Opinion (Anthony Lake): The costs to those who soldier on

A FORMER student dropped by my office last week, recently having returned from commanding his platoon through a tour of duty in Iraq. I remembered our conversation the day he completed his Georgetown ROTC training. He wanted to pursue a career in the Army, preferably in Special Forces. He looked forward, with natural trepidation, to service in Iraq, even though he had doubts about the wisdom of the war. A good student, a good guy, a good soldier.

Now, he told me about his experiences in a suburb of Baghdad. About leading his soldiers on foot patrols where improvised explosive devices made it too dangerous to ride their Bradley fighting vehicles and Humvees. About seeing Iraqi militia standing on the corners protecting their neighborhoods, in the near absence of a police presence, from the attacks of enemy militia -- much the way kids rely on their gangs in urban US jungles.

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