60 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 3 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 6/1/11

In Flander's Field

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
Message Kathy Malloy
Become a Fan
  (55 fans)
flanders field
flanders field
(
Image by Unknown Owner)   Details   DMCA


Most celebrated Memorial Day Monday as a summer kick-off, paid vacation day from work, with burgers and brats on the grill, blockbuster movie releases, breaking out a fresh tube of sunblock or packing up a picnic basket for the park.

But for our troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and in older theaters in the never-ending American wars there was little to cheer about.

When Canadian Lt. Col. Jon McCrae wrote of red poppies that bloomed across the bloody battlefields of Flanders in World War I, the physician-turned-poet could not have imagined the carnage that faced future soldiers in the Bush Crime Family's terror wars of the 21st century.

The end of this summer will be marked by the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack of 9-11-2001. Also the 10th anniversary of our "shock and awe" carpet bombing of Afghanistan. Flash-forward a decade, Osama bin Laden is dead -- thousands of US troops are maimed and killed. In an unrelated counter-strike Iraq has been invaded, devastated, and decimated; Saddam Hussein is dead, too. So are his kids. And yet, according to the Obama administration, this ill-defined "victory" in the "war on terror" has yet to be accomplished.

What have we accomplished in this latest bloody excursion in American/Western hegemony? What have we learned since Flander's field?

We have certainly learned how to make Muslims hate us like never before. That's "mission accomplished" for sure.  Nothing like Bush/Cheney/Rummy to make otherwise peaceful followers of Islam turn vigilante when members of their families are raped, imprisoned, beaten and/or murdered for no reason, other than because they follow the "wrong" religion and live in the "wrong" part of the world.

And we've learned a great deal about PTSD. How cognitive dissonance on the battlefield -- killing innocents simply because they're there -- has engendered a generation (or two) of mentally disturbed war veteran/victims, returning home to be plagued with nightmares from the killing field, to abuse their families, become homeless, kill themselves, or suffer numerous other physical and mental disorders.

Was it worth it, Truthseekers? The carnage, the needless death, dismemberment, and torture? The end of the idealized dream of American freedom?

Gas still tops out at nearly $4.00/gallon -- at what price?

Rate It | View Ratings

Kathy Malloy Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Kathy never expected a career in radio as a talk show producer. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Kathy was completing her nursing degree when in 2001 - in an emergency - she was asked to fill in as the producer of Mike's program. Within a few (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Saving Earth

Brain Damage...

March of the Mysogynists

Crooked Hillary

Insult to Injury

The Grinch Who Stole Health Reform

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend