War

This evening I watched an "amateur" video of the fighting in Fallujah, Iraq.  The amateur video was made by a soldier who is a friend of my son-in-law, who is back home for R&R leave.  He is due to return to Iraq tomorrow for at least 6-12 more months of duty.  There is no commentary with the video, just the sights and sounds of a combat unit, doing what it is trained to do.  It has no sensationalism aspects, meaning none of the brutal realities of war with the wounded or dead, of either side.  Just a bunch of GI's doing their job.  It has no "news media" value.  But,.....I wish I knew the name of every soldier on that video and could contact each of their families to let them know someone else cares.  Someone cares about "their loved one" not just the generic "I support our troops".

As a retired soldier, I saw a lot of things in the video which I would like to share here.  Duty is evident.  Comraderie and esprit de corps.  Training and expertise being applied in real life.  The destructive nature of war and the awesome power of handheld and vehicle mounted weapons.  The adrenaline rush and need to shout. 

The untrained eye, or the liberal do-gooder that has never served or been willing to serve his country in the Armed Forces could easily jump to the conclusion that these soldiers enjoyed killing people.

I, on the other hand, saw many other things.  Young men doing what young American men have done throughout the history of our country.  Doing what others are unwilling to do, or unable to do.  Following orders, believing in the power of what this country stands for.  Very likely, most, if not all of these young soldiers will carry a burden through life of horrors and fear that we who have never experienced will never fully understand.  Many will go through life with unrequited grief and guilt mixed with honor and pride of service which they will struggle to balance.  Some will return to go again.  Some will return critically wounded, with missing limbs or worse, and their lives will be a long battle of change.  Change from what might have been to what is.  Others will return to take up quieter types of lives, others, God forbid, may sink into despair or give in to anger and rage which they don't understand.  All of them will deserve our recurring thanks, gratitude, compassion, empathy and praise.

I saw the front lines, where there are no Generals, Colonels, Majors, and probably darned few Captains, pulling the trigger while ducking when rounds came back.  Thankfully, I did not see or hear any reporters, with their inevitable commentary, slanted one way or the other in the name of news.  No politicians were there with those young men, handing them another magazine of ammunition, trying to care for wounded, or any combat support function.  There were no ministers, ministering to their needs, although I am certain military chaplains were somewhere there doing just that.  How brave is that?  To stand next to soldiers, without a weapon, in harms way, ready to comfort a soldier in need.   There were no Hollywood actors or actresses there, although one might someday pretend to be one of those soldiers in some yet to be made movie. 

The real battle of Fallujah is yet to come.  It will not have the finality of combat.  This will be the battle to rebuild a city; to care for civilians; to help restore peace.  It will be the battle of young American soldiers trying imperfectly to do some small part in helping to build a democracy.  A democracy where Iraqi's will be free to disagree with the government without fear of retribution and....free to disagree and work for change without the use of AK-47's or C4.  The battle to turn warfighting into peacekeeping.  The battle to turn peacekeeping over to Iraqi military and civilian authorities. 

Some Americans believe this war is about oil.  Maybe.  War has always been about a lot of things.  Only a simpleton tries to reduce it to one meaning.  I'm ready to start changing my lifestyle without oil.  I'm not ready to face a world where America does not try to rid the world of dictatorships, brutal repression and terrorism.

My fear is that Americans are so used to instant gratification that they will not have the patience such a battle must have.  Forty or fifty years ago, there were no "fledgling" democracies anywhere in Central/South America.  Today, most of that area is in some state of developing fledgling democracies.  There were a lot of battles, a lot of mistakes, a lot of good things and a lot of bad things done by the United States during the last half century in that region.  However, I am convinced we have played a part in making the possibility of life better in that area.  And so, I believe we have to take the long view in the middle East.  It is painful and hard to be patient.  It is hard to see something which we think is wrong, or think should have been done differently and not be able to directly influence it.  We have to keep trying, as imperfectly as we inevitably will be, to make a difference in the world.