The back and forth of politics can obscure the hard reality of policies and their impact on people's lives.

We debated about war in Iraq in every election from the 2002 mid-terms to the 2008 presidential campaign.

These years were more than just election cycles -- they were real, lived experiences by many people who had their worlds turned upside down by policy choices.

In this video, you will meet Ian. He's ten. Our country has been debating the Iraq issue for nearly his entire life, and his father was deployed there.

President Obama brought Ian's dad home. And Ian wrote him this letter.