And, you know, if you want to find out how the war is going, you have to go there because if you read the regular newspapers, you don't know.

NPR: An Activist Grandma, 'Embedded' in Iraq

You don't take America to war unless you have a plan to win the peace.

NPR: Transcript of Presidential Debate

You don't send troops to war without the body armor that they need.

NPR: Transcript of Presidential Debate

General VOLNEY WARNER (U.S. Army, Retired): Stick to the facts, don't embellish, don't get yourself in a position where you're selling the war - I think that would be a mistake.

NPR: Talking Points for the Petraeus Report

There is a similar story of love and loss and anger and grief for every headstone of course, but it's the sheer scale of the suffering which stays with you - and don't forget a similar story could be told from any war grave anywhere on earth.

BBC: Stories of love and loss in a desert war grave