Posts Tagged ‘Iraq war’

And if you don’t know who that is? You are too young—go away! Anyone else, surely knows the song (Simple Desultory Philippic) I am a-mangling; this is my brain on insomnia:

A 21st century Philippic, Or How I Was George Bush’d into Rebellion

I’ve been flag-wrapped, vacuum packed
I’ve been Tommy Franked until I’m cranked!
I’ve been Sting’d and Bono’d out of my mind,
I’ve been Ann Coulter’d, verbally pinged
Pinko Commie cause I’m left-winged,
Thats the way I fly, so never fear!

I’ve been You-tubed, jiffy-lubed,
I’ve been my spaced, credit traced,
I’ve seen all the malls I wanna see!
And Jon Stewart tells the truth:
All my learning will lead to burning,
So I bathe in a tub of Starbucks every day!

I see a world so very small,
That it takes no time at all
To melt the ice, burn the woods
It don’t dig ecology! So wrapped up
That when you say ‘green’,
It thinks you’re talking ’bout money!
This world ain’t got no soul!
But it’s all right, Dawg,
Everybody must get twittered!

I’ve been Al-queda’d, wire-guided;
Stan McChrystal, won’t you please come home?
I’ve been fear-flogged, blogged and logged,
Been Glen Becked, spittle-flecked.
And I just discovered somebody bagged the tea!

My last rant, today, was about people–small, mean petty individuals. This one is about governmental-military engines of stupidity. Note, today I posted the list of last week’s dead from our current wars. I copy and paste the Dept. of Defense emails on American deaths. I copy the names, ranks, service, age , reported cause of death and home state into the books I have kept since the beginning of the wars.

There has been a change in the last year or so that drives me bonkers, I cannot make myself copy it into my books. Let me say right now that I consider EVERY death in the war zone caused by war, even those called non-combat incidents, or non-hostile incidents. Because if it was not for war, those men and women would likely not be dead! But a euphemistic dickering has crept into the death notices and it is on my last nerve.

If you are the survivor of a man or woman killed in Iraq or Afghanistan by an IED, my comments are not to diminish their sacrifice. . I find the wording is to lend a sense of urgency and necessity that is a LIE to enable the war to go on, endlessly. I find the wording makes USE of their deaths to imply necessity for the war.

When an American dies in Iraq or Afghanistan due to the detonation of an IED (road side bomb) the notices used to say just that : “SSG Wrong-place, Wrong-time died due to wounds from an IED explosion.” Not anymore. Now, the American notices, unlike those of other nations, say something like this:
“PFC Un-bloody-fortunate died when his unit/vehicle was attacked with an IED.” British notices say things like “Rifleman Gone-Forever was killed when he stepped on a roadside bomb.”

The DOD wording makes it sound as if those “improvised explosive devices” are bullets flying through the air, or hand grenades tossed from windows, or RPGs launched from rooftops. They are not; they are the weapons of people with limited resources to make war on a super power. So they bury a bomb in the ground, where a vehicle will drive or a foot patrol will walk. And the bombers walk safely away, far from harm.

This euphemistic use of the word “attack” does not change the fact that a Stryker vehicle driven over an IED made from an artillery shell will be blown into the air with no human enemy in sight. Or that, as a vehicle full of Americans or Brits, delivering food to some Afghani hamlet stops, and the driver steps from his vehicle he is blown to bits. Yes, it is an act of war, of killing—but a passive sort of act, not the active firefight kind of glory that movies like to show you.

And that is what pisses me off about it. The people choosing this wording “attacked with an IED” lend a glory to what is really a horridly miserably grimy, gritty, paranoia-inducing daily war zone grind. A glory, a glamour, that enables them to keep selling this war to you, the American people because it hides the real horror and pitiful uselessness of those deaths.

One of the things about World War I that appalled and horrified people was the thousands of young men who died of being buried alive in trenches by horrific artillery barrages. War killed them. But no glorious rushing of front lines, no heroics, nothing grand and soaring. Horrors of mud and blood killed them—in World War I and now. War isn’t pretty, it isn’t glorious, even if the soldiers fighting often ARE. A lot of the deaths are just like the mud-drowned dead of World War I: pointlessly snuffed out lives to no purpose at all.

