Returning Iraq Veterans Paint Grim Picture of War's Toll

[Modem Butterfly]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-iraqvets27.html

Soldiers recently returned from Iraq gave an unfiltered and unflattering assessment of the war's human toll as they detailed their war experiences to a crowd of Oakton Community College students and faculty Wednesday in Des Plaines.

One officer lost more than 38 pounds in the Iraqi desert when his unit ran low on food and water. Another was sent to the front lines without body armor. They witnessed soldiers blown to bits and mourned the loss of others who killed themselves when they returned home -- often excluded from the government's official body count. And they've been frustrated with buddies who have had to wait months for medical services or for their claims to be decided by the Veterans Affairs Department.

"There's a tremendous human cost of this war, and America isn't prepared for it," said Paul Rieckhoff, a former Army infantry platoon leader from New York and founder of Operation Truth, a national soldier organization that is touring college campuses to present an alternative view of the war.

Rieckhoff criticized the military for not releasing the entire number of those killed or injured in Iraq, a figure he said is far greater than the 1,416 listed as killed and 10,622 listed as wounded by the Defense Department.

[Lerkfish]

1. you're trying to sully my beautiful mind with facts!

thank you.

[rocktivity]

2. Paul Rieckhoff should not be a stranger to Air America listeners

"There's a tremendous human cost of this war, and America isn't prepared for it," said Paul Rieckhoff, a former Army infantry platoon leader from New York and founder of Operation Truth, a national soldier organization that is touring college campuses to present an alternative view of the war.

Unfortunately he'll have to stick to visiting Air America and college campuses--don't look for him on the TV news circuit anytime soon.

Also, I object to "alternative view of the war." There is only one view of any war--the truthful one!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Modem Butterfly]

3. Damn straight!

NT

[cybildisobedience]

4. why can't Oprah do a show on something like this?

The senitiment of mainstream American bubbleheads would turn in an instant.

[Modem Butterfly]

7. I disagree

My partner is a veteran of the last Gulf War. We used to have arguments over whether or not women should be in combat. He told me once that women won't be allowed in combat until Americans become comfortable with seeing women come back from a war zone missing arms and legs. Well, a few weeks ago, we were watching a news story about Walter Reed and one of the veterans they interviewed was a female soldier who is now missing her right arm and part of her left leg. My partner looked at me and said, "I guess it finally happened,"

[leftchick]

5. and aWol* is cutting veterans benefits in 2005....

support the troops indeed. <sigh> :(

[Modem Butterfly]

6. The objectification of soldiers

Americans like to objectify our soldiers as "heros" because it creates a comfortable distance. Hearing that 37 Marines died yesterday isn't nearly as visceral as hearing that 37 fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, co-workers, neighbors, fellow parishoners, and human beings died. It's a nice little lie we tell ourselves- bumpersticker slogans and Presidential speeches are supporting our troops, who meanwhile are shedding real human blood in a wholly elective war. Pretty words won't sheild them anymore than the stars and the stripes will. And until we deal with the fact that our "heroes" are flesh-and-blood people who will come back bearing wounds both physical and emotional, we won't begin to be able to really support them.

[opihimoimoi]

8. Basically, our military are here to protect us from harm. What BushCo has

done...is to take these heros and use them to fulfill a plan to enrich/promote HIS friends and agenda.....not Americas...not the National interest, but his and his buddies.