Reflections on Life and Death in Wartime

[thedrifter]

04-27-2004

Reflections on Life and Death in Wartime







By Matthew Dodd



As our ongoing global war on terrorism continues, Americans are increasingly exposed through the news media to war?s ultimate human cost ? the loss of life.



Three recent events have come together to raise many significant questions and facilitate serious reflection and discussion on how we, as a free and democratic society, view and handle our wartime deaths. These separate, yet related, events are the death of Army Ranger Specialist Pat Tillman, the firing of two contractors for taking photos of U.S. soldiers? caskets returning from Iraq and sending them to The Seattle Times for publication, and finally, the kicking off of the national fundraising drive for the Pentagon Memorial to honor the victims of the 9/11 attack on the U.S. military?s headquarters.



From my ?inside-outsider?s perspective? as a career military officer not directly involved with any of these events, I have followed with interest each of these emotional stories. Let me share with you my observations of these events and some of the questions I have struggled with as I try to understand what these events mean to me and to our nation as a whole.



By now, most everyone is familiar with the story of Army Ranger Pat Tillman. He was the young man who gave up his multi-million dollar National Football League career with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army to serve his country, and who was tragically killed in action against enemy forces in Afghanistan last week. His story, now being covered in hundreds, if not thousands, of newspaper, radio, internet, and television spots, speaks volumes about the best of what our brave men and women in uniform have to offer: sacrifice, selflessness, humility, sense of duty, and patriotic love for our country.



One of the best tributes to Pat Tillman came from Seattle Seahawks general manager, Bob Ferguson, who was in the front office when Tillman wore the Arizona Cardinals? uniform:



?Pat represents all that is good with this country, our society, and ultimately the human condition in general ?. In today's world of instant gratification and selfishness, here is a man who was defined by words like ?loyalty, honor, passion, courage, strength and nobility.? He is a modern-day hero.?



Perhaps Tillman?s greatest service and contribution to our country will be to raise the public?s awareness of the sacrifices made each and every day by our troops and their families. Sure, not all our troops walked away from fame and fortune like Tillman, but, like Tillman, they are willing to risk all they have to serve their country. I hope his ?celebrity? status will enable more people to pay attention to ?Pat Tillman the anonymous soldier.?



And I hope that more people will realize that while Tillman?s particular circumstances make his story unique, his general story of being a brave citizen answering his country?s call and making the ultimate sacrifice is sadly ? yet triumphantly ? being repeated by countless anonymous heroes who deserve our whole-hearted support and fervent prayers.

Just prior to the news of Tillman?s death in Afghanistan, a controversy flared up over a Seattle Times photograph of flag-draped coffins of U.S. soldiers from Iraq in a cargo plane at Kuwait International Airport awaiting transport to the United States. Maytag Aircraft Corp. fired the photographer, Tami Silicio, and her husband, David Landry, because they worked together to violate Defense Department and company policies by photographing the caskets.



Since 1991, the Pentagon has barred news organizations from photographing caskets being returned to the United States. The Pentagon says that publication of such photographs would be insensitive to bereaved families. A Pentagon spokesman said: ?The principal focus and purpose of the policy is to protect the wishes and the privacy of the families during their time of greatest loss and grief.?



Silicio said she hoped the photograph would show everyone, especially the families of slain soldiers, that the remains of their loved ones were handled with care and dignity: ?The way everyone salutes with such emotion and intensity and respect. The families would be proud to see their sons and daughters saluted like that.?



I heard one local talk-radio host wonder why it is okay to show the charred remains of U.S. personnel being dragged through the streets, but not the final peace of flag-draped coffins returning our fallen warriors home. I have heard some critics charge that the Pentagon?s policy is nothing more than political censorship, and other critics argue that showing those images would be free propaganda for our enemies. I have read that some military-affiliated organizations support the policy, and others oppose it. I have not heard much either way from military families with loved ones who have served or are serving in combat to understand what those photos meant to them.



