“Hero” – Moon of Alabama

January 4, 2006

“Hero”

This WaPo oped by a father of a GI who died in Iraq is worth a read in full: A Life, Wasted

Anyhow, some excerpts:

The words "hero" and "patriot" focus on the death, not the life. They are a flag-draped mask covering the truth that few want to acknowledge openly: Death in battle is tragic no matter what the reasons for the war. The tragedy is the life that was lost, not the manner of death. Families of dead soldiers on both sides of the battle line know this. Those without family in the war don’t appreciate the difference.

…
The day his unit returned home to waiting families, we received the second urn of ashes. This lad of promise, .. , came home in one coffin and two urns. We buried him in three places that he loved, a fitting irony, I suppose, but just as rough each time.
…
.. being a hero comes from respecting your parents and all others, from helping your neighbors and strangers, from loving your spouse, your children, your neighbors and your enemies, from honesty and integrity, from knowing when to fight and when to walk away, and from understanding and respecting the differences among the people of the world.
…
But their deaths will not be in vain if Americans stop hiding behind flag-draped hero masks and stop whispering their opposition to this war. Until then, the lives of other sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers may be wasted as well.

Posted by b on January 4, 2006 at 21:38 UTC | Permalink

Comments

The piece leaves the motivation for murder of innocents intact, and says nothing about illegal invasions, US foreign policy, the situation in the ME.
Death in battle is tragic no matter what the reasons for the war
Of course.
We are supposed to understand that now holding Iraq is illusory, that the US army is poorly organised, not invested enough, the effort is inefficient; people whisper about a bad deal, about legitimate, worthwhile but ultimately fantastical aims, poorly realised:
For nearly three years, the Bush administration has pursued a policy that makes our troops sitting ducks. While Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that our policy is to “clear, hold and build” Iraqi towns, there aren’t enough troops to do that.
They were wasted in a belief that democracy would grow simply by removing a dictator — a careless misunderstanding of what democracy requires. They were wasted by not sending enough troops to do the job needed in the resulting occupation — a careless disregard for professional military counsel.
So, what was needed was: more troops, and more respect for high-brass military advice. Bad strategy kills cool teens..
Finally:
Two painful questions remain for all of us. Are the lives of Americans being killed in Iraq wasted? Are they dying in vain?
No, the US has more or less achieved its Plan B objectives in Iraq. Plan A was MacIrac: sheeples flipping hamburgers, shuffling in front of high tech superior soldiers, wearing night goggles on their heads in bright sunlight, dominant gum chewing charmers, taking it sweet and easy, handing out Korans and going Hey Guy! With your poor Iraqi, in his or her ragged clothes, smiling brightly, grateful for minimum wage paid out by some Corporation, the occasional freebie hamburgers, and going home to watch Oh wonders of wonders, some US TV serial.
Still, I suppose the article is a symptom of something or other.

Posted by: Noisette | Jan 5 2006 18:15 utc | 1

It is unfortunate that many parents of soldiers only start to speak out openly against the war once their child has been killed. Until such time it is all too often considered as falling the troops in the back. From the father’s writing I take it that he does not agree with the reasons for why his son was send to Irak. If he a, had this opinion and b, stated it openly, before the unfortunate death of his child, I don’t know. But if more parents of active duty soldiers would make a stand, not waving the flag but a photo of their child, their open letters would sound slightly more credible.
As sad as the death of anyone killed in Iraq is, soldiers of the US Army at least get paid for risking their lives. Most of the Iraqis killed in the conflict were not there because it was their job, they lived there.
…being a hero comes from respecting your parents and all others, from helping your neighbors and strangers, from loving your spouse, your children, your neighbors and your enemies, from honesty and integrity, from knowing when to fight and when to walk away, and from understanding and respecting the differences among the people of the world….
I am not quite sure for which of the above reasons he went to Iraq, although I do believe that he was most likely a good person, most of us are. My condolences.

Posted by: Rondo | Jan 6 2006 15:12 utc | 2

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