A Father's Lament

You won't hear this on Fox News:

Meanwhile, Back in Iraq: BigOkie Edition by BigOkie - Wed May 25th, 2005 at 17:34:36 PDT Many of you who know me and read my posts know that my son, a Marine in the First Battalion, Fifth Regiment, is in Iraq for the third time since this little party began. Thanks, Cheney and Chimpo, you will never know how this has affected our family. If you have been around here for a while you may recall me telling of how he was wounded in the initial "war"--you know the mission that was accomplished. We got "the call" today. Three weeks ago, he called me on my cell phone. He didn't want to risk talking to his mother. He told me about how they were considering letting all of the guys who were on their third trip go home in a couple of weeks. He then told me that he extended his enlistment to stay with his company until their deployment was finished in early October. Shit! He had an opportunity to leave and he chose to stay. He said he felt a responsibility to the new guys in his company and battalion. A responsibility to help keep them safe and alive. I do not understand it, but what can I do? Tonight, as we are sitting by the pool with our oldest daughter and the two grandchildren, the phone rings. The caller ID says: US Govt. It's a Marine sargeant. He tells us how our son has been wounded yet again--a part of Operation New Market. He says a roadside bomb exploded near the Humvee in which he is the gunner. He took shrapnel in his hands, arms, and face. He was "medi-vac-ed" out. He was "treated". He isn't "critical". He was sent back to his unit. Again. The sergeant told us that he knew our son from a previous deployment. That he was tough. That he is the best gunner in the United States Marine Corps. That they appreciated men like him. My wife is a basket case. I cannot fucking stand it anymore. These goddamned bastards are killing and maiming an entire generation of Americans and several generations of Iraqis. And they fill our airways with talk of valuing life and of "human dignity". Save the embryos, but fuck your children. I just poured my fifth bourbon in an effort to quit feeling this pain and anxiety. The only thing I truly regret is that Dear Leader will never have to experience the fear and anxiety of having his children fight in an unjust war for the benefit of corporate whores. No, that is for the "little people".

I have two boys in their twenties. They realize the illegality of this Bush-War and would never consider the military as an option for themselves. But I do fear the eventual draft headed their way. Another son is a teenager and the longer this corporate profits-driven war persists, the more worried I become.