During the the fall of 2010, I visited the beaches of Normandy, the site of the DDay Invasion. Or, more accurately, I experienced vicariously the extraordinary events of that memorable day, June 6, 1944. Anyone who has been to the beaches of Normandy and walked among the rows of crosses at the American Cemetery knows what I’m talking about. Words fail.

The next day we were sitting with our friends at a cafeteria and some older French gentlemen came up to our table of Americans and thanked us warmly for what “we” (Americans) had done that day. We felt proud of our country, although “we” personally had had nothing to do with it.

My father did, however, play a small part in bringing World War II to an end, as he worked on the Manhattan Project. My first memory harks back to when we were living in Richland, Washington, a town where most workers at the Hanford plant lived. A few years ago I was interviewing a WW-II veteran for an article, and I mentioned my dad’s involvement with the Manhattan Project. “Thank you,” he said to me. “That effort saved many lives.” Some readers of this article will rightly point out that the atomic bomb also cost many lives — over 200,000 people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by most estimates.

My book selection over the last few months has turned me to thoughts to war. “Sophie’s Choice,” by William Styron, the 1980 National Book Award Winner; “Redeployment,” by Phil Klay, the 2014 National Book Award Winner; and “All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr, a 2014 National Book Award Finalist. (Note: All three books fall in the must-read category.)

World War II serves as the backdrop for “Sophie’s Choice” and “All the the Light We Cannot See.” “Redeployment,” written by a veteran of the Iraq war, includes a series of short stories, each of which speaks to the impact of that war on those who fought it and their families.

Most Americans now believe that invading Iraq after 9/11 was a bad decision. It was, at the very least, a puzzling one as Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Would it have made sense if America had invaded, say, Mexico after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

And what about the costs of such misadventures. According to a study by a Harvard researcher in 2013, the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have amounted to between $4 and $6 trillion (that’s trillion with a “t”) if one factors in long-term medical care and disability compensation for service members, veterans and families. Has that been a sound investment?

Speaking of expenditures. In 2013, the U.S. military budget was $640 billion, which exceeded the combined budgets of the next eight countries ($603 billion). That said, people who question the size of the military budget often get labeled as unpatriotic or soft. As a result, politicians on both sides of the aisle strive to be seen as tough. Gotta go for the votes, right?

But who’s fighting our wars? They’re not, I daresay, the people of means and influence. And they’re certainly not the sons and daughters of members of Congress. Unless I’m missing something, our military men and women are mainly middle and lower income young people for whom the military provides a job and some security. How many new college graduates decide to join the military so they can fight in Iraq or Afghanistan?

Like every sentient being, I am moved when I see on the television news a serviceman from Iraq making a surprise visit to his young daughter in her elementary school. But I always find myself asking, “Why? To what purpose?” I do support our troops, but I don’t support the members of Congress who so cavalierly state, “We need more boots on the ground in X or Y country,” as if no real people are involved. And I think it’s disingenuous when broadcasts of the Super Bowl or the World Series cut to shots of military personnel in other countries, as if it somehow conveys “We’re with you.” If we were really with them we’d all be sharing in the sacrifice. And based on reports, it’s unforgivable how we treat returning veterans.

It’s easy to mouth the throwaway line, “ Thank you for your service.” It’s harder and just as patriotic, in my view, to say, “Wait! Why are we using military might? What can we realistically hope to achieve? Is our proposed mission really, in truth, serving the interests of the U.S. and advancing the cause of freedom? What is the end game?”

Here, then, is my proposal. If our political “leaders” are so bent on proving their/our might through military interventions, then we the people (all the people) must share in the sacrifice. Let’s reinstate the draft and give an option for community service to those who choose not to be part of the military. And let’s require that sons and daughters of members of Congress be drafted first. Moreover, let’s levy an automatic war tax for each new military adventure. It doesn’t have to be big; it does have to be something, so that all Americans join the effort or, more accurately, make the sacrifice.

Institute these changes and see what happens.

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David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary on this “Just a Little Old’ column and ideas for future columns. [email protected].