Mike Tharp, a reporter for McClatchy, gives us "10 Lessons Learned from War" over a 40-year reporting career.

Quoting Plato: "Only the dead have seen the end of war." That's Lesson No. 1.

Lesson No. 2 is that we Americans don't learn from our mistakes.

Lesson No. 3 is that few of those leaders will ever have to pay the price of their folly.

Lesson No. 4 is that from the Persian Gulf War onward, the quality of soldiers -- and that includes all branches of the service -- has gotten better each year.

Lesson No. 5 is that the same virtues and values I've found in young soldiers can be applied to peacetime problems right here at home.

Another two-sided coin for Lesson No. 6. Take care of our casualties.

Lesson No. 7: Obama is making the same mistake in Afghanistan that Bush did in Iraq. It's called "the graveyard of empires" for a reason.

Lesson No. 8 is maybe the easiest to learn. Vote for women and men who understand that war should be the last resort of a democratic republic -- not the first.

Lesson No. 9 is like unto No. 8. Teach your children well. Parents, teachers, coaches, Scout leaders, clerics -- all of you charged with instructing our kids should also talk with them about war.

Finally, Lesson No. 10. I'm done. I'm not leaving my home in Merced except for vacation. No more will I walk to the sound of guns. This was my last war. I would not trade what I've learned and felt for gold or fame. Covering wars has let me make friends for life. War has shown me the face of evil -- and the heart and soul of courage and loyalty and honor.