A woman whom I work with has a son who just returned from a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan, working as a combat medic attached to a Marine unit which has taken lots of casualties during the last year. One week after he returned home, his Wife (who is also a medic) shipped out for her one-year tour in Afghanistan, leaving behind her husband and their 10-year old son. I saw the photograph of that mother and her son during their final embrace before Mom deployed. Mom is dressed in her uniform and their arms are locked, and they are staring into each others eyes filled with uncertainty, concern, and sadness.
With that image fresh in my mind, I decided to spend 3 hours on January 15, 2011, to participate in an anti-war protest in Tampa with approximately 20 people. A group called Veterans For Peace meets monthly to hold signs and to raise awareness of the horrors of War on the corner of the busy intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Gandy Blvd, not too far from MacDill Air Force Base. This Veterans group and other non-veterans who regularly join them in support of this effort have been meeting monthly for 4 years in this location to urge an end to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I'm holding a sign that says "Honk To Bring The Troops Home." I'm standing next to an 83-year old Veteran of World War II named Buddy Holle, who tells me that he can't believe that this is the fifth year that he has been coming to this corner monthly to hold signs urging an end to America's participation in two Wars. "I thought we'd have brought them home before now."
Buddy had a son who died in Vietnam. His Veterans For Peace T-shirt has words printed across the back stating how this group of Veterans hates war because they have been there and have seen the brutality and inhumanity of war up close and personally. Buddy wears the anguish and sorrow on his face, while at the same time approaching his protesting with a sense of both duty and honor. He comments that today's group is one of the larger groups that has been out in a few months and he's glad to see some new faces. He doesn't recall that I met him a few months earlier, but then again, I haven't been back month after month like Buddy has.
Buddy tells me about another group that he's involved with that meets every Sunday at the foot of the bridge of the Manatee River in Palmetto. "It's a much larger group, and we meet every week. You should join us. It's a really good group of people." Once a month isn't enough; he needs to do this weekly, despite his age. Buddy's still on a mission.
Because of the sign that I'm holding, I'm getting some enthusiastic honking from cars passing by, punctuated by an occasional blast from a semi truck driver. I'm also getting some smiles, waives, and thumbs-ups, and peace signs from many people in the cars passing by on this particular Saturday afternoon.
I'm also getting the middle-finger salute from some people who find our signs asking to bring the "Troops Home Now" offensive or misguided. One lady muttered words to the effect that we're lucky that "they" haven't come to the US to kill us over here--making it known that she thinks we are weak and foolish.
Others in our group are holding signs pointing out the huge financial costs of endless wars-- "$4,000 Per Second", "War Is Over, We're Broke!", "How's That War Economy Working For You?", "Ike Was Right", "Plenty of Money For War, But None To Feed the Poor", etc. Given the state of our economy, many people passing by in cars react favorably to these particular signs.
One lady brought her two children out to the protest. Daniel, age 10, is chanting "Bring Them Home." His 13 year old sister has friends at school whose fathers are overseas, and knows how hard it is on her friends. I look at them and think that they were newborns and toddlers when the War started in Afghanistan, and wonder if the War will end before they are old enough to enlist.
The organizer of these monthly events, Jay Alexander, walks by and slaps a sticker on my chest with the latest death count as of today's date (per www.icasualties.org.)
As of January 15, 2011, the number of U.S. dead soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom is 4,437, and in Afghanistan's Operation Enduring Freedom, the number of U.S. dead soldiers is now 1,457. There have been One Million Civilians killed in these 2 Wars.
In addition to painting dozens of protest signs, including the one that I am holding, Jay Alexander has cut out and painted more that 50 tombstone signs with the names of all 50 States and U.S. Territories on them that he has arranged in a single-file line in a grass median on Dale Mabry Hwy, with large American flags posted at each end of the long row of these simulated tombstones. They are a moving symbol to drive past, and a reminder of those across the country who have died in these Wars.
Surprisingly, I just got a very animated "thumbs down" and some angry unintelligible words from a young boy stopped at the intersection. He appears to be around 12 years old. I am surprised by that visceral reaction from such a young child. Sadly, I comment to the woman standing next to me that he will probably have his chance to go to Afghanistan too, because we will likely still be fully engaged there for long enough for him to come of age so that he can go and fight.
But, it is not the positive signals, nor the negative gestures that I observed that were disconcerting to me. What disturbed me the most about what I observed today is the rampant, widespread APATHY which I observed in the three hours that I spent on that street corner.
There are far too many people who had absolutely no reaction, whatsoever to our presence or to the messages on our signs. I saw hundreds of blank stares and hundreds of people totally absorbed in cell phone conversations, completely unaffected by anything outside of their personal bubble. Welcome to the Apathetic States of America.
By far, I prefer the angry thumbs down from the defiant 12-year old, or the rant from the woman who thought we were weak and foolish, or even the guy who flips a "bird" out the window. Please give some reaction. Please have an opinion. Please don't give me the endless stream of catatonic stares from hundreds of disaffected Americans who passed by seemingly lost and distracted in their own little selfish worlds.
I've often wondered what it will take to get Americans' attention about these Wars. I'm still wondering....
Only, now, I realize that there is probably nothing that will slap us out of this national trance. Nothing that will make us say, Enough Is Enough!
This week, the nation turned its attention on a large scale to the deaths of 6 people in Tuscon and the shooting of a Congresswoman. I was hoping that this attention to senseless death and injury might lead to a renewed discussion about our War policy. Why are we sending our best brave young men and women into harms way without any coherent plan or mission? But, War was not discussed.
Because you see, War has become the norm. Wars no longer last 1, 2 or 4 years. They are endless. Wars are hardly mentioned on television or in newspapers. There is no draft, so only a small segment of our population have to serve. Few of us are directly affected. Stop Loss programs are instituted to require active duty personnel and members of the Reserves to serve multiple tours of combat duty. War will continue, because War is Big Business. Mission accomplished?
No one driving on one of South Tampa's busiest streets wants to think about the War or put down their cell phone to notice, let alone speak out against it.
So, don't expect any change any time soon on the faces of mothers looking into the eyes of their sons whom they won't see again or hug again, for at least another year.
And don't expect any lessons to be learned by the Public from truth-tellers like Veterans For Peace who try to educate civilians about the horrors of War. The vast majority of Americans just can't be bothered to pay attention to this.
Well, at least, not quite yet.
What will you do to change the apathy?
No comments:
Post a Comment