Enough is Enough
I was two-thirds of the way through a different entry for today when I suddenly had to stop and shift gears. I have to say something else this morning. I have 11 young, strong, courageous “faces” in my head and I can’t ignore them; I can’t even wait 24 hours to acknowledge them.
Nine of those “faces” died in Iraq yesterday. Seven of them were Marines. Two of them were “sailors”. But they weren’t just any sailors, not when they’re with the Marines. It’s almost certain that the two sailors who died yesterday were Navy corpsmen.
A colleague at work was a former Navy corpsman. His nephew followed in his uncle’s footsteps. But, now, following in those footsteps is going to be infinitely more challenging because this young corpsman got hit by an IED in Iraq and is likely to have both of his legs amputated. He’s in Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington, DC. His uncle tells me that there are literally thousands of stitches in his nephew’s legs and the damage is so extensive that there’s not much hope of saving either leg. This young, strong, courageous man is the 10th “face” in my head this morning.
The 11th “face” is my son’s. My oldest son is a Navy corpsman. He was in Iraq. He got “hit” and seriously wounded by an IED. The worst wound was a third degree burn on his leg. He came home alive, for which I will be eternally grateful.
But – every time I learn about another corpsman who is killed in Iraq or Afghanistan I die just a little. I can feel the explosive concussion that just hit another family, another father. I react at some level as if it were my son. It’s just too goddamn close to home and it hurts.
These corpsmen, these kids, are something else. They step into the teeth of combat with nothing more than a 9MM pistol in a holster on their thigh. You can imagine the circumstances under which they would be required to use that pistol – “up close and personal” is the phrase that comes to my mind. Their mission in Iraq isn’t to kill the enemy insurgents; their mission is to save Marines who the insurgents are trying to kill. That’s another reason why the loss of a corpsman is a different loss. They are there for one purpose – to bring care and comfort to others. They don’t deliver death; they stand between death and the wounded. They look death in the face and say, “Fuck you; you’re not getting this guy is there’s anything I can do about it.” We need to mass produce these kids and plant them all over the world, wherever other people are wounded and suffering and need a little care and comfort.
It’s an amazing thing to watch the high regard and respect extended to Navy corpsmen by the Marines they serve. Marines don’t have much use for sailors, by and large. But they see corpsmen as one of their own. They are brothers and sisters together in harm’s way. I’ve previously told a story that exemplifies this, but I want to tell it again.
Early on the morning of February 19, 2002, we were at Camp Pendleton to send my son off to Iraq. The battalion commander, a colonel, came on the scene and called the troops to assemble. My son started to fall in with the others. But, the colonel turned to him and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Not you, Doc; you stay there and spend time with your family.” It brought tears to my eyes that morning and it does again as I type these words. At that moment, that Marine officer represented not just the Corps, not just the military, but all Americans saying to one young, strong, courageous man – thank you, son; what you do is something special, something deserving of a salute from all of us. Marine colonels don’t salute Navy petty officers in the usual way; but on that morning I saw one do it.
Thank you, son. What you do is something special, something deserving of a salute from all of us. I salute you.
And, I salute the corpsman in Bethesda; and I salute the two corpsmen who paid the ultimate price for their devotion to duty yesterday; and I salute all others who step into combat with nothing more than that 9MM strapped to their thigh; and I salute the Marines and Army soldiers they serve with; are wounded with; convalesce with; heal with; come home with; and die with.
But – enough is enough. Enough hands, arms and legs have been amputated. Enough third-degree burns have been grafted over. Enough young men and women have died. Enough families have suffered.
