David E. Hickman, R.I.P.

The Iraq War is officially over – for the third time.

The first time the Iraq War ended was on May 1, 2003, when President Bush announced – in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner – that "the United States and our allies have prevailed" and "major combat operations in Iraq have ended."

Evidently major combat operations had not quite ended since 4,300 more American soldiers then died for a lie while President Bush promised to the families of those killed to "complete the mission so that their child or their husband or wife has not died in vain."

The second ending of the Iraq War was on August 31, 2010, when President Obama proclaimed that "the American combat mission in Iraq has ended" and "Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country."

Sixty-six more American soldiers then died in vain during "Operation New Dawn."

I hope for the sake of every young man and woman in the U.S. military that the Iraq War is really over this time.

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