LCDR-Smash has some wise words:

My sister-in-law took us out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Ryan made a mess of his tacos.

“Uncle Scott?� He had something on his mind.

“What is it, Ryan?�

“Why did you have to go to war?�

I looked at his mother. She shrugged.

“Because there are bad people in the world, and they have to be stopped.�

He looked confused.

“Bad guys,� I continued, “like the terrorists—Or the snipers.� Growing up in Northern Virginia, Ryan was very familiar with both. “I had to go to war to stop them from doing bad things.�

“Oh.� He seemed to understand this. “But why did YOU have to go?�

“Well, Ryan, if I didn’t go, somebody else would have to do it.� How do you explain concepts like citizenship and responsibility to a third-grader? “What if nobody goes to stop the bad guys? Then they would win. And they could do all sorts of bad things, with no one to stop them.�

“Oh.� He seemed satisfied with my explanation, and went back to playing with his taco.

If an eight-year-old can understand this, why is it so difficult for some adults? ...

If you stopped reading his blog when he came home you have missed some wonderful entries. Go back and give it a read.