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My son is going to be deployed. A Father’s Thoughts |
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12/28/2002 As we enter a New Year a major storm is brewing outside. The howling winds are picking up out of the west and dark ominous clouds are piling up on the horizon. The high seas are turbulent and the mighty waves are crashing on shore. People are preparing for what seems to be the inevitable and the unpredictable. They are stockpiling supplies, battening down the hatches and spending time with loved ones. Those that are far away from their loved ones are reflecting on memories of times past, thoughts of the present and the uncertainty of the future. The forecasters are projecting when and where the storm will hit or if it will blow over. The experts are predicting the damage to property and the number of casualties. Planners are making educated guesses of what will be needed as the storm gains in strength and the amount of havoc it will raise when and if it strikes land. Officials are posturing, spewing propaganda, preparing the masses, not trying to alarm but reassure. Yet uncertainty abounds. What will become of this fierce storm, will it spawn other storms or will it fizzle out? The storm I am describing is the looming war in Iraq and the rumors of other wars around the globe, not to mention the couple dozen of wars already raging around the planet. Too often we only look at war in this abstract way, we ignore the human element, especially when the war is thousands of miles away and our lives remain relatively unchanged. But those amassing on the battlefields, those awaiting orders to deploy and those with members of their own family in harms way, know the realities of warfare or are about to whether they want to or not. My son, Jeremy has received his orders to deploy to Kuwait sometime before the first of February, along with his entire unit. Jeremy and my daughter-in-law, Nicole, are only two of the millions of young men and women proudly serving their country in uniform. These young men and women have much in common with others that serve their country. They stand by the ideals of what their country stands for and have chosen to defend their country from enemy attack, laying their lives on the line if need be. Jeremy is a Captain in the U.S. Army, a command helicopter pilot in his Medical Company. Nicole is presently in the National Guard after having completed her enlistment in the regular Army last year. Nicole is also deployable. Jeremy is working on his Masters degree and Nicole is part way through the nursing program at Columbus State University. They would also like to start thinking about having a child. But uncertainty hangs in the air, both will sign-up for classes next semester but any plans for a child have to be put on hold. They have two large dogs which I will care for if they are both deployed. The passing and approaching storms have swept me into action. While I love the U.S. and everyone knows I love Jeremy and Nicole, I am strongly opposed to a war with Iraq and the Bush administration policies. A war in Iraq has nothing to do with defending our shores. It has everything to do with a settling an old grudge, with the interests of major corporations and controlling Iraq’s oil reserves. Our leaders use those in uniform as pawns in a giant chess game, in order to amass more power and wealth. The Bush administration and its policies are moving us into a dangerous new game of brinkmanship. Bush has put the whole world on notice that “either you are with us or against us.” He has also singled out several countries as being part of his so-called “axis of evil.” Our policy of defending our soil is being scrapped and replaced with a policy of aggression. The U.S. is flagrantly ignoring international laws and arm-twisting allies and enemies alike to gain support, while openly saying it will go it alone if it has to.
In response I have joined millions around the world who are patriots for peace and our ranks continue to grow. Last year while attending SUNY Brockport I was a founding member of Brockport Students Against War. About a month ago, I decided to reach out to other military families that oppose a war in Iraq. We are in the process of forming Military Families Speak Out (against war with Iraq), visit our Yahoo site at: So President Bush, Congress and the American people I will hold you responsible should my son or daughter-in-law or anyone else wearing the uniform die while serving in Iraq under current administration policies. I will not accept an attack on Iraq and the deaths of those Iraqis defending their country against an aggressor nation. I will not accept the loss of more innocent children, women or men, the damage and destruction of their homes, their infrastructure and their livelihoods. I call upon the U.S, Britain and the UN to lift the sanctions already in place against Iraq because they are only drastically affecting the downtrodden and neglected. The sanctions are responsible for the deaths of over a million innocent people in Iraq. God does not bless America’s death, destruction and global domination policies. Christ weeps, while Satan gloats. Open your eyes and see, war can not bring about peace. Terrorism can not be defeated by using terror tactics. We must call for an end to this spiraling cycle of violence that only assures we will be caught into it, before it is too late. Realize we are all part of the same human family. We share the same planet, breathe the same air, drink the same water and what we eat comes from the same ground. War is devastating to all of us: it contaminates: our water, the air and the soil that we all need to survive. War kills or maims members of our own family. Supporting the Bush administration’s foreign policies or by sitting idly by, we become part of the evil in the world. As a father my emotions and feelings are really torn. I love my son, who in so many ways is like a brother and my best friend. Our relationship has always been close but especially after his mom died as the result of a car accident when he was only ten. We shared much together as he grew up, traveling all over the states, to Israel and Egypt and for a time living among the Mennonites and Amish. Jeremy played soccer while I coached. Together we joined Civil Air Patrol (an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force); I was Deputy Commander of Cadets, while Jeremy progressed to the point that he became Cadet of the Year for all of NY State. So as my son prepares to deploy in Kuwait, I will let him know I love him. I will tell him I am proud of him and what he does because his task is to fly a medical ambulance to pick up the wounded no matter what side they serve on. But I can not tell him I agree with his deployment or the orders of his commander and chief- I do not and I strongly oppose both. God knows I want my son to return safely but I wish that for all of God’s children, be they American, Iraqi, Afghani, Iranian, Israeli, etc. and I am referring to all people, regardless of their religion or lack thereof. So I ask that throughout the year you pray for peace, work for peace and love those around you- be they yellow, brown, red, white or black. Love those both young and old, far away and near. Please join with me and the millions of others saying, '“NO,” to a war in Iraq, “NOT IN OUR NAME”'. It is time we taught our children not to wage war but to make peace.
Love and peace, |
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