Carmen's shuttle lands at Logan just in time for her to see a casket escorted off another plane:

... There was an honor guard of chartreuse emergency vehicles lining the runway, lights flashing, and there was a hearse. ... I'm ashamed that the war has not been top of mind. It will be now.

Timmah suggests that if the daily protesters were really serious about doing something about the war, they'd do it someplace other than in the bastion of liberalism - or at least do something like protest for mass transit to help wean us off our dependence on foreign oil:

... So they sit in the freezing cold to tell everyone they are opposed to a war probably 90% of Cambridge is opposed to? Boy, you're really getting your point across and making a difference. ...

from John Kerry:
Tammy Duckworth lost her legs when the helicopter she was piloting was shot down over Iraq. But, she didn’t lose an ounce of her courage or her commitment to serve. She knows that it’s time for veterans to speak up for a stronger America.

Snag runs into Carlos who, it turns out, lives a few blocks away from him in Roslindale:

... When I met him in Copley Square yesterday, he was wearing a bow tie and a sport jacket and looking dapper in a modern sort of way. You couldn't see the burn scars. ...