Forgotten Sacrifice

Forgotten Sacrifice
By F. John Duresky Wednesday, July 5, 2006; Page A13

A few days ago, as I do every day in Iraq, I listened to the commander's battle update. The briefer calmly and professionally described the day's events. Somewhere in Iraq, on some forgotten, dusty road, an insurgent fighting an occupying army detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) under a Humvee, killing an American soldier. The briefer fielded a question from the general and moved to the next item in the update.

The day before that, in America, a 15-year-old's incredibly rich parents planned the biggest sweet 16 party ever. They will spend more than $200,000 on an opulent event marking a single year in an otherwise unremarkable life. The soon-to-be-16 girl doesn't know where Iraq is and doesn't care. That same day an American soldier died in Iraq.

Two days earlier, a 35-year-old man went shopping for home entertainment equipment. He had the toughest time selecting the correct plasma screen; he could afford the biggest and best of everything. In the end, he had it installed by a specialty store. He spent about $50,000 on the whole system. He has never met anybody serving in the military nor served himself, but thinks we should "turn the whole place into a parking lot." That day, another American soldier died in Iraq.

Three days earlier, some college students had a great kegger. There were tons of babes at the party, the music was awesome. Everybody got totally blitzed, and many missed class the next day. The young men all registered for the draft when they were 18, but even though our nation is at war, they aren't the least bit worried about the draft. It is politically impossible to conscript young people today, we are told. That day, another American "volunteer" died in Iraq.
Four days earlier, a harried housewife looked all over town for the perfect accessory for her daughter's upcoming recital. Her numerous chores wore her out, but she still found herself preoccupied. Her oldest son is having trouble in his first year of college, and he has been talking of enlisting in the Army. She is terrified that her child will go off to that horrible war she sees on TV. She and her husband decide to give their son more money so he doesn't have to work part-time; maybe that will help with his studies. That day, another soldier died.

Yesterday millions of Americans celebrated Independence Day. They attended parties and barbecues. Families came together from all across the country to celebrate the big day. Millions of dollars were spent on fireworks. At public events, there were speeches honoring the people who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. These words mostly fell on bored ears. While the country celebrated its own greatness, other Americans were still fighting in Iraq.
Today Americans go back to their normal business. The politicians in Washington have made sure the sacrifices of the war are borne by the very smallest percentage of Americans. They won't even change the tax rates to prevent deficits from running out of control. Future generations will pay the cost of this war.

Many Americans feel strongly about the war one way or another, but they aren't signing up their children for service or taking the protest to the streets. What can they do? It is they whom we in the military trust to influence our leaders in Washington.

Today, as on every other day in Iraq, American servicemen are in very real danger. Our country is at war. Mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and children are worrying about their loved ones in a faraway land. They all hope he or she isn't the one whose luck runs out today.
The writer is an Air Force captain stationed in Iraq.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opinion:

Any of you may correct me if you feel I'm wrong, but I totally understand where this guy is coming from. For any person stationed in another country, their normal life halted, and left to the diversions and devastations of war and facing their own mortality each day.......it would have to be hell and wished over with as expediently as possible. I understand his criticism of the US citizenry of which he belongs and for which he joined the military to protect. I thoroughly understand his weariness and disillusionment.

However, the fact remains that regardless of any situation that a person or nation faces, life does go on. Life is not a unified entity but an explosion of occurences happening simultaneouly and separately. The world continues to turn on it axis and its inhabitants continue their daily tasks unless hindered directly. Being removed from the effort does not make it inconsequential, just peripheral. Even when in close proximity to the effort, lives are maintained for the reality is that we must be prepared for the tomorrow we hope will come. In Iraq, the people not directly affected are going about their day involving work, shopping for necessary items, visiting with friends. In America, it is no different.

When the planes flew into the buildings so few short years ago, I was at work and I stopped what I was doing to watch, horrified and transfixed, to the scene I could view only from a distance via the convenience of television. My fervent desire was to act......to do anything possible to make a difference somewhere.....and yet reality was that I would not be relieved from work to do so and responsibilities for today and tomorrow dictated that I earn the money necessary to see to them. How convenient it would be to follow my heart and my conscience if I were footloose and fancy-free with no-one to worry about but myself. That was not and is not the case. People still must eat, still must provide, still must do those things which keep societies going despite what is happening otherwise.

For so many people, it is not lack of desire or drive to act.....it is being responsible for their part in life and the job they chose to do just as the soldier is doing the job he chose to do. Too often there is little left for us but to use our voice for what we believe and use our right to vote and those are things we should definitely exercise always. Unfortunately, going by opinion, it is that very right to vote which got us into this mess with Bush. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, it seems.

There has always been war. It seems that the world will never know true peace. Though there is so much I don't know and can't pull readily from memory, it seems WWII received support even to the extent that it changed things forever with the inclusion of women into the main workforce due to lack of manpower and their desire to assist the effort. Is this fight not as supportable that it is so easily criticized from all quarters? I hear the cry "Remember 9/11" and yet hear equal amounts of "The war is baseless"......so which is it? Is Bush the only one who got things screwed up?

You aren't forgotten soldier.....any of you, any more than the people of Iraq are being forgotten. Until all people think alike there will be conflict on both small and large scales. Voices are being raised in protest but they are slowly coming from behind the confusion and smoke-screen that the government placed in front of them. Determining what is truth and lie, fact and fiction and knowing which direction to go in to be of benefit is difficult at best.

But, we can try harder. Yeah.