Any overarching presidential speech of this decade would be remiss if it didn't include a plan for Iraq, Afghanistan and our troops. Beyond the overwhelming youth involvement and enthusiasm, there are a few things that stuck out as major promises in President Obama's campaign, like the planned 16-month troop pullout from Iraq. Democrats and young people across the nation applauded Obama for his plan, which was in strict opposition to that of former President Bush and, of course, opponent John McCain.

So when Obama gave the time frame of 19 months last night in his speech, there were a few furrowed brows. While the campaign promised 16 months, apparently the Pentagon and military officials argued for 23 months — and so, through a "meeting of the minds," as Obama called it, they arrived at a compromise of 19 months. Compromise? In Washington? Fresh. And certainly a departure from the more ... didactic and unilateral decision-making of our 43rd president. I think we can forgive the three-month difference in place of the bigger promise kept, which was to bring compromise, and a president who listens to his entire Cabinet before making a fair and balanced decision.

That said, back when I was writing my Wesleyan University thesis on exit strategies, one of my findings was that a timetable can often result in negative consequences. An exit strategy is always an integral part of presidential war decision-making, and the lack of an exit strategy was certainly one of the main criticisms of Bush's invasion of Iraq. However, there is a serious difference between an exit "strategy" and an exit "timetable." In a conflict like the one in Iraq, in which there are opposing insurgencies and factions, telling your enemy when you're planning on leaving can be extremely detrimental to the success of the operation. That's just plain common sense. However, in a war like the one in Iraq, where the American public's anger has been fueled since the beginning, a president must give his or her people an expected withdrawal — in fact, the people demand it.

The other issue to address is the fact that withdrawal deadlines are seldom kept and often extended. If President Obama plans to keep his public approval rate high, he cannot afford to break promises. A strict deadline of "19 months" is a dangerous promise to make, as conflicts and wars seldom go according to plan. Given the public's trust in Obama, I'm sure there will be an inherent understanding and approval if he does, in fact, have to later extend the deadline. However, historically, exit deadlines and timetables have been detrimental either to the conflict or to public opinion in the long term, even if beneficial in the short term.

So, as we, the public, demand that President Obama delivers us out of the war in Iraq, we must also look at history and allow him to change his withdrawal plan a few times along the way. After all, nothing is so unstable and unpredictable as a war.

I would first like to say on behalf of myself and all veterans, thank you to MTV and all the participants for making this event very touching and memorable. The performances and messages from the artists and entertainers were great. I would also like to thank the individuals and organizations out there that have implemented and developed ways to help our veterans.

There were many issues that were brought to the world's attention, such as homelessness, veteran benefits, unemployment and health care, which are all rising challenges among veterans in America. The veterans that shared their stories brought awareness to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), disabilities many veterans encounter that take a toll on their daily lives.

Many soldiers leave family and friends behind and believe that by performing their duties they have honored their contract and should be taken care of when they return home. As veterans, not having a place to call home or support from the government are problems we should not encounter when trying to transition back to our regular lives.

The show will enable veterans to realize that there are people out there who care and who appreciate so much what we have done for this country. They understand our issues and struggles and that something needs to be done about them.

Learn more about veterans' issues and sign the BRAVE petition here.

What struck me about the vets I'd met was the overall sense of family they seem to share. Having all endured similar experiences, war has, for better or worse, bonded these brave men and women, who displayed their dog tags with pride and recounted for me their time in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan — oftentimes, in vivid detail. In fact, one soldier I spoke with was the guy who was ordered into the narrow, dark hole Saddam Hussein was hiding in, beneath a two-room mud shack on a sheep farm ... but I'll have more on that tomorrow afternoon.

Waiting to get inside, I saw Marines greeting each other with that familiar call, "Semper fi, do or die." I saw soldiers reuniting — men and women who'd shared the same battlefields, hugging each other solidly. Veterans shared doughnuts and entire pizza pies with complete strangers — other soldiers they'd just met, but people they share a unique connection with; a familial connection. One soldier, Air Force veteran Jerry McDougal, perhaps summed it up better than any of the soldiers I'd met.

"By being there, we became something of a family," the 27-year-old Alabama son said; he just returned from Baghdad six months ago, and is still adjusting to civilian life. "You bond with the rest of your unit, and you're there to protect each other. When you leave, you're leaving behind family members."

Approximately 1.7 million soldiers and sailors have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a recent MTV poll, nearly six in ten (58 percent) 18-24-year-olds stated that they personally know someone who has served in Iraq.

