Memorial Day 2006

The Iraq War and its attendant horrors seems like a fitting topic for today. Along with many others, I opposed this war as being unnecessary, preferring containment of Saddam Hussein to invasion and occupation of Iraqi soil. But leaders will do what they do as they always have, leaving the rest of us to have to deal with it. Perhaps, as the Greeks had it, the fates of warring leaders are as much a sport of the gods as anyone else. The fabled Trojan War lasted ten years, the American chapter in Vietnam lasted eight. The Iraq-Iran War lasted eight years, and the American chapter in Iraq -- with small British and other contingents, many of them, like the Italians, quietly pulling out -- is now into its fourth year. As of today, the US contingent has suffered nearly 2,500 killed, 18,000 wounded. In Afghanistan, US forces have lost 296 killed and 718 wounded. The squander of lives and public monies is entirely inexcusable, as usual. The fallout will remain with us to the grave. What the government has forced our military to do -- go in and police dense urban areas and hope for the best, under the constant stress of having one's body torn apart -- ensures the return of tens of thousands of physically and/or psychologically wounded veterans. It's a human tragedy enough to make one weep for the world and all its mortal inhabitants.

This latest war in Iraq is well-documented for all to see. Regardless of one's attitudes about the conflict and public policy making, anyone would benefit from seeing both Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein's Gunner Palace (2004) and Jon Alpert's HBO film Baghdad ER (2006), among many others starting to become easily available. In them, you see the people on the ground, in country, the Iraqi civilians, and the horrendous circumstances for all involved. These are good things to see before the recruiters show up at school or the local mall. Our civilian and military people deployed in Iraq, the majority of them it would seem, are doing their best; they are simply being asked to do too much. Either we should reinstate the draft, or let these people who volunteered -- before the war, for the most part -- home. They deserve the thanks of the nation, but they also deserve to have their lives back. As public policy, this is a coward's way of continuing. If the conflict against radical Islam is as apocalyptic and all-consuming as our present leaders contend, then it should be treated as such, and all of us should be actively involved. If it is not, these leaders should go, like the pro-war factions voted out in Italy, Spain, and elsewhere. Containment is a far saner policy than large-scale occupation.

I salute our veterans, having taught some of them, and hope my cousin Bobby will be able to return safely after nearly a year in Iraq, along with the rest. His father, my uncle Bob, died after an extended illness, and I hope he is allowed back in time for the funeral.