To say the least, the recent turn of events the past few days caused me to reflect on our nation’s values and those fighting to protect them. On January 3, 2020, the United States carried out an airstrike that killed Iranian General Qasim Soleimani. Following the airstrike, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened retaliation against the United States, threats on social media have increased, and our country’s strongest ally in the region, Israel, is now on high alert. President Trump reports Soleimani placed eminent threats on the United States and the airstrike was necessary for national security. There is speculation on whether or not this is true. In reaction, the Iraqi parliament voted to expel U.S. forces out of the country. President Trump met the vote with threatening sanctions against Iraq, which could possibly lead to greater escalations. Reports have already begun to speculate whether Iran will conduct a similar vote on U.S. forces in the future.
With the fallout of the airstrike threatening our military’s stabilizing efforts and presence in the region, my question to President Trump is: Did this action make our country safer? I am inclined to say, “No.” Between the efforts of our soldiers to make positive relations with Iraqis being drastically undercut and providing radical groups with a reason to attack our allies, it is safe to say this airstrike was not in the best interest of Iraq or the United States.
Since the airstrike, I’ve seen multiple posts on social media of Americans being afraid the United States is going to get into yet another war. I have this fear as well. In particular, I think of all of the brave men and women that will possibly be called to deploy and fight a war that they had no say in starting. They are the heroes forgotten by Washington when politicians decide to engage in military conflict.
Our government officials have a history of deciding to go to war due to faulty reasoning, leaving our friends and family to pay the price. Coming from a large military family, I have immense love and respect for our soldiers. Their family members are just as much heroes in my eyes because the incredible sacrifices they make while their loved ones are deployed.
One of my personal heroes, my maternal grandfather, served in Vietnam. He was a patriot that held a deep love for this country and was a true believer in the American dream. He and I could talk about current events, domestic and foreign politics, our county’s strengths and need for improvement, but his love never waned.
One of the topics he could never bring himself to talk about with anyone in our family was his time in Vietnam. I wasn’t until I was teaching my students The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien that I understood why he couldn’t. It was an experience too horrific. Yet, he proudly served this country and retired from military life with 20 years of service.
Unfortunately, he was not able to leave all parts of his Vietnam experience behind. As a child, I remember him as an incredibly active man. He swam laps multiple times a week and was “Mr. Fix-It” with basically anything. For someone without a formal college education, he was incredibly self-educated and could keep up with me when we discussed material I was learning in my college courses.
However, after his heart attack, the rest of his health declined rapidly. While he seemed to bounce back quickly from the attack itself, he began having symptoms resembling intense arthritis all over his body. Doctors couldn’t pin down a diagnosis to match his symptoms. As his health deteriorated, doctors concluded his symptoms were the result of being exposed to Agent Orange during his deployment in Vietnam.
The last decade of my grandfather’s life was spent bedridden in agonizing pain with my grandmother as his caregiver. I saw what the vow of “in sickness and in health” really meant in action. The tole it took on my family was devastating. Having the man you admire most in the world in so much pain that he is wondering what he did wrong to deserve it or thinking death is better than living is something I hope no one has to ever experience. You would do anything to make the pain stop and you’re just powerless.
Those Vietnam veterans that did not suffer the effect of Agent Orange exposure had other demons to fight. My uncle on my father’s side volunteered to go to Vietnam so his brother wouldn’t be drafted. On his second tour, his helicopter was shot down. While my uncle survived the crash, he battled addition and alcoholism for the majority of his life. His liver is so weak at this point that a single drink could kill him. The mental stress our soldiers go through during times of war have never been fully addressed by our government. If we are expecting them to deploy, we need to do everything we can to take care of them while they are away and when they return.
Seeking educational and career opportunities, my cousin enlisted in the Air Force and my younger brother enlisted in the Army. Both of them met their wives, also veterans, while they were in the service. One of the proudest moments I’ve had in my life was at my brother’s military graduation. He believed he would make a career out of being in the Army and thought he found his calling.
However, after a few years serving in the infantry, he decided to go through the process of joining the Special Forces. During an parachuting exercise, he was injured, had to have surgery, and eventually received a medical honorary discharge. My sister-in-law stayed in the Army, was deployed to Korea through nearly her entire pregnancy, and was honorably discharged when she gave birth to my nephew.
They both still feel serving their country was a privilege and never take it lightly. Being close with them gave me insight into military life I never had before. The amount of sacrifices they make are overwhelming. With how much soldiers give to our country, I was appalled by the low salaries they receive and the barriers in place to prevent them from receiving the medical care to which they are entitled. I’ve seen hard-working, dedicated soldiers on WICC and food stamps just to make ends meat, feed their families, and still coming up short.
As I’ve been reading articles and watching the news, I’ve been thinking about families like mine. At what point will their sacrifices be enough? Currently, we have soldiers deployed in the Middle East that were born after 9/11. They learned about the event that allegedly led to the war they are fighting as a historical one.
Fear mongering and smoke screens are used to get the country behind being complacent on giving war powers to Congress and the Presidency. This resulted in both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Why is it that only long after major decisions have been made the American public is allowed to see the justifications for military action were faulty or the reasoning was weak at best? Is there a reason politicians are so willing to jump the gun?
When considering all of this, the main questions I pose to our government: Are you really willing to put our loved ones at risk given everything they’ve already sacrified? When will it be enough?
Comments
Thank you for this powerful perspective. It’s meaningful to me as someone who does not have members of the military in her family. My grandfather was in War II but never talked about it. This give me an insight, as you so rightly pointed out is rarely discussed. Another senseless war is no way to honor our troops. I echo
your question, when will it be enough?