I'm reading Welcome to the Terrordome by Dave Zirin--an excellent book about sports and politics/social justice. At some point, when I'm reading about Muhammed Ali resisting the draft and Etan Thomas speaking out against war (and a host of other things), I reflect on my work with injured veterans. And most veterans are injured veterans, even if they have no physical scars.
I was reflecting on the idea of being pro-war or anti-war. It occurred to me that being pro-war means wanting, hoping for, the infliction of injuries like the ones we work with. How could anyone be pro-war? Only those far removed from the physical realities. On Tuesday I talked with a recently discharged vet at a homeless drop-in center, and he talked about how jarring it is to be back, in the civilian world, with cold, rainy weather--a world where you don't have to say "sir" and stand at attention. That's not to mention wounds of body and mind.
To be pro-war is to hope for the infliction of pain on soldiers and on those who are the victims of soldiers. To be pro-war is to never feel endangered by bullets flying at your body, to never fear that your loved ones will die too young. To be pro-war is to WANT war to happen. And let me tell you, from somone who has seen combat through the words and silent bodily witness of former soldiers, that's fucked up. We must be anti-war if we are human in our hearts.
That's what I want to hear from any leadership that requests my allegience and consent. I want to hear apologies to those soldiers, families, and loved ones who have lost somone, and to those soldiers who have lost all or part of their lives, maybe part of their souls. I want to hear how we will honor those dead and wounded--not by pulling out, but by leaving the country a better place than when we started (if that's possible). By leaving a place where we've committed to helping rebuild what we've damaged, bind up what we've wounded, and partner with those innocent people whom we have acted against. We are a nation at war, and unaccountably, most people don't even realize it. Merry Christmas.
Behind every cynicism, there is hope for a better world (thanks to my CPE supervisor-in-training for that gem).
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2 comments:
You have no idea how grateful I am to read this. I was afraid, and let me acknowledge how irrational my fear can be sometimes, that because of your time at the VA you would soften up on your stance against war. It seems the opposite has happened in fact.
I was driving to Los Angeles this morning thinking about refuge. Not the church, the spiritual concept: home-type-comfort. Is there anywhere war victims can go to find refuge? Or is the violence so etched in the brain that it follows everywhere one goes?
I love you Wade. All the time.
Yeah, I knew the VA would give me a different perspective on the war. I wondered if I would somehow become more in favor of it. In fact, I feel more patriotic because of my work at the VA, and I am more convinced that patriotism means opposing a war. I love my country like I haven't since grade school, and like anything/anyone I love, I want the best for it. And we are seeing some of the worst right now. Reading Dave Zirin is helping, too.
As for refuge: i think that refuge for war victims (and perpetrator-victims) is like refuge for most who are not privileged. Refuge is bits and pieces you can grab. I think these wounded vets, like survivors of rape and other violence, find refuge in moments, small escapes, and bits of warmth. Refuge in a total sense, that seems like a dream. Or maybe refuge is in integration. Maybe refuge is finding something afterward to hang on to. I'm not sure.
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