The war in Iraq has been a political hot potato due to the upcoming election, but while politicians and citizens debate the need for a war, one issue goes unnoticed: the role of women in combat. Fox News reported there have been 24 female soldiers killed in action in Iraq, 15 from hostile fire.

Throughout history, society has gone through many phases dealing with societal norms in the areas of education, culture, religion and morals. Sometimes these phases are cyclical, which can be a good or bad thing. The recent trend is single-sex education in public schools.

It may seem odd, but the old saying, "fight fire with fire," may be the solution to the problem of drug addiction. Scientists have recently begun scouring the lists of currently approved medications to help patients suffering from addiction to drugs as serious as cocaine.

The Red, White and Blue Towel Out was created by a group of student leaders with generous help from the 12th Man Student Foundation. These groups worked with the idea all summer long, but they encountered substantial negative feedback from faculty members, students and the administration regarding the idea.

Imagine my surprise when I opened The Battalion on Wednesday to read that First Yell was "created to replace Bonfire camaraderie..." How can anyone expect one night to replace an entire year of friendship, work and unity? There is nothing on campus that can replace that.

On behalf of the Corps of Cadets, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back to campus. Whether this is your first semester on these storied grounds or you're taking a few victory laps before graduation, we're glad to see you made it back here safely.

I hope the only reason there has been a drastic increase of people walking on the grass at the MSC is their ignorance for what it stands for and not that they're too impatient to wait for other people to walk past so they can get to a bus. For those of you who do walk on the grass, bear in mind what the MSC is: a memorial.