Enough is enough.
posted by Jonathan @ 4/05/2006 08:07:00 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
I imagine that "enough is enough" is what the majority of Iraqi citizens were thinking when the cheered the arrival of American troops to assist in the irratication of the injustice and torture they suffered under Sadam. I know the media coverage likes to focus on all the "bad." There is a great deal of "good." Those under the deadly rule of Hitler probably thought enough was enough as well...they were probably thinking it long before the arrival of American troops. The majority of our military men and women believe whole heartedly in what they are doing in Iraq. People constantly demanding that they abandon their goal must be frustrating. It is as if they are saying that what they are there to do is not worth while. There is a goal. I'll admit that our government may have been misdirected with how they chose to make the decision to "go in," but it needed to be done. The cause is worth while. War sucks. Nothing about it is pleasant. Soldiers die, but most of them are dying for something they believe in. That is hard for their families to accept sometimes. It is hard for me to accept that my brother wants to go back, but I will honor him for fighting for something he believes in. I will respect the fact that our government knows a lot more than I do about the situation. I will acknowledge that the media feels compelled to "make news." You have a son that chooses to be a soldier. I know you love and respect him. It is too soon to pull out of Iraq. I feel like it is a little naive to think that a country can go from havoc to peace in just a few years. The transition will take time. You are a father...end the war...take away the possiblity of losing a son. It makes sense. I understand. I don't want to lose a brother either.
I'd sign my name, but deductive reasoning will obviously lead you to the author:)
I salute you, too, Josh. I have told so many people that you are the kind of guy that I want representing my country in the military. But, having said that, I agree with your Dad. I cringe every time there is a another loss of life or limb. I hope it all ends soon...
My entry title yesterday is the message that Condoleezza Rice and Jack Straw, her UK counterpart, both delivered to the Iraqi government last week - enough is enough guys; get your act together. The way the president worded it was: "It's time for them to get on with governing!"
I don't expect us to leave there tomorrow morning; very, very few people do. I do expect us to start getting indignant with the Iraqis about US troops still being killed in their behalf while they have not been able to form a government more than four months after their elections. At some point in time, essentially every American will say "enough is enough" if the Iraqis can't do their part. I previously wrote about not liking the overly simplistic division of opinion where everyone has to choose "cut and run" or "stay the course". The answer is somewhere in between.
Without regard to what the media says, we know as a matter of fact that more than a thousand Iraqis die each month. They and their families are no longer cheering about what is happening in their country.
There are now multiple sources of data from outside the media that challenge the belief that they majority of troops on the ground in Iraq continue to believe in their mission there.
As for accepting that the government knows more than we do - that was an assumption made in Germany in the late 1930s. One of the strengths of the American system of government is that we don't just accept that government has the answers. We demand accountability from our elected officials - they answer to us, not the other way around. And to that I say, God bless America.
The comment about the government knowing more than I do wasn't a suggestion that their decisions are infallible. They should be held accountable. My point is that we as citizens form our opinions...mostly very strong opinions...based on partial information. When this is all "over" the "truth" will start to trickle out. I look forward to looking through the website link you sent this morning. That is the people I want to hear from. I don't want the media's sensational story. I want the information I base my opinion on to be from those that have experienced what is going on over there first hand.
Thank You, I feel that we cann't leave until we have finished the mission. The reason behind that is not for a new government not to say that we won (regardless we have kicked whoes ever ass allover that country), yes a new goverment will take hold and it will take some time. The thing about Iraqi's is that they don't work like we do, we are right now kind of people they are more of when I get around to it kind of people. Frustrating YES, but that is how they are, they have had many years of not thinking for themselves and now they are trying to form a government. I can feel the pressure to do it right and I am not one of the elected officals in offfice there. Back to the reason why we need to stay. It is for all of those MARINES that have give the ultimate sacerfice. If we leave without finishing then they just died, right now they have died for domacracy and that is an awesome way to go I think. You just cann't leave before it is over, as soon as the first DEVILDOG was killed in that country we were there till the whole mission is complete. This is an awesome country and I think that we forgett that not all others move as fast as we do this stuff takes time and hey that is what we have to do is bide the Iraqi's time to get things right so we don't have to go back a couple of years after we leave cause that would not be good. And to the gentleman that you work with he is not a former corpsman he is still a corpsman and will always be a corpsman :) If he refers to himself as a former corpsman then it is your job as an Officer to remind him that he is still in the highest decorated Corp out of all the branches of service and he will always be part of the greatest legacy to ever live. That is my own opinion and we all know what opinions are like.
