title:  Veteran’s Letter Thanking Bernie Sanders For Voting Against Iraq War Goes Viral (VIDEO)
text: A U.S. Marine s letter to Bernie Sanders that expressed the utmost gratitude for the Senator s position on not sending U.S. troops to Iraq has recently gone viral, and it s easy to see why.The letter surfaced on Tuesday morning, when Reddit user CharlieDarwinsFather created a post titled An open letter to Bernie Sanders from a Veteran of the Iraq War  in the subreddit SandersforPresident, where many of Sanders  supporters gather to share news about the Democratic presidential candidate. The letter s author had been based in North Carolina and had served in combat during the second battle of Fallujah in Iraq during 2005, 2006 and 2007.Having lived through those battles as a young adult and seeing the short and long-term effects that war had on his fellow marines, the author thanked the Vermont Senator with great sincerity for opposing the Iraq War, and said he wished that America had more politicians like Sanders who weren t afraid to fight for real peace. In his letter, the U.S. Marine wrote: Senator Sanders,I want to thank you. I want to thank you for exercising sound judgement even when everyone around you was beating the war drums.See I fought in the streets of Fallujah, Iraq. I saw more blood and death than any 19 year old ever should. The amount of friends I ve lost to war will likely be surpassed by the amount of friends I ve since lost to suicide.I know first hand the moral cost of war. One of the most painful truths that I must go through life with is that I fought in an unjust and unfounded war. While my intentions were good and I fought hard for the men to my left and to my right, and while I thought what I was doing what was right for the people of Iraq- I was wrong.You knew this. You knew this before we went to war and you fought, and you spoke truth to your peers and though your words largely fell on deaf ears, I am truly heartened to know that I now have a chance to vote for a man who exercised sound and moral judgement when the war drums were beating the loudest.I have a son. He is only one and a half years old but someday he will be 18 and I fear that if we continue to elect the same establishment politicians, he too will face the same decision that I did, and he too will go off to fight in an endless quagmire and that he too will come home, broken, and never fully returned or worse- never come home at all.So thank you, Senator Sanders, for being of sound mind and judgement. Thank you for being the only voice in this race that does not want to continue this legacy of warfare. Thank you for being the only voice that is and has been standing up for those of us that fought in these misguided wars. Thank you for giving me hope for a peaceful future. Sincerely, A U.S. Marine   0311 Operation Iraqi FreedomThe letter has gone viral, and it s easy to see why as Sanders  anti-establishment approach continues to win over Americans across the country. Now more than ever, we re becoming more aware of the affects that war has on our veterans, and just how common homelessness, suicide and mental illnesses like PTSD are.This letter is especially noteworthy because Sanders recently pointed out   during Monday s Democratic Town Hall on CNN   that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had supported the war while Sanders rallied against sending troops to Iraq because he was afraid it would create more power for extremists (which he was right about).Sanders has been passionate about preserving peace for a long time   as this video of Sanders giving a passionate speech in 2002 reveals:Sanders, who is the former Chairman and a current member of the Senate Veterans  Affairs Committee, continues to fight for America s veterans and has made it a crucial part of his campaign. This mission is spelled out right on Sanders  website: Sen. Sanders believes that just as planes and tanks and guns are a cost of war, so is taking care of the men and women who we sent off to fight the war. It includes caring for the spouses and children who have to rebuild their lives after the loss of a loved one. It includes caring for the hundreds of thousands of veterans with multiple amputations or loss of eyesight, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. It includes veterans who are having difficulty keeping jobs in order to pay their bills, and it includes the terrible tragedy of veterans committing suicide. And regardless of whether or not you think America should go to war, it s impossible to argue with Sanders when he says: While serious people can have legitimate differences about when our country should go to war, there should never be a debate whether we fulfill the promises made to the men and women who served this country in the military. As a nation, we have a moral obligation to provide the best quality care to those who have put their lives on the line to defend us. Featured image via Fort Rucker / Flickr