Pentagon to allow media photos of war dead: honoring our fallen men and women
This is a sorrowful post to write, because of the depth of the loss of each life, both of our American soldiers and foreign civilian ‘collateral damage’ casualties. But look at our war dead we must, in order to honor the young men and women who died representing us, believing that they were protecting us.
You know that George W. Bush banned photos of caskets returning from Iraq.
At the time, I vehemently disagreed. As a mother, I know that you have to see the consequences of your actions, if you want to live in integrity. You have to feel the pain of your mistakes and experience the joy of your successes.
Not seeing our war dead was cruel to me, like 21 year old Army Pfc. Zachary R. Nordmeyer, who just died two days ago and deserves to be seen and remembered by us:
and Army Spc. Micheal B. Matlock, Jr, who died February 2008 at the age of 21
and 18 year old Army Pfc. Sam W. Huff who died in April of 2005:
They, and 4,885 others, died without Americans seeing their flag draped (because we honor them with the symbol of our country) casket.
IF YOU CANNOT LOOK AT THE FACES OF DEAD SOLDIERS, THEN YOU CANNOT SEND THEM TO WAR. Its just that simple. You have to be able to live with the reality you create. We know that very few politicians allow their own children to serve in the Armed Forces, which is itself a damning fact. Bush’s own twin daughters were out drinking with fake ID’s while their peers were brought back in caskets.
I am sure that regular Americans are brave enough to honor our dead for their sacrifice. Instead, the bodies of our soldiers were hidden in the dark of night.
When we do not SEE our dead, then the symbols of death rise in our culture.
Look at this $300 silk top, with AK-47′s on it:
Look at the playful skulls on stationary.
Just as George W. Bush got away with funding the war in Iraq by NOT allowing Congress to have a say, he also effectively got away with prolonging his war by hiding our dead brave soldiers from us.
So when one died, or came home maimed, or came home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or later committed suicide because they could not process their war experience ALONE (which we left them, beause we refused to SEE them), then we as a country FAIL.
Seeing our war dead should bring us to our knees with whatever deep gratitude or prayers we can muster for the lost futures of these young people, for the families who have to go on day to day without their loved ones, for the children now being raised without this parent, for the community that will not have the wisdom of this citizen as he or she ages.
We need to SEE our war dead. Its the first step to knowing the TRUE COST OF WAR.
ITS THE LEAST WE CAN DO, FOR OUR FALLEN SOLDIERS.
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