No regrets?

[thingfish]

This fascinating Mother Jones pictorial (http://www.mojones.com/news/feature/2004/03/03_100.html) featuring images of - and comments by - wounded American soldiers returning from Iraq is well worth everybody's time.

Although I, myself, am not immune to valor's heroic lure, I nevertheless remain disturbed by the similarities in what so many of these these grieviously injured men are saying about their experiences.

For instance, Louis Calderon, paralyzed from the neck down when a mural of Saddam Hussein he was ordered to demolish fell on his tank, says: "I'm just happy I took the wall down. I did my job. If I had the chance to, I would go back now."

Erick Castro, who lost a leg, claims: "I'm actually glad I did it, that I served. I don't regret the injuries, not at all. If I could do it again, I would."

The closest any of the soldiers come to dissent is Alan Jermaine Lewis, who says: "The reasons for going to war were bogus but we were right to go in there."

These comments stand in sharp contrast from the scathing criticism and palpable sense of betrayal being expressed in the pages of Stars and Stripes, the military's official news organ. See their excellent Ground Truth series for reporting that has lately been simultaneously pro-soldier, and pro-truth.

Injured soldiers need rehabilitation, both physical and psychological, after rotating back to so-called normalcy. In a few years time, depending on how things shake out in Iraq, these men might not be so forgiving over how their government's decisions impacted their lives, specifically. Or maybe they'll all be at peace with themselves.

But when I read the words of blind, brain damaged Jeremy Feldbusch, who says: "I don't have any regrets. I had some fun over there," before suddenly falling silent and ending the interview, I can't help but wonder if the psychological rehabilitation to which returning soldiers are being suggested is actually something else, entirely.

[SerpentX]

1. I think you might be confusing the administration's rationale for war

with the reason these soldiers want to go back. It isn't because they've been manipulated to buy into the neocon bullshit, although some undoubtedly believed it all along. It's because, as illogical as it sounds, most feel as though they've abandoned their comrades. Listen to what they're really saying. The first two statements aren't political, they're personal. The third was political, but there was also a glimpse at the inner conflict that soldiers feel when sent into a war they don't believe in. On the one hand, they're unable to justify the actions of their government, but on the other, they feel a strong obligation to their fellow soldiers.

It's also important to note that these soldiers want to believe that their sacrifice was for a greater purpose. I agree that given time to reflect, many will come to see the distinction between their motives and those of the cowards who sent them. I did, but it took years and I was fortunate enough to get through the First War for Cheap Oil unscathed.