My husband joined the Navy in March 1999, and within 30 months we were engulfed in a war that would last the rest of his military career. When his ship pulled out of New York Harbor on 9/11, I never dreamed that we would still be at war when he retired in November 2020.
For nearly 20 years, we dealt with an intense operational tempo where he was gone far more often than he would have been in a time of peace. We saw friends come back from the Middle East struggling with the effect of burn pits, and I’ve lost too many friends and family to post-traumatic stress disorder.
While the United States has significantly lessened its military presence in the region, a conflict with Iran would put our troops in the region again, further straining service members and their families. However, we have a powerful tool in our toolbox that has proven successful and will defuse tensions: restoring the Iran nuclear deal.
