Sunday, this country will have another monumental anniversary, although it's doubtful we'll celebrate it.

It will be three years since the United States first went to war with Iraq — three years since we started living with the reality of a country at war.

In that time, we have heard the daily reports of soldiers and Iraqi civilians who have died. We've listened to politicians on both sides use the war to promote their agendas, and then watched so many soldiers — many our own age — die in the service for America.

The conflict has been going on for a while now, and for a lot of people, that's enough time to forget it's still happening.

We know American soldiers are dying. We hear the stories of explosions and suicide bombers, and for many of us, they have begun to run together and become just noise.

In the beginning of the war we saw American soldiers triumphantly entering cities and tearing down images of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Those images were inspiring and kept us interested and watching.

But three years later, we've become desensitized to the war and to the people who have died.

Unless we know a soldier who's been killed, such as a friend or family member, we don't feel affected by it.

Without that personal connection to someone there, it's hard for us to relate to what's going on. Most of us don't know the Iraqi people or U.S. soldiers.

Except through news reports.

It's easy then to be saddened by their deaths, but not dramatically affected by them. Turn the television off and it just disappears.

This is why many won't remember the anniversary of the war in Iraq.

It's unfortunate the event might go unnoticed by many because we're all responsible for our country's presence over there.

Whether you support the war or not, as American citizens we're accountable for it. We either voted for politicians who support the war or politicians who aren't actively trying to stop it.

People unhappy with the war should try to work within the system to change it, and we should be voting and telling politicians what we think about this war.

Maybe the easiest thing to do is just take some time when reports are broadcast about soldiers who have died.

Listen and reflect on their contributions, and remember that there is still a conflict going on.

It might be happening across the world, but the men and women fighting there are college students, fathers, mothers and siblings — very similar to the people we know.

They deserve our reflection on what they are doing.

Use the three-year anniversary of the war to reflect on how you feel.

Use it to make an impact.