Letters Home on HBO

Last night on Veterans Day, I watched the a HBO special called Last Letters Home. It is very simply done, just the families of soldiers who have died in Iraq reading the last letters that they received from their sons, daughters, husbands or wives. It was very moving. There wasn't a political bent to this film, just the sharing of the terrible loss these people have experienced. Those who wrote these letters come alive again through their last words, revealing their hopes for a future, their love for those they have left behind. Through their often teasing words, and their attempts at reassuring their families that they are well, you can sense the fear, and longing for home.

It is impossible to watch this film without being moved to tears, because even though we aren't personally connected to these people, we all share a common humanity. We share the ability to love, and form deep relationships with others. This is what gives our lives meaning. This is our common ground with all, even with those who are called "enemy"by our government. The loss we feel when someone we love dies, or is lost at a young age to war is the same for all. In the present war, the loss for families is the same whether they be American or Iraqi. We need to remember that.