DeeEl's Mo Chroí Scríofa

Don’t Ask, Because I Won’t Tell

Wars have been fought for thousands of years.  While there are times boasting is appropriate, there are times when the acts of war should remain silent.  After memorials had been built to honor veterans and fallen soldiers from various wars, the vets of WWII were disappointed that none had been erected to honor them.  Many gave up their youth and lied about their age to go and fight and defend the United States.  What they were told was it was their fault none had been erected.  After all, they refused to talk about their experience so why should they be honored.  I was hurt and felt injured by this so I can only imagine what those vets felt.

I was recently reading the article “Private Places” in the March/April edition of Sierra  Magazine.  It was about a handful of vets on an Outward Bound expedition in the Sierra mountains.  The article began with a quote by one of the vets stating not to ask if any of them had ever killed anyone.  I pondered this and considered past stories I have heard.  The WWII vets weren’t commemorated with a memorial, WWI vets waited till late in life (Harry Patch didn’t speak till he was 100 years old) to tell their stories and now the current war in Iraq have all produced veterans not desiring to speak about what happened.  In part PTSD is accountable, but also (I speak only from what I have seen and imagine I would feel as I have never fought in a war) wanting to spare innocents from the hell of war,

Many in the media like to press and try to force the vets to talk openly about their experiences.  I think those so-called journalists should be put on the front lines with only their pencil and a tablet of paper and no journalist credentials.  If they make it back alive, allow their fellow journalists to force them to talk.

I love history and believe everyone should tell their stories.  However, there are certain lines that should never be crossed.  Asking someone if they have ever killed another human being (except for police questioning regarding murder) is just wrong.  Asking how it felt to take another human life, just to get a story should never be allowed.  Encouraging vets to tell their stories is well worth it.  Being able to take down the history of what happened can be passed on to future generations instead of having false information come in to play decades later such as has happened with the American Revolution, the creation of the first flag, the American Civil War, etc.   However, you do not need to record the number of people one soldier has killed nor the method and how they felt about killing another person.

During the local Independence Day telecast, the news anchors interviewed a local soldier just returned from the war.  The first question asked was “How was that for you?”  I was amazed at that, although I don’t know why.  Give veterans a bit of breathing room when they return.  Have respect for what they have just experienced knowing that they are forever changed.  When they are ready to talk, ask.  But, don’t ask if or how they have killed someone.  That is one experience no one should have to live through the first time, let alone reliving it to satisfy your morbid curiosity.

Ignorance Isn’t Always Bliss

The assimilation of the internet into the daily lives of the vast population of the world affords the ability to explore the truths about our fellow human beings.  We have, literally, at our fingertips the ability to learn and understand cultures which are not our own.  So why is there still so much ignorance and hatred masquerading as intelligent personage?

On Thursday November 5, 2009, a mass shooting took place on an American military base on US soil.  It has been said that this is the worst shooting at an American military installation in history.  While no reports initially coming out of Fort Hood indicating any type of terrorist activity, people began posting on social networks (i.e.: Facebook, Twitter, etc.) that the shooter was Muslim and indicated it therefore had to be an act of terrorism.

Reports that I watched bespoke Maj. Nidal Malik had had several deployments and was working as a psychiatrist with many individuals returning from deployment with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  However, even the experts can miss or even supress symptoms of PTSD in themselves.

Ignorance regarding other religions and cultures leads to untoward hatred.  Ignorance regarding mental illness in general and PTSD specifically, leads to fear and ill-fated hatred.  Hence, all roads lead to hatred.

In the 1958 film South Pacific, the song “You Have To Be Taught” was sung by sung by two of the primary leads.  One an American, the other a Frenchman.  they had both fallen in love with someone outside their upbringing.  Trying to justify not following their hearts regarding love, the American and the American the Frenchman fell in love with discussed the hatred they were taught to have toward all those who are different from themselves and their American families.

I was raised more or less sheltered from the hatred in the outside world.  However, I knew that my family was prejudiced against blacks and anyone not of the ‘christian’ faith.  I was not overtly subjected to acts of hatred or even slurs, but I knew.  I even found myself as an adult having similar ideation.

Two years ago I really began to look at myself deeper.  I found myself calling people friend that had I known certain things about them before, I would not have gotten any closer to them than as an acquaintance.  The internet allowed me to get to know people from different religions, cultures and political affiliations without the bias of knowing these things.  I found that I get to know and enjoy people who are differnt from me.

The old cliche’ “nothing new under the sun” is so accurate it’s scary.  Small minded people have been stiring up fear and hatred in otherwise intelligent people since the beginning of time.  The problem today is the ease of information flowing out for our education.  In other words, there is NO excuse for ignorant fear and hatred in societies today.  I wonder if Maj. Malik’s name were Johnson or Greene, would people have been so fast to holler “terrorist”?  Today, education is bliss  ~~  ignorance is remiss.

This post was actually written 11/6/09, however, due to computer issues I was unable to publish it till now.