MY SYMPATHIES go out to the families and soldiers of Fort Hood. Nearly every day in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places across the globe, tragedy strikes as a result of war. On Thursday, tragedy struck close to home.
The nation will mourn and try to make sense of this awful day. I do not pretend to know the answers, but as a veteran who trained for war, I know that violence begets violence. The trauma of war stays with us and is passed on to others. The hidden effects of war are large.
This event makes visible the countless hidden and forgotten tragedies. It shows us that those tragedies are not restricted to the combat zone, but in ways big and small, they affect us at home, in our communities, and as a people. It motivates me as a board member of Veterans for Peace to work harder to end the madness of war.
Nate Goldshlag
Arlington 