But the makers of those DOD releases don’t want you to think of it that way. A couple years back, as it became apparent that IEDs killed more men than firefights, there began to be an outcry over these “useless” deaths. So, now, they want to evoke “attacks”….which can evoke images of self-defense, of shooting back, of WINNING something. They want to hide the futility our soldiers live with daily.

Anything to avoid the reality of hundreds dead with no enemy in plain sight; a reality that drives the embattled, embittered, and frightened soldiers themselves to shoot at anything that moves. Whether it is a reporter and cameraman, a woman, a carload full of family—the truth of war is profound fear, desperation and ugliness on EVERY side. Euphemizing the cause of death is not changing the war; but it enables atrocities by the dreadfully over-pressed and indefensible troops.

Reality is under attack. Attack back.

Somebody is being stupid again in Iraq. Apparently, with an endgame goal in sight, someone wants us all to “make nice” and fluff up egos. Soldiers are being told NOT to wear the body armor so many of them had to raise hell to get; apparently wearing it when you go out do deal with Iraqi citizens sends the wrong message.

Can someone tell me what exactly is wrong with a message that says, “Thank you very much, I’d like to live through this afternoon, even if you personally are very nice folks.” Of course, the REMFs who decided this policy are now covering ass and claiming it was not policy, but mere “suggestion” that the men going out to play in IED land leave their armor in the vehicle to walk to meetings an such.

Fuck that shit. I keep the books of names, and I write “IED explosion” as the cause of death FAR too often to be leaving body armor in a vehicle. And Col. Walter Piatt? You, sir, are an asshole and moron—-we are still at WAR; do not tell men not to wear armor for fear of scratching some Iraqi’s “furniture.”

Here is a fact for you, Colonel. The Iraqis are not going to give us hearts and minds, they want us to go home so they can get back to tribal warfare undisturbed by foreign third parties. They are going to give us pulped and eviscerated bodies to bury and you are assisting them in this goal!
Fuck you and every moron like you who cares more for photo ops than the men in your command.

As I do once a month, it is again time to remind Americans for whom the wars are sinking into a media black-hole of “We don’t really give a shit anymore, ” that the wars do go on. And the damage and death numbers accrue, and not only in the war zones at hostile hands. Suicides among military members and those whose term of service have ended continue to grow. This month, besides the Department of Defense’s little (I suspect involuntary) self-audit of suicides, I want to offer you a read from the German magazine “Spiegel” on the topic of military suicide.

The German magazine does not feel compelled to draw shut the blinds of bullshit about how often soldiers die in a despair of PTSD and various types of compensatory self-medication. Joseph Dwyer, a hero whose photo made the world think good things about the troops, did NOT intend to commit suicide. But he died, of mental wounding all the same and the Spiegel story is very eye-opening about the suffering that kills, long after the guns fall silent.

It is a long piece, but worthy of your time if you ever want to honestly say you give a damn about the military members and families living the legacy of the war. Please do go read it, I implore you. And light a candle.

And the usual accounting—bean counting the hell of after-war:
The Army released suicide data today for the month of February. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 14 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 13 remain under investigation. For January, the Army reported 12 potential suicides among active duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, two have been confirmed as suicides, and ten remain under investigation.

During February, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were five potential suicides: all five remain under investigation. For January, among that same group, there were 15 potential suicides. Of those, seven were confirmed as suicides and eight are pending determination of the manner of death.

Pictures from the war zones. Not to glorify the wars I hate, but because pretending it isn’t happening is not going to end it. Keep in your hearts not only the men and women fighting it in accord with their enlistment oaths, but the journalists trying to document some truth.

Those are real people, in real danger, in real time. This is not a Hollywood production. Give a thought to the lives being cost, lost, and destroyed.

I sometimes don’t even want to read news headlines. Today is such a day. The New York Times is hailing the vote on health care as a “done deal” even though, as near as I can tell, it is barely a “Oh, shit, yeah; we obviously have to do SOMEthing about about this,” kind of measure.

