For those who may not know it...and apparently a lot of folks do not know it, or simply choose to ignore it...today is the Tenth Anniversary of the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, ten years that our troops have been serving and dying in Afghanistan. Not meaning to be harsh here, but picked up several newspapers, and not one of them mentioned said war, such milestone on their front pages.If you pick up today's New York Post Metro Edition, you find and article about the wife who killed cop hubby being acquitted, and a BIG SPLASH on football including a plug for the "NFL Bettor's Guide" but not so much as a whisper about our troops in harms way over in Afghanistan. Even thumbing through the paper hoping against hope for some journalistic integrity, some real news, I found not so much as a mention of this important milestone in America's history. Not wanting to single out the New York Post, I also picked up a copy of the Daily News, and their front page reads almost like that of the post, football, wife killer and a bonus picture of George Clooney for the ladies, yet nothing on the front page about "Operation Enduring Freedom" not a mention of the 1780 troops who have died in this war over the ten year span of our involvement there.
In all fairness, this grave omission seems to be widespread. A look at the front page of the esteemed Wall Street Journal finds the same results, with the ten year anniversary of the Afghanistan War noticeably absent. Guessing in light of the Jewish Holiday that any front page article on "Operation Enduring Freedom" must have gotten bumped for the far more timely and important article on Fish Meatballs pushing aside Gefilte Fish. Give the New York Times credit...no mention of the ten year anniversary, but at least the Afghanistan War made the front page...a picture with a blurb about violence being down while the locals harvest their pine nuts.
Here in our own area, the totally news BLACK OUT on this important milestone in the history of the Afghanistan War is much the same, with both the Times Herald-Record and the Sullivan County Democrat failing to mention the war, its anniversary, or the 1780 troops who have died there in the name of our country.
I don't support the war, and like the majority of Americans feel the time has long passed to bring our troops home...that said, I do support our troops, and feel news organizations across America had a duty and a obligation to inform Americans today of this important milestone, bring to our attention the sacrifices that have been made by our troops.
