with the treatment of all those who have served in the past four years – what about those still in Iraq, or those soon to be deployed? The country could be dealing with the physical and psychological effects of this war for years to come, and something must be done to better address this problem.