Posted by Helen on: 05.26.2008 /
Today is Memorial Day in the US. Yesterday the Chicago Tribune included War, Round by Round, a powerful article written by Army Capt. Daniel Possley about his experiences in hospitals last year (part of his Army training). (I saw this on The Dude Abides)
Bedside tables look like those in a dorm room—stacked with Gatorade bottles, cookie wrappers, Doritos bags, protein drinks and Skittles. Crammed amid the detritus are Purple Heart medals, usually still in their cases.
Some soldiers and Marines have pictures of their wives and children. Some have so many cards and balloons that you would think it was a high school graduation party.
When I asked these patients what happened, many responded with short sentences.
“I got shot.”
Or simply, “IED” (improvised explosive device).
Then, silence as tears welled up. Some patients just stared into the distance, and I didn’t know if they were trying to find the words or just couldn’t answer. I didn’t know what to say.
There is a lot I would have to know before I could begin to understand what they saw.
These young men and women now know in a powerful way that their world stretches far beyond their neighborhood. No one will ever have to tell them what Baghdad or Mosul or Fallujah is like because they have a permanent copy of it in their minds.
Comment by: benjamin.ady
1 05/27/08 2:28 PM | Comment Link |Call me a naysayer. But
is … silly. They don’t have a fucking (pardon my language) clue what Baghdad, or Mosul, or Fallujah is like. And they could do with someone telling them. Their images of these cities, or any city they … helped destroy (by association, if not something worse) is a false one. Certainly at least mostly false, and probably almost altogether false.
BICBW
Comment by: benjamin ady
2 05/27/08 2:41 PM | Comment Link |Can I amend my comment, please?
I would like to change each “they” to “we” and the “their” to “our” and the “them” to “us”.
There. much better. That’s what I meant to say.
Comment by: Helen
3 05/27/08 4:18 PM | Comment Link |Yes, it’s a strange thing to say. I liked the article but I see your point about that bit. Someone who went to live in a community would get to know it. Someone who is part of the army attacking it - how would they have got to know it?
Comment by: Shawna R. B. Atteberry
4 05/29/08 9:41 AM | Comment Link |Cathleen Falsani is Daniel’s stepmother. She has a great post from a family member’s point of view here.
Comment by: Helen
5 05/29/08 10:06 AM | Comment Link |Thanks Shawna. I should have linked to Cathleen’s blog since that’s where I found out about the article.