Veterans: I was recently arguing with someone about veteran's benefits, and just came across an article in Harper's that is really interesting (I think you need a subscription, but it is posted on Ebsco, for those with database access): "Yet the story of this war cannot be told solely in the count of its dead. Some 12,500 American G.I.s have been wounded in Iraq. Eight soldiers have been wounded for every one killed, about double the rate in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. The percentage of soldiers who have undergone amputations is twice that of any of our past military conflicts; nearly a quarter of all the wounded suffer from traumatic head injuries, far more than in our other recent wars. These are soldiers who have survived Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and car bombs, who are living with mangled limbs, eye injuries, and brain damage. The true legacy of this war will be seen not in the memorials to those lost forever but in the cabinets of files in the neurosurgical and orthopedic wards at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in the backlog of cases at Veterans Affairs."
Regardless of whether or not we agree with the war, I think it is reprehensible for veterans not to be taken care of, and for veterans, especially ones with mental problems, to be homeless. And long-term care of these severely and permanently injured vets are the hidden costs that will also be the largest costs of the Iraq war, according to this article.