Our National Failure Of Introspection And Accountability

One of the best analyses I've seen anywhere: "When we blithely declare that they did not die in vain, we deface their honor by using it to wipe the blood from our hands."

Did U.S. Soldiers Die in Vain?

Over the last decade, our top leaders have wasted the lives of our sons, daughters, and comrades with their incompetence and hubris. After each failure, our citizens have failed to hold them accountable, instead underwriting new failed strategies as quickly as their predecessors with our apathy and sense of detachment. And then we use the tired paeans of "never forget" and "honor the fallen" to distract ourselves from our guilt in the affair. When we blithely declare that they did not die in vain, we deface their honor by using it to wipe the blood from our hands.

http://gregmitchellwriter.blogspot.com/2014/01/did-us-soldiers-die-in-vain.html