MTV News believes that how these young veterans are re-integrated into society — how they cope with their wartime experiences and how they are treated by America — will be one of the stories of this generation. Because of that, MTV is dedicating its Choose Or Lose campaign this year to highlighting the issues of young veterans. We've already introduced you to a number of veterans (head here and here) and we even brought a group of young vets to meet Senators Obama and Clinton.

On Monday, we're going to do something new. Kanye West has been interested in the issue as well, and he's decided to team up with MTV for a special called "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming." During his recent Glow in the Dark Tour, Kanye met up with three young veterans — one in Oklahoma City; one in Austin, Texas; and one in Charlotte, North Carolina. Each veteran had their own unique story, but all had two things in common: They served in Iraq and were now home and struggling. Whether it was dealing with family debt incurred while they were away or an inability to work while being treated for post traumatic stress disorder, these young vets were in danger of slipping through the cracks.

In each city, Kanye met with them and heard their stories. He brought them to his show and made sure they knew how thankful we all are for their service. More importantly, however, we tried to help. Whether it was money to pay off debt, help with finding a job or help with school bills, each vet was surprised by a gift from MTV and the Dr. Donda West Foundation, named in honor of Kanye's late mother.

It’s a pretty special show — hey, even Bill O'Reilly said nice things about it — and we hope you enjoy it. It airs Monday, July 28 at 10 p.m. on MTV. Here’s a segment from the show.

Independence Day offers Americans a long weekend, fireworks and summer fun — but it's important to remember what the holiday actually stands for: the freedom provided to us by generations of men and women who have fought for our rights.

Almost 70 percent of young Americans know someone fighting in either Iraq or Afghanistan, and the wars have become a huge factor in what shapes the story of this generation. More importantly, they've become a defining moment in the history of our nation. Unfortunately, media attention on the wars has waned in recent months — and we've decided to do our part in changing that.

It's in this spirit that MTV's Street Team '08 — 51 citizen journalists from every state and the District of Columbia — have compiled "Soldier Stories." These works introduce us to some of the nearly 1 million men and women who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces. These stories can be found at www.chooseorlose.com.

We've also published stories about the GI Bill and Ashwin Madia, an Iraq war vet who's running for Congress.

But don't just take our word for it. Two guys you might've heard of — named John McCain and Barack Obama, a.k.a. the Republican and Democrat presumptive presidential nominees, respectively — have filmed messages urging support for the troops and our efforts to give them the attention they deserve. Take a look at what they have to say, and be sure to let us know what you think.

So what are you doing this summer? Internship? Breakfast shift at McDonald's? Keggers at the shore? Hey, all those things are cool — we've done all three ourselves. Daniel McConnell decided to do something else: He decided to see America. He packed up his dog and his beat-up Suburban and went to see what he could see. Why? Well, he's in medical school, and when it came time to decide what to do this summer, he realized that he didn't know enough about America. What's more, he wanted to learn more about the land that he has sacrificed so much for:

"I was an Apache pilot in the Army until I lost my arm below the elbow in a crash in Afghanistan. After that I was booted out of the Army b/c they wouldn't let me fly anymore (FAA signed me off as A-OK, but that's another story.) Anyhow, I'm now in medical school in East TN, where, compliments of a traumatic brain injury and the amputation, I've been having quite the experience. Well, this summer is the only one we get off (eight weeks) and the school recommends you "do research or work in a hospital to 'set yourself apart' from other medical students."

I've decided that since I gave 11.5 years of my life to this country, and even lost body parts fighting for it, I want to SEE it, and the people who live in it. My plan is to drive basically a big circle around the USA from TN to Maine, then Oregon, down Cali and off to Key West. I have a beat-up 1984 Suburban I've been preparing for the trip, and my plan is to live in it, along with my mildly retarded Boxer. I hope to see a lot of sites, stay off the interstates, and meet a lot of interesting people along the way ...

Here's his blog. Do check it out.

Tragic news: more soldiers committed suicide in 2007 than in any other year since 1990. 108 members of the Army took their own lives, most after coming home from overseas. And that number only covers active-duty soldiers -- not reservists, Guardsmen, or new veterans.

Of that number, at least 16 Army recruiters have committed suicide since 2000. In a recent story, Nils Aron Andersson took his own life last year after a deployment to Iraq and an assignment as a recruiter. In Andersson's case it wasn't just his life that was lost: his new wife killed herself the day after he committed suicide.

The Pentagon will release a full report on soldier suicides later today. MTV News will keep you posted.