OxfordPress.com

E

DITOR'S NOTE: This is the first installment of a series reflecting on the Iraq War's impact upon Butler County.

HAMILTON — The past five years have changed Butler County in ways only a war can.

Eleven soldiers with ties to Butler County have died since the United States began preparing for the March 19, 2003, invasion of Iraq. Many more have been wounded, and other soldiers — and the families they left behind — bear scars that are invisible, but deep.

"After five years, I still haven't gotten over that," said Lew Henderson of his nephew's death. Marlin Rockhold was killed by a sniper on May 8, 2003, becoming the county's first casualty in Iraq.

Across the nation and county, opinions of the war have been deeply divided, as more than 3,900 U.S. military personnel have died in the war.

According to a JournalNews online poll, roughly 50 percent of respondents support the war, with 33.5 percent strongly supporting it. About 47 percent oppose it, 33.1 of them strongly, the poll indicates.

Politicians have attempted to capitalize on these feelings, promising either to deliver victory in Iraq or to get troops out of the country as quickly as possible. It has become one of the key issues in this year's presidential race.

Politics aside, most Americans support the men and women of the armed forces, even if they oppose the war itself.

Local VFW posts — along with many other organizations — are constantly sending gifts to the troops. But while the public voices solidarity with the men and women overseas, contributions to these efforts have waned as the war has continued.

"It's not like it was," said Sarah Pace, president of the local chapter of Blue Star Mothers, a group for parents of soldiers serving in combat. The organization also puts together packages for the troops. "The best thing we can do is get out there and make people aware that it (the war) does exist."

Those who have fought in Iraq won't forget, said Aaron Sorrell, a Butler County sheriff's deputy who was one of the first Marines to enter Baghdad in 2003.

"I think I will always be different," he said.