Pfc. Hannah L. McKinneyHometown: Redlands, California, U.S.
Age: 20 years old
Died: September 4, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 542nd Maintenance Company, 44th Corps Support Battalion, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Incident: Died from injuries suffered when she was struck by a vehicle in Taji.
Sgt. Adam L. KnoxHometown: Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: September 17, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army Reserves, 346th Psychological Operations Company, U.S. Army Reserve, Columbus, Ohio
Incident: Killed when his patrol encountered enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations in Baghdad.
Pfc. James J. ArellanoHometown: Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Age: 19 years old
Died: August 17, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Tex.
Incident: Killed when his patrol encountered enemy forces using makeshift bombs and small arms fire in Baghdad.
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Now that you've met these three peppy young kids, why not take a few minutes to get acquainted with their 3,006 buddies?
I am usually not very political, and it unfortunately often takes a graphic representation like the above site to make me really think about what is going on. I won’t make any further comment except to say that we all - those of us who are Americans - share responsibility for these young people’s deaths. Some more than others.
8 comments:
It might be interesting and a good graphic, if someone would make a list with pictures of the over 100,000 Iraqis that have died as well. Just so we really get a taste of what is happening over there.
Or maybe the 500,000 people reported killed by the US imposed sancions over the last twelve years.
Having said that, powerful post. I think what you are doing is important and we should all put faces to the numbers.
Sure -- although of course the Iraqi women's pictures wouldn't be quite as moving, unless they happened to have very expressive eyeballs.
But seriously, as upsetting as all the Iraqi deaths you mention are -- we Americans were and are not solely responsible. The region's religious and ethnic tensions, Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Hussein's delusions of grandeur, the socioeconomic and educational background of the country, etc. etc. -- those and more all contribute to all the Iraqi deaths in addition to the actions of the US government. If we hadn't started a war in Iraq, they'd probably be fighting Iran again by now. I guess my point is, it's a tragic situation but one I feel no personal responsibility for.
But we Americans - our generation - very recently accepted as our leader the man who killed those American soldiers. Twice. That list is a reminder that I should have done something more to stop him. We all should have.
I guess I have a hard time seeing the picture as “us” and “them” because of my cultural background. I am Us and Them. So I see brutal killing as brutal killing regardless of who is committing it, or who is being killed.
You said: We Americans were and are not solely responsible. The region's religious and ethnic tensions, Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Hussein's delusions of grandeur, the socioeconomic and educational background of the country, etc. etc. -- those and more all contribute to all the Iraqi deaths in addition to the actions of the US government.
Sure but since the coup that put Hussein in power, albeit by British hands, still stinks of US involvement. (see 1959ish) Americans may not be solely responsible but since the end of the second World War the Americans have left their mark in many a place. Iraq and Iran being two big ones.
All of these things you mentioned ie: Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Hussein's delusions of grandeur were done with an understanding from the US. They did not build his army and help him gas the Kurds in Halbja and kill one million Iranians in the war, without knowing who they were dealing with. Hussein is an American made phenomena, there is no doubt about that.
As for the socioeconomic and educational background of the country, did you know that Baghdad was the first place where a heart transplant was successfully done?
You also said: If we hadn't started a war in Iraq, they'd probably be fighting Iran again by now.
I don’t understand the relevance of this comment.
I guess my point is, it's a tragic situation but one I feel no personal responsibility for.
I respect your opinion here. It is very honest and straight forward, I guess like I said I cannot, not feel responsible when I know it is my tax dollars that are paying for the carnage.
But we Americans - our generation - very recently accepted as our leader the man who killed those American soldiers. Twice. That list is a reminder that I should have done something more to stop him. We all should have.
Those soldiers are dead because they live in a system that has lied to them and their parents, their entire lives. Bush is not solely responsible. Like you said if not this war and president than another one. I guess we need to figure how we can all change the system of violence. Both Americans and Iraqis.
Sorry if I am coming off a bit strong. You don’t want to get me started on politics. I hope I didn’t scare you off.
Thanks for the thoughtful and challenging response.
Sure, America was involved in various ways (negative and positive) in dozens of countries' destinies over the last century or so...
