Father Of Dead Marine Speaks Out Against The War
Mr Schroeder is tired of the "hero" bullshit coming out of the mouths of the people who have not personally suffered losses from the Bush/Cheney misadventure.
"People think that if they say that, somehow it makes it okay that he died," our daughter, Amanda, has said. "He was a hero before he died, not just because he went to Iraq. I was proud of him before, and being a patriot doesn't make his death okay. I'm glad he got so much respect at his funeral, but that didn't make it okay either."
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.
No kidding, it is those without family in the fight who argue the loudest in favor of sending more Americans over there as cannon fodder to a stalemated (at best) endeavor.
Mr. Schroeder ends his piece (which I encourage all to read) with a killer:
(B)eing 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.
Two painful questions remain for all of us. Are the lives of Americans being killed in Iraq wasted? Are they dying in vain? President Bush says those who criticize staying the course are not honoring the dead. That is twisted logic: honor the fallen by killing another 2,000 troops in a broken policy?
I choose to honor our fallen hero by remembering who he was in life, not how he died. A picture of a smiling Augie in Iraq, sunglasses turned upside down, shows his essence -- a joyous kid who could use any prop to make others feel the same way.
Though it hurts, I believe that his death -- and that of the other Americans who have died in Iraq -- was a waste. 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.
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.
This is very painful to acknowledge, and I have to live with it. So does President Bush.
Wow. The White House had better not choose to demonize this grieving father, a la Cindy Sheehan.
posted by Effwit at 11:11 AM
5 Comments:
I read that this morning. Excellent piece. While one would like to believe that these brave young men and women actually died for a worthy cause - certainly their loved ones want or maybe even HAVE to believe that - the sad fact is that they have not died for a worthy cause. Our government has chosen to exploit and abuse our all-volunteer military for endeavors other than the protection of the United States. And every additional death is another one in vain.
Sadly, there will be many more fathers who feel the pain that Mr. Schroeder feels. And there's no good reason for it.
Drew L:
You are exactly right.
Bush has grossly exploited the all-volunteer military. If we still had a draft, Bush's BS would have been stopped long ago.
These poor families (and I mean poor in both senses of the word) have lost their children to satisfy the greed of the Bush/Cheney cartel. For psychological reasons they must believe this is a noble cause.
Some, like Mr. Schroeder can see the truth, and are trying to help other would-be victims before it is too late.
As long as he stays away from anti-war protests per se, he should be okay. Sad but true.
I think it's just a matter of time before even the pro-war families come to the realization that their loved ones died in vain. Even after our troops leave Iraq (assuming, for a moment, that they DO leave at some point), when the country devolves into civil war and chaos, it should be apparent for all to see that nothing was gained and quite a bit was lost in this "badventure".
Drew L:
I wouldn't be so sure about that.
There are plenty of people who still think, all evidence to the contrary, that the Vietnam War was justified.
A percentage of people will always stand with the government when it comes to killing for the flag.
Most likely, when Iraq spirals into a worse shithole than it already is, the apologists for the White House will find a way to blame opponents of the war for the way it turns out.
Just like Vietnam.
Good point. Sadly, you're probably correct. Anything to rationalize something gone bad.
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