Worse, they say the next “big issue” for the Obama Administration is the solvency of the Social Security program. Really? Now, mind you, my husband and I will be among many Americans shit out of luck if Social Security goes tits up, but that is the next big issue?

Hello?? War? You know–the twin debacles of mayhem and financial suckage in Iraq and Afghanistan? Goodness knows, I am aware the wars are unpopular (and rightly so), but that doesn’t mean we can yellow ribbon them into non-existence! It seems to me that a lot of financial solvency would be enhanced if we could quit pumping blood and cash into a couple of distant, troublesome sandboxes.

Talk about no-win situations. With the Republicans in power, the wars continued so they could fill the pockets of contractor-running buddies and arms merchants and send the sons and daughters of the poor to war and not risk riots in the streets. Now, with the Democrats at the helm, everyone seems intent on forgetting they are there at all and the focus is back on lining the nests of an older generation? I know, there are a lot of priorities of screwed up out there facing Obama and Congress. But, please, could we keep ending the wars someplace near the top of the list?

The topic of rape in the military, rape of female military members by male military members, has been discussed here somewhat frequently. What I find astonishing is that after years of war, it is only NOW hitting mainline media as an acceptable topic.

I have concluded that the media is useless. They literally “don’t ask” about anything they know the Administration doesn’t want to hear about at all. Everyone knew the Bush Administration didn ‘t give a shit about military rape. After all, if it is American on American, it causes no diplomatic furor, right? It isn’t as if those horn-dogs are attacking young Iraqi girls, right? Oh, wait, they did that TOO? And such thoughtful young troops, they were, too: killed the families to try to avoid an ‘incident’ that would embarrass the folks back home. Right.

American women in uniform have quite possibly died because of fear of sexual assault. After all, in an environment where it is 120 degrees, not drinking enough water predisposes one to heat stroke. But nobody will ever be charged for those “non-combat” deaths. Why did they not drink? Drinking plenty of water means you might have to use the latrine after dark. Using the latrine after dark means you might have to take one for the team because your “battle buddy” wants to be more than friends at work.

I have had an Iraqi War vet tell me they posted guards on the women’s tent in their unit. And gave the women knives or side arms when possible. Why? Because the contractor goons would drive up in their black SUVs and just “commandeer” women for a party—pretty much regardless what the women thought about it. So, it isn’t just military members willing to rape American service women.

Apparently, women are a kind of flesh and blood “two-fer” in Iraq and Afghanistan. They get their military jobs done by day, and by night they serve other services seen as vital — sex toys! Because if they tell, their career is over. They are shipped out of unit to “protect” them, they are not given confidentiality or any other small comfort afforded civilian rape victims. They are viewed as trouble-makers.

Many years ago, when I was a military member, a male co-worker walked up as I stretched to reach something over my head. He slapped me on the ass, telling me it was too tempting to resist—it was “there”. I told him to get out of my sight by a count of three. He stood there laughing, right up until I threw a typewriter at him. Then, aggrieved, he told me he had ‘time in grade’ on me, thus outranked and and that I was out of line. Right. He filed a complaint for my ‘violence and assault’ against him.

He was complacent enough about his familiar act to admit he had slapped me on the ass. He got a rude awakening, since then my action was in my own defense. He was never allowed near me again. Unfortunately, the rapists on Iraq and Afghanistan KNOW they are doing wrong, and do it in darkness and solitude. But one attitude hasn’t changed a bit: the women they abuse are “there”…..apparently seen as for service on several levels.

I seriously advocate knives. Let those rapists explain why they need stitches. They might be as shut-mouthed about it as the soldier whose foot I once broke. He crept up behind me and seized me around the waist. I put my military heel into his instep with great force. He limped for weeks, but kept his mouth shut and kept away from me.

If the military doesn’t really want to ask, they can not ask about the wounds of men who don’t deserve the name!
Yes, I am advocating violence and bloodshed. Self-defense when the system is not defending you and penalizes you for being the victim is a sensible last resort. After all, the military loves to posit Christian ideals, right? Sexual purity is such an ideal, correct?
Guard that jewel between your legs, ladies—even if it means removing the jewels between HIS!

