I was just getting ready for bed tonight, when I got an email from a friend of mine. He is in the army and he just got to Afghanistan. I know that we have been at war (sort of, I guess not officially according to some) for years now, and there are people that I know or have known who have been serving. This is the first time I can say that one of my friends, who I communicate with and try to see regularly, is an active participant. It is a strange feeling. There are a number of complex issues involved in the whole situation, and my feelings are even more conflicted by some issues surrounding my friend's enlistment. I guess it just really brings home a situation that I have spent so much time thinking and talking with others about. Whether or not it changes any of your positions, it just feels totally different thinking about the war when someone you care about is actively involved in fighting it. I haven't totally thought through all my emotions; I just hope he's safe.