tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post6703700876678934687..comments2024-02-03T16:24:42.023-08:00Comments on 1410 OakWooD: The Cost of WarGunnar Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17451985764040900726noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post-9252482641642109442009-11-12T11:44:19.284-08:002009-11-12T11:44:19.284-08:00I taught and devised an entire unit on "Why M...I taught and devised an entire unit on "Why Men Love War?" It was the best stuff I've ever taught (poetry, prose, novels), and the title was based on an old Esquire article which said it all and more. The event of the young V.C. with the photos in his pocket is reminiscent of the famous scene in All Quiet on the Western Front where the protagonist is in a fox hole and finds the dead soldier's photos, too. There is a drive in Man to go to war and prove his heroics. And when the spiritual side of a person realizes these are sons, fathers, husbands (and now sisters, wives, mothers), you no longer have the stomach for it.<br />I never understood Viet Nam until I saw the movie, "Platoon." It crushed me. I was naive. MariaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post-3748332338221644532009-11-12T09:48:08.652-08:002009-11-12T09:48:08.652-08:00Debb S., Huh? That would imply skill. Which would...Debb S., Huh? That would imply skill. Which would also imply editing and effort over time. You know me better.Gunnar Berghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17451985764040900726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post-51086107476078651272009-11-12T09:40:33.764-08:002009-11-12T09:40:33.764-08:00Very insightful and powerful words that move me to...Very insightful and powerful words that move me to a heart wrenching place. There is a lot to learn from Vietnam, may all the death and mayhem have not be done in vain.<br />Terry's expereience shows that the human spirit, even in the midst of ultimate violence, can allow love to shine through..<br /><br />Gunnar, when are your memoirs being published? I'll be first in line to purchase...Debb Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post-44432502711783668692009-11-11T18:28:10.431-08:002009-11-11T18:28:10.431-08:00The whole story is even more absorbing, but I felt...The whole story is even more absorbing, but I felt I had to edited it for privacy. <br /><br />I hadn't considered the wars economic cost that way. An interesting thought. While it may be a factor, I doubt it is the driving reason.Gunnar Berghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17451985764040900726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post-64376104950997828382009-11-11T18:07:56.377-08:002009-11-11T18:07:56.377-08:00A very powerful story.
Speaking of betrayal. Is i...A very powerful story.<br /><br />Speaking of betrayal. Is it possible we are still engaged in war in two countries because of the cost to our nation to bring them home? A sitting President can't end two wars in the middle of a huge recession. There are no jobs for the soldiers to come home to. And there would be more jobs lost in the military industry. It would further deepen the recession. It would devastate our economy. Is this the real reason The President hasn't kept his promise to bring them home.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09090802854306112252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post-74117734891107471872009-11-10T18:41:01.402-08:002009-11-10T18:41:01.402-08:00As a good pal of mine (an old human guy) recently ...As a good pal of mine (an old human guy) recently commented on his blog:<br /><br />The most powerful words of wisdom I've ever heard about war were delivered by Chris Hedges, author of the 2002 book, "War Is A Force That Gives Life Meaning," in a speech he gave:<br /><br /><b>"War in the end is always about betrayal: betrayal of the young by the old, soldiers by politicians, and idealists by cynics."</b><br /><br />I would add <i>"betrayal of presidents by military leaders (and retired generals)"</i> -- as it appeared to me during the Vietnam War and certainly does now in Afghanistan.Old Toadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14113426742370828465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695748260936745505.post-58352757886094830802009-11-10T14:33:11.529-08:002009-11-10T14:33:11.529-08:00Wow! That account is an example of what someone o...Wow! That account is an example of what someone once said: War is always between brothers.<br /><br />That is the reason why wars can only be fought when fighting men and women are trained to see the enemy as not-quite-human. <br /><br />We see that now in that the words "Muslim" and "terrorist" have become practically interchangeable. <br /><br />Interestingly (and thankfully), most people, most of the time, cannot kill another person after looking him or her in the eye. (Even in the most rabidly pro-death penalty jurisdictions, juries are often surprisingly reluctant to vote for killing a convicted criminal.) Part of that is our natures, and part of that stems from the fact that most of us are reared in some moral, religious or philosophical background that tells us, "Thou shalt not kill," or something to that effect.<br /><br />One of the first goals of military training is to break down that resistance to killing, at least to the point that someone will kill if ordered to do so. I recall how that was done during my basic training: Early on, we shot at standard targets with circles and a "bull's eye." As the training progressed, the shape of that target was gradually changed so that it more closely resembled a human. By the end of our training, we were shooting at targets that looked like people. And our instructors gave those targets names: Igor, Ivan, Dmitri and other Russian names, as we were training during the Cold War.<br /><br />How else can you get some kid just out of high school (or most older people, for that matter) to kill someone who's never done anything to him or his family?Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.com