My Friend Couldn't Bring Himself to Stand and Applaud

[Hissyspit]

My college professor friend told me a story a few weeks ago.

At the, as he describes it, "liberal" or "progressive" Baptist church here in North Carolina that he and his wife attend, earlier this year, a 20-year-old member of the congregation returned from his tour in Iraq. The Marine spoke to the congregation about, as reported by my friend, "fighting the good fight," ending with "God Bless America." Everyone stood to applaud, but, my friend said, "I just stayed seated. I didn't make a big deal of it - I just couldn't bring myself to stand and applaud."

Several weeks ago, my friend says, at church, it was announced that the Marine, Andrew Russoli, was shipping back to Iraq. This time he did not speak and looked much more solemn. The congregation wished him well, or something to that effect, my friend explained. That was the occasion on which he told me about the this and the earlier occurrence.

Today my college professor friend called me to tell me that Russoli was one of the Marines killed in yesterday's attack in Anbar province.

"Well," said my friend, "I guess I now personally know someone who died in Bush's war."

Here is the front page article on the death of the Marine:

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051022/NEWSREC0101/510210334

[Walt Starr]

1. Kicked and Recommended

You should find the thread about the guy who's future son-in-law is thinking about joining up.

[Hissyspit]

2. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm not sure I saw that thread. I'll go check for it. I know of none of my former students who are active duty who have been killed, but I am not sure of any who have been wounded. The lest publicized cost.

[driver8]

10. My wife's 17 year old cousin is joining the Marines...he had to get

his parents' permission. I said, "Are they effin' crazy? His ass will be going to Iraq for sure."

She said the parents discussed that with him and he still wanted to join. I don't get it.

[Mika]

21. Good. If he supports this effin' war then he should go and fight in it..

.. instead of someone who doesn't.

[driver8]

27. That's just it -- I don't know if he does support the war. The kid

has been in trouble the past year or so...I don't think he knows what to do with himself. He is very naive and immature, IMO.

[catmandu57]

25. 17, shaking my head

If I remember correctly they didn't send anyone under 19 to Vietnam, I don't know if it still holds though. At 17 he doesn't know shit from shinola, even though he thinks he does.
if, if by some miracle he survives Marine boot, and goes off to war he'll wise up pretty damn quick, it's too bad there aren't a few iraq vets that can talk to these kids before they destroy their young lives.

[jillan]

3. Quite a story.

:cry: :cry:

[flygal]

4. The only Iraq war vet I met

quietly told me he and most of his unit do not think the war was necessary and they do not support *. He's getting out asap and many in his unit are going through mental health treatment.

[dorktv]

5. I met a vet today, and he said that we cannot leave, it will totally

fall apart.

He still is a Republican after two tours in Iraq, I should have asked where.

[Hissyspit]

6. It will totally fall apart if we stay, too.

The polls LynnTheDem posted showing that a good half the population feels the suicide, roadside bomb and other attacks are justified show it is a country at war with itself, whether we are there or not. Ironically, the more support we get from some Iraqis the more the friction will increase between the segments of the society.

[dorktv]

8. I know...it is one of those lose/lose things.

It depresses me so I am going to read about the House of Morgan instead.

[leesa]

13. Primarily, they are at war with us. We must leave. WE are the bad guys.

[BikeWriter]

24. That's what we said about VietNam, too.

How many thousands more will die before we decide the cost is too high?

[AwakeAtLast]

7. My husband echoes that sentiment

I posted this the other day (sank like a stone) that he told me that 75% of his National Guard unit will not reenlist upon their return. They all know what this war is about and many of them aren't fighting - they are surviving. He is safer than most, but how safe can anyone be in a country on the brink of civil war?

[driver8]

11. I read your post and found it interesting...I even sent it along to

a veterans board that I belong to. There are three liberals on the board and the rest are all conservatives. I am always busting their chops and I mentioned what you wrote. I thought their heads were going to explode.

[AwakeAtLast]

22. I am late replying to you

but that is the way things are when you are a semi-single parent of a 3 1/2 year old :)

Anyway, thanks so much for letting me know that his words and thoughts are being repeated. There is going to be a great crisis in the next few years because there will not be enough experienced soldiers to go around. If our administration wants to go into Iran and Syria, it will prove to be a very costly decision in more ways than one.

