American troops in Iraq - a madness we can't ignore
July 7th 2008 05:19
A few weeks ago I went to my osteopath. A young man in his early twenties did the pre-manipulation massage. During the half hour in which he gently kneaded the various places in my back that had crocheted themselves into a knot, he told me that he was in fact about to go into the army.
Now I am fascinated by young men who actually want to go into the army. It has something to do with the fact that growing up in South Africa, young men were conscripted and had no choice about going into the army and fighting (and often dying) in Angola and other places they had no desire to visit with an AK47 in their hand. It also has something to do with my own incomprehension at a desire to experience all that violence, to inflict all that death, and to learn to live with the fear of losing your own life as if it were your own breath.
This young man however believes that it is ‘the right thing’ to do – to defend your country by putting your life on the line. His father had fought in previous wars and his great-grandfather too, so the poor kid was bred on war-propaganda and how much of a man it makes one. I wished I could rewind his childhood to bring him up on Ghandi not Napoleon. But his conviction was as well-defined as his spectacular physique, which was a combination of both genes and dedication.
I don’t have any friends who actually support the war in Iraq, and if I do, they have carefully omitted to admit as much to me. I think war is ridiculous. I think anyone who fights voluntarily in a war is insane or misguided or both, and I know that anyone who comes back alive from a war is pretty fucked up for the rest of their lives. And that the violence begets further violence and so on and so on.
I watched the movie In the Valley of Elah this weekend. It is not a pick-me-up. Actually, it’s not a movie that serves to entertain in any way. It is dark and bleak and will leave you with a sick empty feeling. It is long. It is slow. It is intended to be all of this, with sterling performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, and a brief appearance by one of my favourite female actors, Susan Sarandon.
Tommy Lee Jones is a Vietnam veteran and his son has just come back from Iraq, but is missing. The two hour movie is about his search for his son. The truth of what happened to his son is sadder than one can imagine. Not that I needed any more convincing about the evils of war. The Valley of Elah is the valley in which David slew Goliath and of the fear of the ordinary person in the face of a much stronger evil than himself. The movie explores what happens when we don't see or hear a cry for help.
I wonder if my army-bound masseuse understands that when he is finished with his stint in the army, having fought for his country (and he's hoping there will be a need for him to be deployed overseas, he told me so), those beautiful healing hands of his will have lost their gift and are not the sort of hands I will want touching my body. Does he know what he is about to lose?
Here, in brief is a small snapshot into the message of In The Valley of Elah
American troops going insane - warning this contains some disturbing footage
www.joannefedler.com
Now I am fascinated by young men who actually want to go into the army. It has something to do with the fact that growing up in South Africa, young men were conscripted and had no choice about going into the army and fighting (and often dying) in Angola and other places they had no desire to visit with an AK47 in their hand. It also has something to do with my own incomprehension at a desire to experience all that violence, to inflict all that death, and to learn to live with the fear of losing your own life as if it were your own breath.
This young man however believes that it is ‘the right thing’ to do – to defend your country by putting your life on the line. His father had fought in previous wars and his great-grandfather too, so the poor kid was bred on war-propaganda and how much of a man it makes one. I wished I could rewind his childhood to bring him up on Ghandi not Napoleon. But his conviction was as well-defined as his spectacular physique, which was a combination of both genes and dedication.
I don’t have any friends who actually support the war in Iraq, and if I do, they have carefully omitted to admit as much to me. I think war is ridiculous. I think anyone who fights voluntarily in a war is insane or misguided or both, and I know that anyone who comes back alive from a war is pretty fucked up for the rest of their lives. And that the violence begets further violence and so on and so on.
I watched the movie In the Valley of Elah this weekend. It is not a pick-me-up. Actually, it’s not a movie that serves to entertain in any way. It is dark and bleak and will leave you with a sick empty feeling. It is long. It is slow. It is intended to be all of this, with sterling performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, and a brief appearance by one of my favourite female actors, Susan Sarandon.
Tommy Lee Jones is a Vietnam veteran and his son has just come back from Iraq, but is missing. The two hour movie is about his search for his son. The truth of what happened to his son is sadder than one can imagine. Not that I needed any more convincing about the evils of war. The Valley of Elah is the valley in which David slew Goliath and of the fear of the ordinary person in the face of a much stronger evil than himself. The movie explores what happens when we don't see or hear a cry for help.
I wonder if my army-bound masseuse understands that when he is finished with his stint in the army, having fought for his country (and he's hoping there will be a need for him to be deployed overseas, he told me so), those beautiful healing hands of his will have lost their gift and are not the sort of hands I will want touching my body. Does he know what he is about to lose?
Here, in brief is a small snapshot into the message of In The Valley of Elah
American troops going insane - warning this contains some disturbing footage
www.joannefedler.com
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Comment by Jayne Kearney
Writers In Writing (and other writing)
My husband actually enlisted in the army a few years back (the motivation escapes me right now). He lasted about three days in 'boot camp' or whatever that training is called before he had a massive epiphany. The first moment he held a gun and realised its purpose was to take a human life he knew he had made a big mistake. He begged to be released immediately - not such an easy endeavour. He was sent to a segregated section of the base known as 'Weary Dunlop's' - I love that name and spent about a week being debriefed. This after just one week there. His conclusions are very similar to yours and we are so grateful that his pacifist nature won out so very early on.
I couldn't bring myself to watch the 'disturbing footage' included on your post although I can probably imagine it. I would like to take the opportunity to draw attention to some amazing work being done by some (non military) young Australians in Afghanistan. I have just been assigned a short piece for my magazine on an organistaion called Skateistan http://skateistan.org/. These guys are doing incredible work with young Afghans in Kabul. They are desperately short of funds. People are able to donate or buy a very funky T-Shirt to help their cause. It just goes to show that not all visitors to war zones are there to beget more violence.
Jayne
Comment by Jayne Kearney
Writers In Writing (and other writing)
I couldn't bring myself to watch the footage just yet but I did want to share with you an organistaion which has come to my attention. I have been asked to write a small piece about an organisation called Skateistan http://skateistan.org/ These young (non-military) Australians are doing amazing work with youth in Kabul. Of course they are desperately short of funds. Anyone can help the cause by donating on the website or buying one of their groovy T-shirts.
It's great to know that not all visitors to a war zone are there to beget violence - what a shame we don't hear more about them.
Jayne
Comment by Jayne Kearney
Writers In Writing (and other writing)
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
I have a friend who enlisted in the army, was gagging to see some 'action' and now that he has, he's just not the same.
His jovial side doesn't seem to surface as much as it used to. And there are things that he just can't talk about.
I watched that footage and had seen some of it before. Although it distresses me to watch it, I feel that I need to, just to acknowledge that this rubbish goes on and it just shouldn't.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by Joanne Fedler
Secret Writers Business
Thanks so much for telling me about that organization doing wonderful work in Afghanistan - why don't you write a post about them and encourage orblers to donate some money? I love to hear about people doing this sort of work.
Hey Mrs M, that macho notion of 'seeing some action' is really a powerful incentive for men/boys to get them enlisted. They have no idea what it is they are signing up for, and sadly when they do, it is too late. They have been emotionally shattered. I know, I also didn't want to watch that footage - it made me ill, frankly - but I also feel I need to know what is really happening there.
Jo