The Heroes of WWII and Iraq [View All]

[Avalux]

I have to rant a little - it's about a slide show, courtesy of my mother. (Have the link on my home computer). She e-mailed it with a little note saying "This is great, you must watch it. It will make you think".
So I opened the link and proceeded to watch one of the most blatant pieces of propoganda I've ever seen. It starts with text about "heroes being there for us before" and shows Pearl Harbor on fire and many battle photos from WWII. (I knew where it was going at this point). Then it moves to "heroes are here for us now" and shows photos of 9/11 (firefighers, nat. guard) - then - surprise! photos of troops in Iraq comforting Iraqis and in battle. More text about "freeing the oppressed" and how "we are with them" and finally -"sometimes they die" (heroes) complimented by a few choice photos of flag-draped coffins and the national cemetery. There's more to it, but summarized as best I could.
So I sat there, feeling as if I needed a shower; feeling pride, sadness, anger. Pride in our troops, yes, for what they are enduring right now, no choice of their own. Pride in what troops did 60 years ago against a horrible enemy. But the comparison to Iraq - anger. The Pearl Harbor/WWII, Sep 11/Iraq connection - anger. I kept thinking...we shouldn't be there - it was a lie....more anger, intense anger. Sadness as each photo of our troops in Iraq flipped by, sadness that those who have died should not have. Sadness and anger as I realized Vietnam had been excluded from this display of heroes. Anger again as I thought about my mother watching this and being moved enough to send it to me - oops - forgot to include disgust in my list of emotions.
It made me think alright - but not in the way she expected.