A commentary about Iraqi Winter Soldiers

[Ronnie Roach]

March 16th, 2008

Winter Soldier Testimonials Gave Me a Chill

Watching these veterans give their testimonials about their experiences in Iraq put a chill in my mind. One thing that stood out was how young they looked. These men had baby faces with facial hair. However, the interior of their souls bared the image of a decrepit old man with the trauma of a hellhole called Iraq. Some had voices that trembled, others had anger, and some broke down and cried and became speechless. They will carry their nightmares for their rest of their lives.
I couldn't’t watch the whole event in one sitting--it was too much to digest. However, after a 15-minute respite, I resumed. After all, it was the least I could do. When listening to these confessionals about various war atrocities you examine your own life and come to the realization that your own trials and tribulations are so petty compared to those of these Iraq war vets. I realized how I lead a charmed life thanks to soldiers, police, fire fighters and other civil servants.
This hearing should be required viewing for most U.S. Americans, especially the young people that want to volunteer to fight in a war and those Americans who feel that war is the end-all solution to threats, attacks and disputes.
Watching this hearing conjures a million questions. This ancient debate brings up in people their own mortality. Where does loyalty begin and end? What are the consequences of sacrifice? Who decides who should sacrifice? Who should fight and who should lead? Are we really fighting evil or are we just a tool for the privileged few? For U.S. American males, there is the question of manhood. Must men prove their manhood by fighting in war? If you survive the war, do you not lose your manhood? When you become crippled and can’t fight anymore, are you then a man by your past heroics? Do your medals and ribbons confirm your manhood? Who defines what patriotism is? Just consider this proposition, that the understanding of the futility of war does not apply only to U.S. Americans; it applies to ALL human beings. If the suicide bombers had used critical thinking and rejected their leaders’ definition of Islam, then 9/11 would never have happened. If German youth questioned their leaders’ definition of patriotism, then there would have been no World War II. Some misguided right winger thinks that pacifists are out to castrate and destroy the USA. What they do not realize is that anti-war sentiment applies to everyone in the universe. So you want to fight evil? You must first see how your enemy views you. Do they see you as evil? To the Nazi, you were the evil enemy of the white race. To the so-called Communist, you are an agent of rich capitalist pigs who want to spread American Imperialism. To the so-called Islamo-Fascist (no such thing), you are the agent of Satan who is a sworn enemy of God. Our leaders tell us that we are a nation of benevolent Christians who want to spread the gift of freedom to the entire world. Some of us know better. That bumper sticker that says “Question Authority!” does have meaning.
Here is some Winter Soldiers video…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjQxMBacLBE

Here is some other video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp5Vun18Siw

[benddem]

1. The bat boy in Chief

should be forced to watch...then he'd find out how romantic war is. Can you do something on edit to reduce the size of your post?

[Ronnie Roach]

2. Here another link for Winter Soldier 2.

http://warcomeshome.org/wintersoldier2008