By Maxine Nash

It’s becoming spring here in Baghdad. The days are getting warmer, the sun shines longer, and I’ve seen some new growth on flowers and shrubs in the neighborhood. It’s a time of new beginnings.

Yet it doesn’t feel like spring in my heart. In fact, my heart is very heavy. I read a report today from a Quaker therapist who works with returning U.S. soldiers and their families. The therapist noted that the returning soldiers are feeling like they’ve lost an important part of themselves because of the actions they’ve done in Iraq, and fear they are damaged permanently by behaving against their core beliefs. The therapist also mentions that most of the soldiers returning from Iraq are angry, and that the anger seems to be a necessity to staying alive in Iraq.