I have seen Silicio?s photos and those official photos released by the Air Force to an internet site. They were moving and very respectfully done. I thought they were a reflection of the reality of our global war on terrorism. They were not what I like to see when I think of our deployed troops fighting this war, but they reminded me of the great philosopher Plato when he observed, ?Only the dead have known the end of war.? I believe the families of our fallen warriors can relate to Plato?s words on a much deeper level than those of us who have been spared the tragic ordeal or losing a family member in combat.



Lastly, on April 22, a national fundraising drive was launched to raise $30 million for the Pentagon Memorial, which has been designed to honor the 184 victims who died in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. The memorial will feature 184 cantilevered benches ? one in memory of each of the victims of the terrorist attack. It is to be funded entirely through private funds, and it is to be located on donated Pentagon grounds adjacent to the spot where the Pentagon was struck.

This new Pentagon Memorial is a public memorial, and not be confused with nor to take the place of the existing Pentagon 9/11 Exhibit inside the building, which is more exclusive to Pentagon personnel and not considered a public memorial (see ?Pentagon Memorial to 9/11 Is an Inspiring Site,? DefenseWatch, May 15, 2002).



I knew three victims of the Pentagon attack, and the existing internal Pentagon 9/11 Exhibit helped me honor their memories. However, from my perspective, the greatest tributes to all those who perished in the 9/11 attack was the fact that the Pentagon was open for business as usual on Sept. 12, 2001, and that a team of Pentagon officials and private contractors succeeded in restoring that part of the building destroyed in the attack. The Pentagon was knocked down, but never knocked out. Everything the victims were working for was interrupted, but never completely stopped. The spirit of the victims is alive and well as long as the Pentagon continues to live and breathe.



I am all for an outdoor public memorial to honor the victims of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. I understand the historical significance and the emotional and psychological comforting effect of such a memorial. I know there will be public interest in going to the spot where terrorists attacked the Pentagon and I am sure schools will bring students to it to learn about our global war on terrorism.



Here are some thoughts about this Memorial from some folks in and around the Pentagon that have stuck with me:



* ?At the risk of sounding insensitive to the victims and their families, I wonder if the Memorial?s planners are trying to do too much with a great idea.?



* ?Do we really need a $30-million ($17.5 million for construction and the rest for a maintenance endowment) memorial to honor and remember the 184 innocent victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon? What makes the artistic and elaborate design of the Pentagon Memorial more appropriate than a more humble tribute like a giant brass plaque or granite block monument, with embossed or engraved names of the victims, and simple yet dignified adornments (flags, Service symbols, etc.) on the side of the re-built Pentagon where the terrorists ultimately failed? Thank goodness the funding is private and not being added to everyone?s taxes.?



* ?Are we getting ?monument crazy? in this town, and in this country? I always thought we erected monuments ? especially large, walk-through monuments ? for heroes who did heroic things. Did we not properly honor our fallen soldiers at our many Civil War battlefields when we ?only? erected plaques and simple granite statues??



* ?Instead of raising $30 million for this memorial, why don?t we do something smaller and less expensive and use the rest [of the money] to assist the victims? families who must live with the bitter consequences of the attack? Seems like this memorial idea is less about the victims and their families than it is about creative, artistic interpretation and helping others feel good about paying their respect to the people who died there.?



* ?This memorial is appropriate, and the price tag does not make it any less appropriate. Like Pearl Harbor, the Pentagon was sneak-attacked and many innocent men, women, and children were killed in the opening salvo of what was then an undeclared war against our homeland and way of life. Publicly honoring our war dead has always been, and should always remain, one of our greatest values.?



Death has a very powerful influence on life. How we respond to death shows a lot about the way we view life. From these three events, it is clear to me that although we, as Americans, do not always agree on our values with respect to life and death, we do value both. It is also clear to me that we do value courage, sacrifice, character, human dignity, and service to our country.



I believe William Penn, the religious reformer and founder of Pennsylvania, captured in 1693 the lesson I learned from these events when he said, ?Death cannot kill what never dies.?



Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.



http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/c....4005932344592


Ellie

[MORTARDUDE]

great article. thanks.

larry