Soldiers on the front lines don't have the luxury of debating the ambiguities of war. They are striving to accomplish their mission, to keep their hands steady in the face of violent death and to return home to their loved ones. Those who die in battle are certainly heroes, but even that superlative cannot begin to compensate for the loss.

"People will call him a hero," said Steve Anderson, whose brother, Army Spec. Marc Anderson, was killed in fierce fighting in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. "I would rather have him home and not a hero."

The deaths of Anderson, 30, of Bradenton, and six other American soldiers in Afghanistan in recent days remind us that the war against terrorism is far from over. The other fallen soldiers are John Chapman, 36, of Waco, Texas; Matthew Commons, 21, of Boulder City, Nev.; Jason Cunningham, 26, of Camarillo, Calif.; Bradley Crose, 22, of Orange Park, Fla.; Neil Roberts, 32, of Woodland, Calif.; Philip Svitak, 31, of Joplin, Mo.

So far, 31 Americans have died while involved in the Afghanistan campaign. These were not fanatical warriors seeking to become martyrs. Rather, they were young soldiers with everything to live for but willing to risk their lives for their country and its values.

Anderson had been a math teacher at a Fort Myers middle school, joining the Army not only to serve but also to earn repayment of his college loans. Crose was scheduled to be discharged from the Army in 7 months, his whole life ahead of him. Cunningham explained his decision to undertake the arduous training to become an Air Force pararescuer this way: "I didn't want to kill people. I want to save them."

These worthy lives were lost in a key battle to finally rout the remnants of Al-Qaida and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. The sad truth is they won't be the last lives lost in a war that has neither clear boundaries nor a predictable end. While casualties are inevitable in war, we should not let them numb us to our duty.

Those of us who can only watch the battle from afar have an important role to play. We can demand that our leaders make wise decisions in the war and give our soldiers the best support available. We can honor our fallen soldiers. And we can thank their grieving families for the sacrifice they have made in our stead.

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