Thursday, the nation will celebrate Thanksgiving. Many tables will be brimming with turkey, dressing, potatoes of various sizes, shapes and flavors, vegetables galore and, of course, pies and sweets to please the palate.

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We will watch football, renew friendships and enjoy our families. In thousands of homes, someone will be missing. We will know where they are — they are in harm’s way.

They are the men and women of America’s Armed Forces. Some will be on duty stateside, others at bases and posts in peaceful locales, but for thousands it will be the front lines of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Much of our attention during the last month has been, for a change, focused on our “first war” against terror — Afghanistan.

As the Iraqi government seems to gain more and more control each day and takes on greater responsibility for its safety, American attention returns to Afghanistan.

And even as the president and his advisers debate America’s new approach to ending the al-Qaida threat, thwarting the Taliban’s resurgence and ensuring democracy’s foothold in Afghanistan, we are faced with terrible consequences.

October was one of the bloodiest yet for America and its allies. The deaths of 62 Americans in ambushes, roadside bombs and helicopter crashes were grim hallmarks — this war is as deadly as ever and shows no sign of relenting the tightness its grip on our best and brightest.

We are debating the future of Afghanistan. Our fears are direct — Do we know what we are doing? What is the possibility of it deteriorating into another Vietnam where we never were honest with ourselves from the beginning and continue to ask our young men and women to fight and die without the true possibility of victory? How do we define victory? What is our goal? How much blood and treasure are we willing to expend? The list goes on endlessly.

But these are among the questions, President Barack Obama must answer before committing more troops. Our military has told him what it will take. If we want them to do the job, we must give them what they need. If we can’t, then we must change our goals and approach. Hamstringing our Armed Forces would truly be wrong and deadly.

It is a mistake America can’t afford and should not be asked to pay.