|
A
US soldier mother speaks out for peace Like everyone else at the frigid peace rally on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, the woman with the long brown hair was bundled up almost beyond recognition. But unobscured was the huge photograph she carried of a young man in U.S. Army dress uniform. The woman was handing out copies of a handwritten letter and attached photographs she had sent several months before. Carol Korreck Whiteland,
Indiana 46184 This is my son Tim. You have been referring to him as "military force." A majority of Americans oppose President Bush's headlong rush toward war in Iraq. They worry about the U.S. military and Iraqi civilians in harm's way, or about the increased risk for anti-U.S. terrorism and the frightening precedent of a unilateral pre-emptive strike. Carol Korreck worries about all that, too. But her main concern is much closer to home. I want you to be continually mindful of the fact that your "military force" has a mother and two sisters that want you to value his life as we do. Not only do you have the future of our nation to decide, you have my son's future in your hands. When he graduated from Whiteland High in the spring of 2001, Tim Korreck thought enrolling in the army was the best course for his future. Carol is a single mother and money for college was going to be tight. The clincher for Tim was when he learned he would receive a $16,000 bonus for signing up for the infantry. The need for money is a common denominator for many of Tim's army buddies. Our all-volunteer military is much more connected to Karen and her neighbors in Whiteland than to the men and women who are pushing for this war. Of the 535 members of the United States Congress, just one has a child in the enlisted ranks of the U.S. armed forces. Tim Korreck is in the Gulf, the President's children are in college. War is a last resort. We have not exhausted every other possible means in the fight against terrorism and Saddam Hussein and I don't understand how you will personally justify loss of life if you don't take every other option first. Tim was home this past Christmas, but was shipped out to the Persian Gulf on Jan. 6, where he has been training non-stop. Carol has spent some of her nervous energy researching the possibilities for the urban warfare. Recently, she read how Tim and others will be trained to make a split-second decision whether the small figure approaching them is an innocent 7-year-old child or the carrier of a deadly explosive. "I keep saying to myself, it can't happen, we can't be going to war," she says. Every life last September 11th was a precious life cut short, but running into battle prematurely won't bring anyone back and will only add to tragic loss. Every man or woman that your "military force" is comprised of is someone's husband, wife, son or daughter. You have to make your decisions based on that fact. Carol never had much use for politicians. But now she has written appreciative letters to Rep. Julia Carson (D-Indianapolis), who opposed the October war resolution, and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who reminds the President he is sending kids like Tim to war while kids from wealthier families watch the action from big-screen TV's in their frat houses. Carol is one of a growing number of war opponents with powerful claims on President Bush's attention. The international community is lining up against the U.S.' war plans. Combat veteran organizations have called for peace. Families of September 11th victims have organized themselves in a group called Peaceful Tomorrows, asking that no more killing be done in their name. So far, it does not seem to make a difference. My son is nineteen and he has only one life. He is an infantry soldier in the army and willing to fight for his country if need be. America needs to be able to collectively hold its head high and believe there was no other option if we go to war. Don't take that from us. Carol won't abide by any argument that she will have to support a war in order to support the troops. "I think even the people in our military know the difference between defending our country and being pawns in Bush's power game, which is how I feel my son is being used," she says. "I just don't see any problem with being 100% behind our soldiers and also opposed to the war." Listen to the people and listen to what the world is telling you. Carol Korreck Three and a half months after sending the letter, she has received no answer. Fran Quigley writes for Nuvo, the alternative paper in Indianapolis. He can be reached at: fquigley@nuvo.net http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley01312003.html US soldiers’ mothers and fathers speak out My son (James) is an Army
Warrant Officer/Helicopter pilot. I cannot begin to tell you how many
people feel that it is treason for me to be against the a potential war
with Iraq. I cannot tell you how many people think it their right that my
son should sacrifice his life for them. They will say, "well, he made
the choice to serve." We have become a nation of entitlement when
people can look me straight in the eye and welcome my son's death for
their safety. I will say, "because he and so many others are willing
to serve, does not give us or our leaders the right to sacrifice them for
an ill conceived, outrageous, greedy, selfish, costly war. Because we have
the ability to wage war, does not mean we must use that
ability." Military
Families and Veterans Speak Out With 250,000 U.S. troops now at war with Iraq, military families, personnel and veterans speak about their fears for themselves and their loved ones and their hopes for peace. They worry that U.S. soldiers will not learn the cruel lessons of war until it is too late--until they have killed, destroyed, died or been injured themselves. Jung Hee Choi, communications director for the Women of Color Resource Center and a War Times editor, interviewed military-related people about their experiences. To Save
