A life Wasted

[3days]

By a father of a soldier killed in action.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/02/AR2006010200974.html

Early on Aug. 3, 2005, we heard that 14 Marines had been killed in Haditha, Iraq. Our son, Lance Cpl. Edward "Augie" Schroeder II, was stationed there. At 10:45 a.m. two Marines showed up at our door. After collecting himself for what was clearly painful duty, the lieutenant colonel said, "Your son is a true American hero."

snip

I am outraged at what I see as the cause of his death. For nearly three years, the Bush administration has pursued a policy that makes our troops sitting ducks. While Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that our policy is to "clear, hold and build" Iraqi towns, there aren't enough troops to do that.

snip

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?


Read the rest!

[beam me up scottie]

1. ~ "People think that if they say that, somehow it makes it okay"

At times like this, people say, "He died a hero." I know this is meant with great sincerity. We appreciate the many condolences we have received and how helpful they have been. But when heard repeatedly, the phrases "he died a hero" or "he died a patriot" or "he died for his country" rub raw.

"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.

How many more families of "heroes" are going to have to face the knock on the door?

[niyad]

2. when my "former" was in 'nam, I freaked for about two weeks, as I was

constantly seeing an official car with a uniformed officer in my neighborhood, until someone thoughtfully explained that he was a recruitment officer. Every day, I waited with dread for that knock on the door. I don't ever want any more families going through that.

[beam me up scottie]

4. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.

I can't help but think of the toll it must take on the soldiers who have to perform that particular duty as well.

Why have so many people forgotten what that was like?

[Hello_Kitty]

3. The moral authority of these parents is absolute. n/t

[Tsiyu]

5. More and more parents will speak out until their voices become a din

and combined with protests over some alleged impending war with Iran and a subsequent possible draft (there is no other way, is there?) the noise will be deafening.

:kick:

I feel sorry for the Neocons, just a wee little bit. Their greed is no match for what they intend to fight.