generalspeaking

Seriously Conflicted, Sadly Afflicted

Excellent, instructive, introspective coverage in The New York Times of Thursday, September 9, 2008. There is a large, coloured photograph of an American soldier, fully uniformed and geared, sitting in a parlour in Baghdad. Dated 2007, the booted, helmeted soldier, holding his rifle, is sitting in an armchair, beside him a television set, behind him heavily brocaded draperies.

His boots rest, akimbo, on a Persian rug. His face turned toward an unseen presence. The nervous, perhaps frightened, perhaps delicately offended lady of the house, possibly? The caption under the photo reads in part: "As part of the counter-insurgency strategy, American soldiers knocked on doors at random to visit Iraqis in their homes and get to know them".

Lucky householder. Didn't good fortune smile upon her, that day in 2007. An American soldier come to visit. A courtesy call, a "getting to know you" initiative. Wonder how he'd feel, seeing a photo of his mother, his wife, or his sister, standing nervously in her living room, some foreign, armed interloper brandishing a weapon, paying a friendly "hearts and minds" call.

Might she be hoping, curious children at her side, that the rifle wouldn't accidentally discharge? Might she entertain the thought that her visitor might have been involved in the death of a brother, an uncle, during the initial invasion and assault? Might she possibly be hoping for a swift departure, enabling her to vacuum up the mud left on her rug by his boots?

If the electrical grid is working.

Details, details. Mere inconveniences. He doesn't want to be there. He is following orders. Be a visitor, not an armed guard. We've got to show our human side for these people. Spread some good feeling. Smile. Widely, with sincerity. Ask a few questions. Compliment the lady of the house on her superior house-keeping skills. Her obvious decorating abilities.

Think of your mother. Be kind. Be gentle. Offer a stick of chewing gum to the kid hiding behind his mother, mouth agape, eyes wide.

We're all of us, human, after all. Everyone knows that, subscribes to the veracity of that little fact. These folks can't help that they were born in this Godforsaken place. Not everyone has the great good fortune to be born American. Finally, take your leave, with courtesy.

Say it's been a pleasure. And a positive learning experience. Tell her you'd love to come again, but you've got lots of other places to visit, as well.

Same paper, same issue, one page over. A brief black-bordered little column. Directly under a much longer one captioned: "U.S. to Pull 8,000 Troops from Iraq Early in 2009".

The smaller item is titled "Names of the Dead". A daily accounting of U.S. losses. Fully 4,149 American service members since the inception of the Iraq war. Another, 580 who have died as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

And, bringing things up to the present, an additional three names from Iraq; one from Afghanistan.

More to come.

Labels: Terrorism, United States

posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, September 23, 2008