Our Son's Life Our son Joe, a 25-year-old marine, is on a ship somewhere in the Persian Gulf. On the weekend before he shipped out, we body surfed, rode bikes and relaxed as if the world weren't crashing down around us. One of the hardest things is coming home to find a message from him on the answering machine. When we miss his calls, we feel as if we shouldn't leave home. We are very concerned about his physical well being--that he might be killed or injured. Or that he might kill or wound an innocent Iraqi. If that happens, it will kill part of him and a part of us. When we think about our son, we think of other military families--their sons and daughters--and the innocent children of Iraq. We think about how all theirs lives will be destroyed. We work night and day, 24-7-- organizing, strategizing and thinking--about what it will take to stop this war so that we can save our son's life. We support our son even if we don't support his job description. "Supporting our troops" doesn't mean supporting the president as he leads us blindly into war. We've been told we are a disgrace to our son, but we are doing the most loving and supportive thing that any parent can do. This is not some abstract war that they are talking about. Our sons and daughters will die, as will so many others. Surviving
the Wounds of War No one knows the horrors of war more than someone who has had a friend die in his arms or who lives with the memory of killing another human being. As a tanker man in the Persian Gulf War, my main job was to load the guns. Once we opened fire on two Iraqi trucks, including a fuel truck that caught fire. When the men came running out, we machined gunned all of them. The human response to seeing someone on fire is to put it out. It's to help, not to kill them. But that's exactly what we did. The incident was nearly impossible for me to live with. A few months later, I remember looking down the barrel of my Colt 45, wanting to pull the trigger. The only reason I didn't was because the rest of my crew needed me. We depended on each other to survive. I have seen guys from my unit come back and I have watched their lives fall apart from divorce, alcoholism and domestic violence. After the war, I was eventually honorably discharged after applying for conscientious objector status. There is no doubt that this war will be bloodier on both sides. This time, they are talking about attacking a city of millions. This war does nothing to protect American lives, but it will do everything to destroy the lives of many thousands of Iraqis and Americans. This war isn't worth the life of one American soldier. As veterans who have served in wartime, it is our moral responsibility to ensure that those who serve in uniform today are not sent into battle without just cause. Betrayed
by My Government I fought in Vietnam and Desert Storm. During the Persian Gulf War, I taught nuclear, biological and chemical warfare operations in the U.S. Army. I was also part of the Depleted Uranium Assessment Team. We were charged with cleaning up the mess left by the thousands of bombs, rockets and missiles enriched with depleted uranium that U.S. dropped on Iraq. My service has cost me dearly. I am one of many Gulf War veterans suffering from illnesses related to exposure to depleted uranium (DU). My breathing is lousy. My eyesight is deteriorating. My muscles ache. And I have had 15 kidney surgeries since the spring of 1995. But the worse part is the betrayal by my own government. The Department of Defense and Veterans Administration officials continue to deny medical care to thousands of U.S. soldiers who are sick and dying from DU and other chemical exposures and to refuse to implement programs designed to resolve the ongoing health and environmental issues. If the government acknowledges the effects of DU on us, they have to acknowledge its effects on all the Iraqis--the innocent women and children who are dying from cancer. They don't want to do that because it's a crime against humanity. Although many have recommended banning DU, the U.S. refuses because it is the best killing machine and war is meant to kill. Even now, they are sending these kids off to war with defective equipment, without proper training, and lying to them about the hazards. For what? This war is without justification. It is flat out wrong. Stop
This Ugly War Almost all my family-my brothers, uncles, sisters and parents-were killed in the war with the Soviets. I know what war is about. The Taliban were killing many people. I thought freeing the country from the Taliban would help. So right after Sept. 11 I signed up and joined the U.S. military invasion of my home country, Afghanistan. But the U.S. has done nothing to improve our lives. I am a taxi driver. Since August I have polled over 200 of my riders about war in Iraq. Only one, a young university student, said she was for the war. After I told her about what war did to my family, she changed her mind. On March 7 I will be sent to Iraq as part of a special service, which I cannot name. But I am totally against that war. Bush wants to murder people for oil and control. It's unbelievable! They support Israel's killing of Palestinians for no reason. Israel is the American cancer in the Middle East. America is being taught to hate Muslims like me, and is getting ready to slaughter Arabs. Good luck in your antiwar work. I hope you can stop this ugly war. http://www.war-times.org/current/9art6.html |