Parents Against Peace Symbols

I'm re-posting here a response that I left earlier today on a blog created by a wonderful friend of mine. She had posted the link to the news article (below),
and I wrote what follows in response to that article.

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15912456/

My comments:

To the parents of children serving in Iraq who have
been angered by the display of the peace symbol: 

We owe our thanks to the many sons and daughters
throughout the history the United States of America
who have died defending our freedoms, which all too
often are taken for granted. As a member of the United
States Armed Forces, it is my hope that I defend the
right of both those who are in support of our
government's policies and those who stand in opposition
against its policies to voice their opinions and to be
heard in a peaceful manner befitting a free and just
society. Being for peace is truly the highest form of
being "pro-soldier" that I can think of, since being
pro-war always involves sending soldiers into harm's way,
whether the cause for any particular war is justified or
not.

New York Times: U.S. Finds Iraq Insurgency Has Funds to Sustain Itself

A sad article in today's New York Times:

U.S. Finds Iraq Insurgency Has Funds to Sustain Itself