The picture heading this post is my personal favorite knife—hard to make me drop it with my fingers laced in those holes. And good for slashing.

Again, that time of the month, the fourth Saturday, when I remind readers that war kills not only through bombs, bullets, accidents and illness; but also through despair and depression and PTSD. Give a thought to those suffering darkness of mind and spirit!

The Army released suicide data for the month of January. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 12 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 11 remain under investigation. For December, the Army reported ten potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, three have been confirmed as suicides, and seven remain under investigation.

During January 2010, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 15 potential suicides. For December, among that same group, there were seven total suicides. Of those, five were confirmed as suicides and two are pending determination of the manner of death.

Another week, the moon is a sweet crescent in the clear winter sky. It is the sort of shape ancient cultures interpreted as the boat that carried the souls of the dead away to an afterlife. I hope all the families and friends of the fallen troops on this list can find some comfort in a belief of a welcoming better place. Soon, it will be warm enough to put the 6200 counting beads back on the monument. And sadly, soon, it will be time to add another strand of 220 more.

Kingsman Sean Dawson, 19, of Manchester, England, died in Afghanistan when he was shot to death during an ambush on February 14.

Rifleman Mark Marshall, 29, of Exeter, England, was killed in Afghanistan by an IED detonation on February 14.

Sapper Guy Mellors, 20, of Coventry, England, was in killed in Afghanistan on February 15 when an IED exploded as he worked in explosive ordinance removal in Afghanistan.

US Marine PFC Jason H. Estopinal, 21, of Dallas, Ga., died Feb. 15 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Noah M. Pier, 25, of Charlotte, N.C., died Feb. 16 while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.

The following three US Army men died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device Feb. 13 in Afghanistan:

Staff Sgt. John A. Reiners, 24, of Lakeland, Fla.;
Sgt. Jeremiah T. Wittman, 26, of Darby, Mont.; and
Spc. Bobby J. Pagan, 23, of Austin, Texas.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Alejandro J. Yazzie, 23, of Rock Point, Ariz., died Feb. 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sean L. Caughman, 43, of Fort Worth, Texas, died Feb. 16, while supporting operations in Kuwait in support of the war in Afghanistan.

US Marine PFC. Eric D. Currier, 21, of Londonderry, N.H., died Feb. 17 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army Pfc. Charles A. Williams, 29, of Fair Oaks, Calif., died Feb. 7 in Afghanistan, of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations. (No idea of why there was such a delay on the release of the name.)

US Marine Pfc. Kyle J. Coutu, 20, of Providence, R.I., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, 19, of Scranton, Pa., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Kielin T. Dunn, 19, of Chesapeake, Va., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Sgt. Jeremy R. McQueary, 27, of Columbus, Ind., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan

US Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, of Westville, Ind., died Feb. 19 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Cpl. Gregory S. Stultz, 22, of Brazil, Ind., died Feb. 19 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Eckard, 30, of Hickory, N.C., died Feb. 20 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Adam D. Peak, 25, of Florence, Ky., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Matthias N. Hanson, 20, of Buffalo, Ky., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Marine Lance Cpl. Eric L. Ward, 19, of Redmond, Wash., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

US Army PFC. JR Salvacion, 27, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died Feb. 21 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

The following US Army pilots died when their helicopter crashed in Iraq on February 21:
Capt. Marcus R. Alford, 28, of Knoxville, Tenn.

Chief Warrant Officer Billie J. Grinder, 25, of Gallatin, Tenn.

US Army Sgt. Marcos Gorra, 22, of North Bergen, N.J., died Feb. 21 in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations.

Seriously, this is not a case of a car not selling because the foreign name sounds like English for “Fart Away” or some such. But someone has sold Obama on the idea that the war in Iraq will go better if the name is changed next fall—to Operation “New Dawn” so everyone will know change is coming. Seriously? Changing the name is what it takes?

Call me old fashioned, I have just been of the opinion that if you can’t kick enough ass to get the job done, calling it DONE and getting the hell OUT is the next best option.

A change of name is NOT the change I voted for at all!