A Young Man Dies in Iraq

[brettdale]

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/23890/

There is not a lot for a young man to do in our town, and most leave for college, jobs... etc. Christopher came to see me at his father's request prior to enlisting last summer. I am an Air Force vet from Southeast Asia. I talked blue in the face to try to get Christopher to go with me to an Air Force or Navy recruiter. In fact, I told him in no uncertain terms that the Army would put a gun in his hand and send him out to be a target. No soap.

His head was already filled with a lot of crud from the recruiter about being a scout, riding a 4-wheeler ATV around -- big fun! (Christopher was an Eagle Scout.) He had an acquaintance who had been doing that (not in Iraq), and I got the sense that this acquaintance was giving him the hard sell too. I wonder if the Army has a referral bonus system. Do you know?

[bridgit]

1. all these sadness have been rolled into one...

on-going & intractable woe :cry:

[enough]

2. "trained for his death since early childhood"

snip>

Christopher also had this inexplicable desire to "go shoot some 'Raqis." Some latent desire maybe from too much video gaming. I heard that in the weeks before his death, he was involved in a brief fire-fight and froze in terror. No doubt reality caught up to him at the speed of a 7.62. Too bad his recruiter or buddy had not told him about the fear he would experience when he realized someone wanted to really hurt him or kill him.

snip>

Christopher didn't know it, but as a small town southerner he was being trained for his death since early childhood.

snip>

The thought that a boy like Christopher would so lightly desire to kill some people he knew nothing about is very distressing to me. On the one hand, Christopher was a pretty gentle and easy-going kid. If someone said to him, "Hey let's go shoot some kids from Sealy," a rival school, he would obviously have said, "You're crazy -- get lost!" But Iraqis, why, it's open season.

more>

[Cha]

3. Christopher believed the bushit.

The Slimey, Slick, words coming from the Gargoyle's turtle lips.

RIP! Christopher~

I'm the Liberal Left who supports the right to carry arms but not the right for our goverment to LIE us into Bombing another Country for strategic profit.

[peacebuzzard]

4. Christopher did not have an ally or friend around at all.

I read through the whole post. Written by a gun toting RW pilot who tried to talk him into the Navy or AF for a free ride through enlistment vs. the walking target Army.
I have no pity for that RW pilot who broke down and cried in Manhattan. He voted Bushit into office.
But for the sweet and innocent Christopher without a friend in the world who believed in video games and SUV action on sand dunes, my heart goes out to this misguided 19 yr old. A flower bud yanked from the soil. I am sorry Christopher, you were sent out to the slaughter. I am so sorry for the loss of this young, American, misguided blood.