I want to be clear about how I feel about the men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we left those countries today, which I’m not suggesting, they will not have died in vain. They died in devotion to duty; they died in uniform in service to their country; they died with honor, courage and commitment; they died defending each other. They will never be forgotten, and their stories will be told for generations. Memorials will be built here in their honor without regard to what happens there, now or in the future. Their honor isn’t dependent on political or military outcomes; it stands on its own strength. We didn’t win the war in Vietnam; but that loss doesn’t alter the fact that 58,226 men and women died for the same reasons in that place. The honor earned by those who have died in combat comes from their selfless service and sacrifice to others – that’s what a hero is; that’s what a hero does. No one can strip them of the honor of that title. They died for reasons that transcend all the centuries of geopolitical and religious madness that brought them to the place of their death. Under no circumstance will they have died for no reason.
I don't know what sources are saying that the majority of our troops who are over there don't believe in why they are there, all I know is the words that I hear coming out of the mouths of those who are shipping out and those who are coming home. They all joined the military because they wanted to make the world a better place for all its people, and this is their chance to make a difference in the future to a whole country full of people. They all believe whole-heartedly in what they are going to do and returning from doing. I don't listen to the news, I don't read reports. I just listen to those who have been there and done that and those who are going to do more. They are doing what they believe in. Yes it's scary as hell knowing that every night when you tuck your sons in bed tomorrow may be the day that you have to explain to them that Daddy's not coming home, that now he's watching them from Heaven, but you also put them to bed knowing that one day when someone asks them what their Daddy does for a living they can answer "My Daddy is a hero." It's a hard life to live and it's not for everyone. For me I couldn't imagine any other way to live than having a husband who goes out into the world and actually makes a difference. We can all sit around and talk about how great or how horrible it is that we are at war, but we must always remember that while we are sitting in our air-conditioned and heated homes with our running water and comfortable beds to sleep in and women learn to read and write there are soldiers who are sleeping on the ground with no blankets and going for possibly two days without food right now, even as I type this text fighting to bring the everyday things we take for granted to a people who have never been allowed to want a better life. I think everyone deserves a flushing toilet and a roof to sleep under. Hopefully you've all guessed who wrote this.
I agree 100% with what Jon wrote about men and women who die in combat. It makes absolutely no difference how a conflict began or how it resolves. The actions of each soldier stand alone in courage and honor, every single day.
I know this all better because of Josh. And I accept the sacrifice and the risk because of what I said earlier. He is "the kind of guy I want representing my country in the military." There is nothing more important than finding your passion, and if it is in service to your country, then your country lucks out.
Having said that, I still take seriously my rights as a citizen to question my government when they are making daily life and death decisions. This war is losing "popularity" (a sad term) for many reasons.
Just a plug for journalists covering the war. I used to work for a newspaper and wanted to be journalist. I think media coverage by the time it hits our TV can be pretty sensationalized. But for the reporters--when you have been in a war zone for a while, maybe you realize how important loss of life really is and why each episode deserves attention. I know I stop and draw a breath in every time I see a story about the death of a child. I pause and pay tribute whenever I see such a story. I also know those journalists go through hell like the soldiers do--91 journalists and media support workers have been killed since the start of the war in Iraq, about half of them murdered.
I agree 100% with what Jon wrote about men and women who die in combat. It makes absolutely no difference how a conflict began or how it resolves. The actions of each soldier stand alone in courage and honor, every single day.
I know this all better because of Josh. And I accept the sacrifice and the risk because of what I said earlier. He is "the kind of guy I want representing my country in the military." There is nothing more important than finding your passion, and if it is in service to your country, then your country lucks out.
Having said that, I still take seriously my rights as a citizen to question my government when they are making daily life and death decisions. This war is losing "popularity" (a sad term) for many reasons.
Just a plug for journalists covering the war. I used to work for a newspaper and wanted to be journalist. I think media coverage by the time it hits our TV can be pretty sensationalized. But for the reporters--when you have been in a war zone for a while, maybe you realize how important loss of life really is and why each episode deserves attention. I know I stop and draw a breath in every time I see a story about the death of a child. I pause and pay tribute whenever I see such a story. I also know those journalists go through hell like the soldiers do--91 journalists and media support workers have been killed since the start of the war in Iraq, about half of them murdered.
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