I'm tired. Tired of pretending that I do not overhear the ignorant comments of others around me. People who have become "experts" on foreign affairs. More and more, these days I hear people talk about the war in Iraq, and how they feel things should be, or should have been handled.

I was overseas last year. I was in Iraq for longer than I wish to recall, and when I got home I was just happy to be reunited with my friends and family. I guess you could say I was sheltered my first few weeks back. I only saw people who knew me well and were happy I was safe and unharmed. They welcomed me back into the life I once knew with open arms. I simply felt comfortable to be home.

However, as time has progressed I have come across more people who feel they need to enlighten me with their views of the world. Don't get me wrong, they mean well. They want to let me know that they follow what is going on overseas, that they relate with the Marine or soldier who has spent time over there and now stands before them. Some people tell me that they acknowledge and respect what I went through over there, and as I smile and nod the only thing going through my head is -

How can you possibly understand what I went through? How can you acknowledge what I have done unless you were there doing it too? I've been asked more times than I could count, "So, what was it like?" The only answer I can produce is hot, and it is followed with a sudden change of subject that is not very well received by some.

More questions tend to follow. The truth is the person I appreciate most is the one who admits to me that they have no idea what I must have been through. The one who smiles, shakes my hand, and says nothing more about the matter. I don't mind talking about my experiences with some people. Sometimes it is a relief to talk about it, but I'll talk to those people when I feel ready, not when they want me to.

To everyone out there reading this, I'm not asking for much, just these two things. Don't preach from your soapbox about matters in which you have no firsthand experience. If you should come across someone who has been overseas, someone who has risked his or her life so you don't even have think about yours, just smile at them, nod and shake their hand. It's the least they deserve.

Cpl. Terence D. Knowlton
engineering junior