I guess my perspective is, I'm not interested in laying blame or lamenting about things I had no possible way to have any control whatsoever over. I don't personally have a connection to the incredibly intricate geopolitical system which was set up over the past few centuries. I had no control of or involvement in America's or any other country's shady dealings over the past century. I feel utterly no personal guilt or responsibility for slavery, the Holocaust, the Bay of Pigs, the first Gulf War, the Boer War, Vietnam, etc. etc. I have to live my life in the body I find myself in, in the world I live in, the best way I can, and I don't necessarily think that fretting over things I can't change will accomplish that.
what I HAVE been involved with is the democratic voting process in America over the past 10 years or so. That's what I know. That's what I feel some personal connection to. That's why I feel more ashamed of the immediate, direct, current ramifications of the votes we cast over the last decade. When I look at 18 year old Susie McPoptart from Des Moines Iowa who got shot to death in Iraq, I feel a PERSONAL twinge of responsibility because I was active as a voter in the political process which DIRECTLY led to her death, and I feel I should have done more. I have to keep things on the small scale. But that's just me, and I have a very limited capacity for sympathy. Everyone has to find their own level of how much of the world's misery they can stand to feel personally responsible for. For better or worse, mine is pretty low. So for you my post probably seemed like the tip of the iceberg, but for me it's ten times more "save the world" than usual. Later,
Alex
Very thoughtful and powerful discussion, and I thank Alex for starting it.
In a way, I think we are in a very odd position as human beings because of how simultaneously close and far we are to each other. I don't think humans were meant to witness so much suffering that they, personally, can't alleviate. So we become callous. It's not possible respond humanely to all the pain we witness every day.
But the fact is, that is the world we live in, and I like Alex's point that we each have to learn how to manage our empathy to preserve our own mental health while remaining connected to the world. I too often choose to remain blissfully ignorant rather than engage. For this I am grateful for reminders like this post to do something. I just wish I knew (beyond voting) what I could do.
For me personally, I think that is the biggest barrier to getting involved. The anger and sorrow I feel when I think of the world's injustices dwarfs the ability I feel to change things.
I have a terrible habit of not letting things go and being a bit blind about my opinions. I am working on this. So let me say that this will be my last comment on this post, and that I really appreciate your candor.
I guess it is just hard for me, because for some reason I do feel personally responsible for all the horrible things that you mentioned, because I believe that as human beings we are inter-related. When we feel the suffering of others, we feel the connection to our own suffering. I feel that we cannot simply tick a box every four years and hope that we can work toward a lasting global peace. I am an optimist/idealist at heart, and I feel that human beings are more similar than different. I feel that at our core we are good. We simply need to connect and understand what other people are going through. As a species we need to take responsibility for our collective actions.
I just read a book called Creating Peace by Thich Nhat Han, in which he talks about finding peace in ourselves before we try and export it to the masses. He says, “this is this because that is that.” I hope that makes sense.
So I am working on this. He says that once we start to live peacefully in our skin it will rub off to those around us. It just seems so simple to me..be kind to others and treat them how you would like to be treated. Didn’t we learn that in Kindergarten?
Anyway, this is what you get for posting political within my ear shot. Good one. Thanks
Hey beez don't worry about posting political or heated opinions or whatever... I certainly don't mind and welcome it!
I've never been very good at debating people face to face because nine times out of ten I'd rather just keep my opinions to myself than try to convince somebody else of something. Also I can't think that fast when I'm put on the spot. So being able to sort of participate in any kind of theoretical discussions online, or even just to read them, is always fun for me. So go nuts.
Just to clarify, I don't think that voting in U.S. presidential elections is the limit of my duties as a citizen of the world - I was just saying that that is one of the few times I have been directly involved in the U.S. political process, so I feel a little more personally invested in the results this time around. I was around and paying attention at the moment in history when America began to destroy its credibility and ruin its world reputation, and it's my native country.
I was using the voting example to explain or excuse the fact that I find myself slightly more interested in the American side of the story than in the broader issue of global human suffering. But I'm definitely not patting myself on the back for voting being my only political activity!
About the book you mention - I definitely applaud any philosophy where action begins with knowing yourself and trying to do the right thing in everyday actions. I feel that's more my attitude. If I try to be good to myself, my family and the people I meet in daily life, that's at least a start. Because I definitely have to start small or else, like I think Jinna said, I get overwhelmed. Thanks!
bz, I just wanted to say that I too appreciate your comments. It's always good to remember that empathy shouldn't stop at national borders.
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