Do something easy today...

by Susan Galleymore

My son is participating in the occupation of Iraq. If it's the middle of the night in the Sunni Triangle, right now he could be smashing in the door of an Iraqi residence. Or shoving women and children outside into the street in their nightclothes. Or grinding a father's face into the dirt with his boot on the man's neck. Or bombing a home just in case insurgents shelter there. Or bagging an Iraqi man's head in nylon. Or carting someone off to Abu Ghraib prison.

In Arabic Insallah means God Willing and God Willing my child is doing none of these things in Iraq. But the children of other mothers are doing these things. Our children, laden with uniforms, flak jackets, helmets, bullet belts, canteens, grenades, and guns are doing these things because our leadership has ordered these things be done. I am aware I will receive a flood of email from the left wing enlightening me about the nature of war, the depravity of soldiers, and how soldiers have the choice of throwing down their guns and refusing to participate. The other night a man expressed his opinion that the only hero of this war so far is the GI who tossed a grenade into a tent amongst his colleagues, killing or wounding them. I am not looking for heroes but I cry when I think of the terrible psychological strain that impelled that GI to that action.

I am also aware that I will receive a flood of email from the right wing enlightening me about the nature of war, the heroism of soldiers, the nobility of "fighting for your country," about how "they will kill on 'here' if we don't kill them first 'over there.'"

I suggest each of us think deep and hard about our part in this occupation of Iraq. Instead of passing judgment on others its far better that we hold our own and our neighbor's dignity and spirit gently and with compassion. This goes all ways: hold with compassion the spirits of our neighbors, our troops, our selves, and our fellows Iraqis.

Before my son enlisted, I was a carefree anti-war, anti-military woman happily judging military personnel as wrong headed, violence mongers, dominators, sheep who meekly follow orders. Since Nick enlisted "he" been gone for three and a half years now �I understand that I was the sheep meekly following a dualistic line: war �bad, peace �good; soldiers �bad, civilians �good; Saddam�ad, US�ood; guns�ad, ploughshares�ood; even, at the extreme, men�ad, woman�ood. It was easy. Simple. Convenient.

Now Life, infinitely wise, challenges me to grow, deepen my compassion, love my neighbors despite conflicting ideologies, and honor the intellectual and spiritual diversity suffusing our planet. I� still an anti-war woman but now I embrace complexity over dualism and allow opinions very different from my own into my intellectual sphere.

Does this mean I� for the occupation of Iraq? No. I� against the occupation and I� against using our sons and daughters to do the dirty work of this administration.

And I recognize our combatant sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers in Iraq are embroiled in a terrible dilemma. They're caught in a military culture that encourages the numbing of most emotions but anger. Whip up enough anger in young men emotionally isolated, denied friends, family, lovers, even civilians clothes, physically exhaust them, nourish them inadequately, expose them to extreme temperatures and violent behavior, confine them to base, and portray everyone else as murderous and you create impossible stress.

Theoretically, are troops able to throw down their guns and refuse to participate? Yes.

Practically are they able to do so? I wonder.

Its easy enough for those of us outside military culture to believe pacifism is easy. But, if its so easy why do so few troops do it? Not because they're degenerates or baby killers or cowardly. But because they honor the compact they made with our country. Most enlistees are idealistic, creative, honorable people who want to protect their compatriots and who love what their country symbolizes. And, I believe their lives are in danger from their military colleagues if they throw down their uniforms, flak jackets, helmets, bullet belts, canteens, grenades, and guns.

Its up to us, the non-military population to get our troops out of Iraq. Its up to us to say, no more preemptive striking against a country already on its knees from earlier wars and UN sanctions. Its up to us to make a stand. So let� throw down our pens, and our remote controls, and our credit cards, and our shopping sprees, and let� get onto the streets to demand our troops come home. Its easy. Insallah.

May, 2004