Commentary on War “We gotta get outta this place”
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I was going to schedule this for tomorrow, musical Saturday, but realized that would not be in keeping with the happy theme of the day. So, this is for those who insist on blaming the politics of war on those who fight it, whether in the field or behind the lines.
This is for those who don’t understand that the men and women who fight these wars have no choice but to believe that the commander in chief makes the right decisions [and he almost always does] with but a few exceptions.
This is the nature of the military and only those who have served will understand the concept. I am hoping the music, married with my passion, will help that understanding.
This is for those who never smelled or tasted blood, or experienced the overwhelming fear that goes with it, but yet have the arrogance to not even try to understand it.
Here it is: we either support our troops or we do not. While I dislike war I understand that from time to time war is necessary to maintain the security of the nation. The war in Vietnam was not one of those wars but I honor those who fought it. I honor our allies and our enemy. Each side fighting but not for a common purpose.
This was an American war; Americans and their allies fought because they were ordered to fight by politicians thousands of miles away. The North Vietnamese fought for some of the same reasons, but more importantly it was their country and they wanted it back. I get that, but it in no way diminishes the love, respect and affection I have for those who spilled their blood in the jungle of this far away land.
While all wars are experienced differently in the minds of those who order them and those who fight them I suspect [and hope] the pain is shared at some level.
So think not for one minute that our troopers in Iraq and Afghanistan do not listen to this song and yearn for the spirit and reality of it.
These pictorial examples are from Vietnam but only the landscape changes for those who live today while expecting to die tomorrow for us……..
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Hell, this country goes apeshit when a blond cracker chick is kidnapped. If there was actual combat and buildings getting knocked down?
Well, no, we’d still be too apathetic to do much of anything. “Sure, the schools and the mall are gone, but why do my taxes have to go up to pay for their rebuilding?”
Excellent examples here!
All of America’s shooting wars in the past 150 years have been fought overseas, so the only people who really know about war first hand are the men and women who fought in them and their families who wait for them to come home. So all the bandits who think it’s fine for America’s youngsters to be fighting in the four corners of the world, might think differently if the odd American town or city was flattened overnight. I was 12 or 13 years old before all the towns and cities were rebuilt in the UK, as a kid seeing “Bomb Sites” as we used to call them, was normal. I can’t forget that shit.
As you know I have a lot of family in England and they have lots of terrible stories of those dark days. Thanks Holte.
My dad was drafted and fought in Viet Nam, and other than a couple of funny stories (getting his ass creosoted to a bench and his friend’s nuts getting caught in a footlocker) he didn’t talk much about it to people. But the experience was terrible- I’m sure he had PTSD. He would tell me stories when I was a kid- probably thought I’d never understand or remember- but I do. They were awful things- and I don’t know if he even remembers telling me now. He’d paraphrase HP Lovecraft to me as bedtime stories, but even those were preferable to hearing about him doing “body part patrol”.
My son and stepson are draftable age. Many of his friends from school and kids I have taught have served. I had a neighbor who was a sniper in Afghanistan tell me some horrible things. It changes them forever. Coming home after an unpopular war makes it even harder for them to resume a normal life.
I do not support the war, and I loathe the chickenhawks. But I support the kids over there fighting it. The whole depleted uranium thing really gets to me. I’m not sure they really knew what they were signing up for, but here they are in hell now and they have to do the best they can from day to day and follow orders so the machine can run smoothly.
I just wish at least I could feel these wars were worth what they are costing us. Not just in money either.
Thanks Mother Hen. This was most eloquently put.
Tremendous. And it seems we keep repeating the same goddamn mistakes. I have no idea what it is like to be a soldier in combat, and I am glad I don’t. And my heart goes out to those that have served in combat. Those of us who haven’t could never know what it is like. But we can read about it, and get our imaginations as close to the real thing as possible. If we had more leaders capable of that level of empathy there would be fewer wars.
Yes! Yes! Yes! More than that we, those of us who have seen war, cannot ask. Thanks man, for understanding.
Your opinion is always respected Jess, but I disagree. As one who has ordered men into difficult situations I can guarantee I gave a care. A great care.
Thanks Mike, I’m certain you did care about your men. I am talking commander cuckoo bananas and dead eye Dick and the level of their caring. Imean they were beating the drums for war long before Wolfowitz, Kristol et al got all tweaked and happy about it. Do you really think those men cared what would happen, once troops were sent there? I sure as hell don’t. Cuckoo bananas was all gung ho to go into Iraq since day one, because it was some kind of vengeance for his daddy’s approval. Cheney, well he is just the devil incarnate, if there is such a thing, and he got a stiffy from the violence and mayhem, I am certain of that. Now do I think PO cares, yes I do, however he should have done what he said he was going to and start using policing/ more diplomacy in Afghanistan long before now, don’t you think? I do, there is nothing we can do over there now. Either way, stay or go, that country will be a mess for years, possibly generations to come. They don’t call that area the graveyard of empires for the sake of it.
There are reasons for war and there are sad excuses for the men who make up those reasons for war. Those are the bad men who put our young blood in harm’s way. These are the people you speak of, and but for the cost of my soul, I would take their hearts. Good points Jess…..
Jess, it was Ike for sure. I’m so damn old I remember it.
The song was from the Animals I think…
It was Ike. Terrible general worst president if that’s possible…
Sorry but I disagree with you on this part “While all wars are experienced differently in the minds of those who order them and those who fight them I suspect the pain is shared at some level”
They don’t share any pain with the men and women in uniform, at all. They give them lip service so people will think they do IMO. The people who started these wars, and who continue them, could not give fig one for the troops in harm’s way. If they did, they would not have been sent to Iraq on a fool’s errand. Afghanistan I can kind of see because of 9-11 but even then, I have some serious doubts. Those men were not Afghanis, they were Saudi citizens that got in those airplanes and killed over 3000 people, one of whom was a friend of mine, on flight 93 in PA. The men and women that join the military, will always get my respect because I would not join even if it meant saving my life. I will not fight for someone else, especially when that someone else is making coin from ties to the MIC. That is what this is, send the poor to fight our wars, while we get all the money. I forget who the guy was, but he had a whole thing about the military industrial complex and how it would come back to haunt us. I want to say Eisenhower, but can’t remember for the life of me right now and am too lazy to go google it.