To say that war is wasteful is to state the obvious. The trillion or more dollars that will eventually be spent on the Iraq War is indeed being poured down a rat-hole. To say nothing of the good that money could have accomplished for education, health care, tax cuts, energy, or science, we could hardly have used it more foolishly. We have wasted, through ludicrous foreign policy, our international standing, our technology, and our resources.
But to say a life has been wasted is to say something else entirely. A "wasted" life implies one spent for nothing, as for example someone of great talent who wastes their life pursuing low and mean pleasures of the moment, spending their potential on things of no value. Truly, our celebrities’ lives are wasted. The lives of soldiers are never wasted.
The founders of our country had the foresight to place ultimate control of military might in the hands of a civilian government, that zealotry and dictatorship would be checked. The United States soldier does not swear an oath of allegiance to any one man, as German soldiers once swore to Hitler, but rather they swear to defend the Constitution. It is from this simple oath that the honor of the soldier, living or dead, rests securely. Whatever the motivations of those who sent him, the soldier offers his life in defense of the core values of his country.
The United States Military, from the Air Force to the Navy Seals, makes one unique demand of those who serve that is unequalled in any other profession: that they be willing to lay down their lives in service of their country. There are many professions in which service to community is paramount and danger plays a large role; police and fire fighters come to mind. But in each case, other than the military, the risk is always a calculated risk. That is, the individual has the luxury to assess the risk and to avoid it, as in a police officer awaiting backup before arresting a dangerous suspect. For soldiers, there is no calculating to be done; they are told to go into the line of fire and they go.
I have served as a fire fighter, risking myself to save others. But never did I feel that the flames had a special hatred for me; I never worried that a burning structure hid the fixed eye of a sniper; not one time did I fear that our truck would be blown to atoms by an IED buried under the street. The calculated risk of dangerous jobs, whether police officer, fire fighter, or underwater welder, cannot compare with a soldier’s risk, because it is not constant. Our soldiers in Iraq live with the fear of death 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for as many years as those in power care to tell them to stay there.
Article comments
1 - ProfEssays
And what about Iraqi insurgents? Do they die in vain?
2 - Clavos
And what about Iraqi insurgents? Do they die in vain?
I don't care...
3 - Zedd
Tim,
The point was not that the SOLDIERS waisted their lives, it was that WE waisted their lives. We didn't honor or value them enough to send them into situations where they had a chance to win. We didn't care enough about them, we treated them as an expendable commodity. They died for what? Or folly.
Hope that clears things up for you.
4 - Joe
Zedd - it was that WE waisted their lives. We didn't honor or value them enough to send them into situations where they had a chance to win.
I won't mention "waisted," perhaps you're too drunk to spell check yourself. But the idea that we're sending them in without a chance to win is just stupid. You'd know that if you knew what the soldiers themselves thought about it; they know they can win. But they worry that all the Murtha-style libs will pull the rug out from under them, label it Vietnam v.2, and blame them for the loss.
But you just stick to your hippie playbook - "We're losing! It's all in vain! Woe is me! The sky is falling!" - and you'll be fine. 'Til the hangover kicks in.
5 - Sisyphus
"they know they can win."
Win what, exactly? "We" (the U.S.) have lost so much in the last six years it could take a generation just to regain any semblance of our former standing in international affairs, if we ever do. It would be nice if someone provided a clear definition of "winning" so we can tell when we've finished the job and can go home. What happens after the next "mission accomplished?" More of the same?
6 - Baronius
"As payback for this ultimate sacrifice we do not have much, but we must give all that we have: Respect for the soldier, honor for the dead, knowledge that they fell doing what they were supposed to do, following orders, ready and willing to die that others may live."
Beautiful.
7 - Dr. Tim
I hope it was clear from the tone of my article that I disapprove of GWB. But I think that the term "waste" implies some foolishness on the part of the person being referred to. I would use the term "wasted" to describe the life of W., who has been given riches and power beyond the dreams of avarice and all he's done with it is screw things up. He's the Paris Hilton of politics.
It's semantics, but words define reality, which is why the right wing spends $30 billion (and growing) every year to try and frame debate in the popular media with their own language. Or for an example of a recent left wing victory on language, changing "surge" to "escalation," with all its negative connotations, has helped show Bush's plans for the stupidity that they are, and keep the pressure on congress to stop his foolishness.
The point is, it's not whether you (anyone not in the service) take offense at the term "wasted," it's how soldiers feel about, and soldiers took great offense to it, as can be seen from thousands of blog postings. It's the same thing with calling blacks, gays, jews, hispanics or any other group by an epithet; if that particular group takes offense, then you shouldn't use it.
In the case of the military, I think we on the left have forgotten our roots to our own great disadvantage. The Repubs have been horrible for the soldiery of this country, but since they are willing to at least pay lip service to the services and the Dems just bash away at the military, who can blame them for supporting the right wing? This country was founded by a bunch of warrior/farmers with decidedly liberal leanings, but somehow since WWII the left wing has decided to snub the military.
The foundation of support for Dems, especially progressive Dems, is supposed to be the working class. And who is more working class that a buck private? Why in the world we would want to alienate these people who ought to be our allies is beyond me.
The left needs to take back the military from the right. Let the neocons have all the votes of the generals and military contractors, we'll take all the votes of the privates, sergeants, NCOs and anyone who actually works for a living.
8 - Lumpy
Only problem there timmy is that u don't have the votes of even the privates. Most of them are in the military because they want to be soldiers. They aren't all watadas who thought he'd get to make snow angels in Pt. Barrow or something. They want a government that sends them overseas to do what they were trained for. otherwise they are just pointless.
9 - Joe
The left needs to take back the military from the right. Let the neocons have all the votes of the generals and military contractors, we'll take all the votes of the privates, sergeants, NCOs and anyone who actually works for a living.
Good luck with that - libs hate the military and they know it. Take back the military? Take back? They've never had the faith of the military, never. How would you earn it? By treating them the way Clinton did? Push them into another "Vietnam" by cutting funding for the war?
Once again you, the dems, really don't want to do anything for soldiers. You just want to "take all the votes of the privates, sergeants, NCOs." They're just another voting bloc to you, and that's why you will not gain their respect.
10 - Zedd
Joe
The fact that we brainwash kids into thinking that they can do anything then send them to be killed does not make our decision admirable. These soldiers are kids for the most part. They don't know anything about life. They just believe what they are brainwashed to believe.
The decision to do so by older and wiser adults is sick.
We should take responsibilities for what WE have done.
BTW waisting time on smart alec comments is useless. What was your goal when you posted that? Were you intending to reveal your rough and unstable up bringing? Pull yourself together and just dialouge. What are you so mad about??? Breath....