Not long ago, my rickety 1993 Ford Tempo got an accessory upgrade way cooler than tinted windows or flashy rims.

Much like the blue and white paws I see stuck to many of the vehicles in the State College, a magnetic yellow ribbon with the words "Keep My Soldier Safe" was slapped onto the rear end of my jalopy.

The date was early November 2004 and my only uncle would soon be shipped off to the Middle East for an 11-month stint, which began in Kuwait but ended up requiring him to spend the bulk of his time at Fort Liberty in Baghdad.

The magnet, the result of an Army Reserves fundraising effort, was the least I could do to show my support for a man who had just left his wife and five-year-old daughter to answer the call to duty.

Thankfully, unlike so many others, my uncle finished his tour of duty and returned home this past January safe and sound.

But as yesterday marked the third anniversary of America's invasion of Iraq, I cannot ignore the fact that thousands of U.S. troops are still stationed there and at various other locales across the country.

At least 2,314 members of America's military have died in the war. The number of Iraqi civilians who have lost their lives is much more difficult to pinpoint, though some media outlets, such as www.iraqbodycount.net, have estimated that number to be as high as 37,000. More mainstream news outlets, such as the Associated Press, rarely report those numbers.

It's been three years since we invaded Iraq, but I am far from convinced our leaders made the right decision in March 2003.

I remember the day America invaded Iraq much like I remember September 11, 2001. I know exactly where I was, and I remember exactly what I was watching on television.

A senior in high school when I watched our military drop bombs on Baghdad, I flashbacked to my junior year when I saw a second airplane crash into the second tower of the World Trade Center.

But even stronger than the images that have been forever etched into my memory is the optimism I felt about America making a positive difference in Iraq -- a country I had been conditioned to believe was in need of intervention.

Since the words "Mission Accomplished" were first used as a backdrop to President George W. Bush's "victory" speech three years ago, I have only become increasingly pessimistic about the outcome in Iraq.

It seems that I am not alone.

Yesterday, about 1,000 people gathered in Times Square to protest the war outside a military recruiting station. In London, another 15,000 people marched in the streets to demonstrate against the war. Other protests took place around the world.

Even in State College, a handful of people got together Saturday for a candlelight vigil to remember those who have been killed in the war.

Personally, I'm just holding onto the last bits of hope that something good will come out of our actions in the Middle East.

But the reality of having a close family member deployed to war coupled with my inherent disgust for humanity's seemingly irreversible need to resort to violence has only made me even more convinced that one can support America's troops without supporting a war.

I'm proud of what my uncle -- a mechanic in the 365th Engineering Battalion -- did there because I know he, like all the other men and women in uniform, have trusted their leaders and done what they thought is right, despite any opposition they have seen or heard at home.

There is so much honor in that.

Unfortunately, my "Keep My Soldier Safe" magnet disappeared a few months ago from the back of my car, but I think I'm OK with that.

I figure someone else must have a soldier to keep safe too.