Back In The Trenches: A Perspective (xpost from GD)

[unhappycamper]

I originally put this up in GD, but it's sinking like a stone. I'm sure you guys and gals will be able to relate.

Back In The Trenches: A Perspective
by Jeff Englehart | Tue, 07/24/2007 - 11:03pm


Germany was more or less exactly the way I left it back in 2005. On the train rides in between major cities, it was refreshing to see beautiful rolling green hillsides with deep dark forests so thick as to practically be impenetrable. Along the way, one would see quaint little villages interspersed with the beautiful countryside, with archaic stone castles towering above them from hilltops. In Frankfurt, Nuremberg, and Berlin it was a pleasure to be amongst a people and its aura with so much history and culture. I felt almost relieved having come back in Europe, Germany being almost like a second home to me. This time, I felt quite comfortable coming back as a civilian. In many aspects, I was reliving Germany under a different light. It was amazing not to constantly feel that wringing in your gut, that horrible nauseous feeling that you were an American soldier in a foreign land, and inevitably headed to the war in Iraq. As a civilian, it was comforting knowing that this time I could come to Germany as a representative of an organization back home that I could take great pride in, Iraq Veterans Against the War. Instead of being a soldier stationed in Germany, I would be an antiwar American diplomat, pushing the soldiers/veterans movement to all corners of the world. I liked that aspect of my journey very much.

But our trip to Germany was much more than sightseeing and touring ancient castles. It would prove to be an enduring and emotionally draining undertaking meeting with active duty soldiers in environments that created animosity and confusion. It was not easy to walk into Joe-bars and sneak onto post with an antiwar philosophy on militarism and a visual distaste for authority. Our ability to crack the wall of mistrust in soldiers proved to be difficult. However, we soon realized that being completely straightforward with an already disillusioned crowd would give us many opportunities to talk candidly with soldiers, most of who warmed to our presence immediately.

My experience with soldier outreach in Germany was an inspirational one. I learned that sometimes the most genuine resistance towards the forces of oppression can be found in the least expected, far away places.

Soldiers stationed in Germany seemingly live under a cloak of obfuscation. Being so far away from their home, language, and culture that they know and understand, soldiers are left with only The Military for sustenance, comfort, and a peace of mind. In Germany, the heavy air of discontent surrounding the Iraq War is not as prevalent as it is in the United States. The protests that the antiwar left conducts in America are largely unseen by soldiers stationed in Germany, and are therefore unknown.

Some soldiers I had talked to were completely unaware of Iraq Veterans Against the War, and once aware of such group, were suddenly motivated and encouraged towards antiwar sentiments. Being suddenly exposed to dissident thought seemed to spark a prairie fire in the minds of some soldiers we encountered.

The biggest advantage that the Army has in Germany, aside from strategic proximity to foreign countries, is that the Army chain of command has almost no difficulty placating and subduing its soldiers into an obedient mindset. With soldiers being so far away from American influence, the Army can much easier mold and indoctrinate its soldiers while living and operating in protected social bubbles…their perfect little Army world.


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