Flag at Half Mast for Whom?

I couldn't believe the City of Phoenix would fly the flag at half-mast over the death of William F. Buckley, so I Googled it when I came home. All I found was a letter from a senator in Oklahoma stating that their state has a bill requesting that all city agencies fly flags at half-mast on the first day of each month in honor of veterans. As soon as I read that, my consternation about honoring a conservative pundit was replaced by a somber sadness about war and the lives lost to it.

Let us not forget that we are engaged in a war that is ending the lives of many Americans, Iraqis, and Afgans-- and ruining the lives of their families. Okay, maybe ruining is not the right word in every case; I'm sure there are many brave family members of veterans who refuse to be ruined by the absence of their loved ones. But it still saddens me greatly for everyone involved, and I wish I didn't feel so powerless to stop it.