Friday, August 20, 2004

Death duty in forgotten corner of war

MSNBC;"Word spread fast. News passed fast in low voices, quiet conversations. No one wants to say it loudly. The Marines heard it and looked away. Their faces hardened. They swore. What else was there to say but goddammit. Man, was killed by a roadside bomb, set off by someone who was watching a U.S. Marine foot patrol finish its work. A half-hour later, another also was killed. But to the men here, this is a forgotten war. . The world hears what happens here only in a faint whispers. Isolated the men live packed bunk to bunk, they guard one another's backs, they depend on the group to help ward off fear and loneliness. And they face losses in their own searingly personal way. When one man is killed, the rest are asked to go back where he died, to face the same danger, in the name of duty. They do it, they say, for a country that expects it of them. You don't hear the blast. It doesn't register. It happens so fast. You see a ball of fire, black smoke, then shrapnel, dirt, trees and branches flying. You feel the heat. Then its over and someone dies... A half-hour later, the men heard the blast of another roadside bomb about a mile away man down, but, still alive. A Black Hawk helicopter on the way, Two men began mouth-to-mouth. For each breath they gave, they got a mouthful of blood. They took turns, vomiting between their efforts. The young man's eyes were glazed, heart stopped, life drained from the gaping wounds in his sides. He was dead before the helicopter landed.. The sun rises. The war goes on. Patrols go out. It's sad what you get accustomed to. Unfortunately, the routine just goes on. You feel guilty, but that's how it is."
I read this had to post it, not to be morbid. But to have truly make people see and read what really happens when our men/women go to war for us, some of you may read this and say I already know this and so do they I know we as well as them know its a war but.. It breaks my heart as a mother and human-being to know that we send our young people to something as cruel as this. I'm sorry many of you may not agree with me but I hate Wars!! Some of you may also say we go to war to protect our counrty.... Well how is men/women dieing helping our country....You Tell Me!!

4 comments:

Lietta Ruger said...

I wanted to comment and thank you for your post. I am mother of 2 that have been deployed in Iraq (extended and served 15 months, 1st Armored)and it has been an agony on the families knowing their daily life is about losing limbs and life while on the homefront, folks talk abstractly while they go about shopping, entertainment, jobs and so forth. I was a young wife when my husband was drafted to Vietnam; I hoped our country would never involve themselves again in a gridlock war, yet here we are exactly involved in another gridlock with the young lives being squandered. I never wanted my young to see war up close and personal like this and I'm not certain the country they left to fight to preserve is the same country they are returning to....


BTW, my husband is from Idaho..knows Pocatello. He is from tiny little town called Bancroft, near Soda Springs.

11181955 said...

My heart aches for you,will keep your loved ones in Iraq close to my thoughts.Hope your 2-children will be home soon. I also pray they are kept safe from harm,till you hold them in your arms again. Drop me a line let me know when they are finally home and I will Post it. Thank-you for leaving a comment.

11181955 said...

P.S.- WonderWander- forgot to tell you,Tell you Hubby Hi!!
He was One of the smart ones who got out of here before all the jobs starting going down hill..

Lietta Ruger said...

Tx for replying to my comment and your good wishes for our family's soldiers. They have returned safely to their base in Germany, Aug 04, after serving 15 months. My vigil for all the other soldiers fighting continues. I blog also, have several, here are some:

On The Horizon http://forecast.blogdrive.com/

Wonderwander (light stuff) http://wonwan.blogspot.com/

Dying to Preserve the Lies http://dyingwarriors.blogspot.com/

Deerblog http://deer.blogdrive.com/

most of them have links to our other blogs..I will stay tuned to your blog and continuing my vigil, I will keep your own teens well being as part of my concerns.