“A great war leaves the country with three armies-an army of cripples, an army of mourners, and an army of thieves.”
--German proverb
On the evening of September 9, my wife Shonnie and I attended a candlelight vigil at Pack Square in Asheville to honor the more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since hostilities began in March 2003.
A little after 8:00 p.m., I gazed around at the candles flickering in the twilight and the folks holding them. In that moment I was struck by the broad range of people who had come-elderly couples, the middle aged, adolescents with multiple piercings, a young family of four, a woman with her infant-more than 80 participants, all drawn by word of mouth or the Internet to an impromptu gathering similar to hundreds of others taking place around the nation on that Thursday evening.
Later that week I went to the Truthout.org’s “The Faces of 1,000 Soldiers” display, where the photos and names of each dead soldier are posted. If you want a poignant reminder of the true cost of war, go to www.truthout.org/docs_04/091004W.shtml and, for a few moments, look into the eyes of each man and woman whose life was cut short by this appalling and avoidable conflict.
During the past several weeks, I have spoken with more relatives of soldiers who have died in Bush’s war. Some of their thoughts are below:
Roxanne Kaylor, Clifton, Virginia, mother of 1st LT Jeff Kaylor killed in action in an explosion in Iraq on April 7, 2003:
“I had an American flag pin that someone gave me, and I wore it every day. One day, it fell off, and I couldn’t find it though I searched everywhere. As it turns out, this happened right about the time that Jeff died. I still haven’t found that pin.
“Bush and company say they love America, but they don’t love its citizens. I don’t think you lie to people you love. I don’t think you send them off into dangerous situations on the basis of murky, cobbled-together intelligence that isn’t really intelligence at all. I don’t think you try to keep them scared all the time.”
Nadia McCaffrey, Tracy, California, mother of SGT Patrick Ryan McCaffrey, killed in action in an ambush in Iraq on June 22, 2004:
“Patrick signed up with the National Guard the day after the 9/11 attacks because he wanted to help his country in the event of natural catastrophes or more attacks on our country. But he quickly became disillusioned with U.S. operations in Iraq. After his first mission he called home and he said, 'I have no idea why we’re here.... The people (Iraqis) hate us. They insult us. They throw things at us.' He was deeply hurt and his voice was very heavy.... Now it appears that he was killed by the very Iraqis he was training.”
Renee Stratton, Hart, Michigan, sister of SGT Todd Robbins, killed in action in Iraq on April 3, 2003:
“I can’t stop crying when I think about my nephew, Todd’s 15-year-old son, who has been robbed of his father forever.... When the media prints four died today in Iraq, you can’t understand what that actually means until you see the casket.... I will forever remember the casket that was flown home to us with a body we couldn’t say goodbye to because it was in pieces and unrecognizable.”
Cindy Sheehan, Vacaville, California, mother of Specialist Casey Sheehan, killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2004 in an ambush:
“When we met with President Bush after Casey’s death, our family decided we wanted to tell him what an amazing person Casey was. I did tell President Bush how awful it is to have a child die, and he said, 'I can’t imagine your pain.’ And I said, 'I think you might be able to imagine it a little bit. You have children. Just think of what would happen if one of your daughters died.’”
Celeste Zappala, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, mother of SGT Sherwood Baker, killed in action in Iraq on April 26, 2004 while providing security for the Iraqi Survey Group as they searched for weapons of mass destruction:
“Sherwood was the first Pennsylvania national guardsman to die in combat since 1945.... I’ve been to a lot of ceremonies honoring my son, and one time I was sitting there listening to a person talking about him, saying 'Sherwood was avenging the deaths of 9/11.’ And I thought, 'You fool. You have no idea who this child is. There’s not a vengeful bone in his body.’ He was there to try and do some good-do his duty, take care of his guys and get back home.”
RESOURCES
Bring Them Home Now, www.bringthemhomenow.org. A campaign of military families, veterans, active duty personnel, reservists and others opposed to the ongoing war in Iraq.
Eyes Wide Open, http://afsc.org/eyes/. The Eyes Wide Open exhibition is a multimedia journey through the words, images, and sounds of the Iraq war.
Military Families Speak Out, www.mfso.org. An organization of people who are opposed to war in Iraq and who have relatives or loved ones in the military.
Tragedy Assistance Programs for Survivors, www.taps.org. TAPS provides a wide variety of programs and information to survivors, military and casualty personnel and others.
Veterans for Peace, www.veteransforpeace.org. Veterans working together for peace and justice through non-violence.