Always happy to hear that some conservative heads are distressed ;)

:hi:

[driver8]

28. I have a 3 1/2 year old, also...so I know how busy your life must

be. I also have a two year old but I am not a single parent. I don't know how you single parents do it!

[knitter4democracy]

20. Your sig line is right:

May God keep him safe. I'll add him to my prayer list, if you don't mind. I'm trying to find all the soldiers to pray for by name or screen name I can, if just to feel like I'm doing something.

Does he need a helmet liner? I'm also making those for the soldiers. I have a good khaki wool and a pattern that covers up the nose and mouth (for sand and wind) but leaves enough room for the goggles.

[AwakeAtLast]

23. Thanks so much!

I will PM you when I get a chance. :hi:

[oasis]

9. Bush's War. It's all his. (n/t)

[Peace Patriot]

12. We. Have. No. RIGHT. To. Be. There.

--or to make any decisions about Iraq's future, or coerce Iraqis in any way, or to remain there one more minute. IT IS A WAR CRIME.

It is tragic and evil that our young people have been dragged into this, and are dying there, or being permanently maimed there, or having their lives and their souls ravaged there. But whether or not they should STAY there has NOTHING TO DO with what is happening there, good, bad or indifferent (and it is mostly bad to terrible). The war was illegal and was and continues to be a criminal act. And that is not even to mention the massive looting and degradation that is taking place, of Iraqis and of us.

You don't stop a bank robber who has partially completed his robbery, and then let him go because he hasn't quite finished the job yet and asks for more time.

You don't stop an assault and then back off because the perp wants to murder the victim and hasn't succeeded as yet, and just needs a few more slashes of the knife to critical arteries.

You stop the crime NOW.

Pandering to the "Iraq will descend into chaos if we leave" delusion PRESUMES that we are an agent of order there, not chaos. War and occupation do NOT create order; they create oppression. And there is NOTHING we can do there to make the situation right, not even if we were model occupiers and hadn't killed tens of thousands of Iraqis, and tortured many others, and weren't continuing to kill more, and hadn't privatized their economy for the sake of global corporate predators and if the "Constitution" we wrote for them wasn't a farce. Even then, our mission would be imperial and illegal, in outright violation of international and national laws.

If the Bush gang had any sincerity whatsoever in improving the lot of Iraqis, they would long ago have turned the entire situation over the United Nations and called a Middle East peace conference.

They are not sincere. They want to invade Syria and Iran. They want to destroy the sovereignty of these Arab and Muslim countries and bestride the Middle East like the Roman emperors.

And they are USING our young people as cannon fodder for this very illegal and murderous purpose. And it is sickening when their energy and good spirits and idealism and patriotism are exploited and abused in this way, and they come home in body bags.

Utterly sickening.

[renate]

17. excellent post

Especially this point:
Pandering to the "Iraq will descend into chaos if we leave" delusion PRESUMES that we are an agent of order there, not chaos.

And yes, it is absolutely twisted of the warmongers to abuse the idealism and patriotism of the troops so cynically.

[buddysmellgood]

14. God Bless America...what does that mean anymore?

[janx]

15. It means that our country is going to need all the blessings it can get.

When the population realizes, once and for all, that so many died because of the neocons' geopolitical dream.

It's going to be a bumpy ride.

[leanin_green]

18. God already HAS blessed America, look what we're doing with it.

[cmd]

19. I didn't join in last night

Our democratic banquet ended with that song. I refuse to ask for more blessings when so many other countries suffer.

[Hissyspit]

30. "God Bless America"? Irving Berlin's jingoistic appeal?

from the World War II era? Better they use "This Land is Your Land."

[Ellen Forradalom]

16. In Robert Graves' autobiography "Goodbye to All That"

he recalls the excitement surrounding the start of World War I. "War is like Christmas!" he quotes one young man exclaiming. We all know where that ended.

[Hissyspit]

29. From around the same time (end of Victorian), Twain's "The War Prayer"

[FreedomAngel82]

26. So sad

:( I wouldn't have stud up either.