Soldiers raise questions about war

5/1/08

By Nat Forcier
Special to the Critic

On the morning of 9/11, Nick Davis, Afghanistan/Iraq War veteran and former LSC student, was down a foxhole training with his M16 along with other Army personnel. Drill sergeants told everyone to halt, gathered together after some initial confusion, and resumed the exercise. The Army chose not to share the details and Davis had no access to the media.

Many join our armed forces and "deploy with noble intentions," Matt Howard, president of the Vermont chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War and UVM student, told an LSC audience in April. But Howard said, "I didn't sign up to have contractors make billions. . . . Iraq as a country does not exist. It is rubble." Howard joined the Marines pre-9/11, because he lacked direction, understood the benefits after service, and out of an "allegiance to the Constitution." Davis joined for similar reasons and is proud of his Company's efforts: "We did it awesome." He, like other Americans trusted in the prowess of our military, and thought, "Who is gonna mess with us?" He did not anticipate serving one tour of duty in Afghanistan and two in Iraq.

LSC professor Patricia Shine has a nephew who served and was honorably discharged. He established a business in Florida and, then as part of the Stop Loss policy, was called back to serve again; he lost his business and investment. For family members, Shine said, it is "just a nightmare." Stop Loss enables the military to require, if it chooses, service 90 days before a volunteer's start date and extends service 90 days beyond the end of one's service. During this extension, another tour of duty can be demanded. This is often referred to as a sort of "back door draft." Davis signed up for 4 years active duty and 4 years inactive duty with the Army. He has served his Stop Loss tour and, with one year left of inactive duty, is contacted every couple of weeks by recruiters updating his information. He is cooperative and hopes to remain a student in the meanwhile, but the stress of knowing that he may have to return to the Middle East is uncomfortable. It's "hard for families," Davis said. He realizes that with "one little signature [the] non-deployable crap is thrown out the window."

Howard suggests each of us take seriously the idea that the war "was being done in your name. . . . Get informed, do the research, and know the geopolitics behind it." 4027 soldiers have died in Iraq and the number approaches 500 in Afghanistan. Civilians have suffered far greater losses -- men, women and children.

"Even if you don't support the war, you can always support the soldiers," Davis said. According to the Congressional Budget Office, "As of December 2006, more than 1 million active-duty military personnel and over 400,000 reservists had deployed to combat operations in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters."

While this war may not seem to touch us all, as casualties increase, it reaches deeper. Our veterans return in need of care and now the order "don't diagnose PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)," said Howard, has come down. This recognized detriment of war is considered a "pre-existing personality disorder" and thereby relieves the government of the responsibility of treatment for those suffering. Traumatic brain injuries are also of particular concern in this war. The projected lifetime cost for treatment of these bomb blast injuries is $35 million. Shine indicated that as funding continues to be spent on the Global War on Terror, other services are "losing major funding and it's not going to get any better. . . . We are ethically-bound to hold elected representatives accountable." The War List reports that "according to secret Pentagon study, Marines KIA [killed in action] from upper body wounds that might have survived with extra armor, 2003-2005 [equals] 80%." Cries about inadequate equipment fell upon deaf ears. We cannot let the same mistake be made with services denied our veterans.

While our military serves abroad in a certain capacity, these soldiers are ready to fulfill duty in this country should it become necessary. Send mail and shoeboxes full of items! Davis said that "mail is better than email. It's like a present. Don't expect a thank you letter back," but know that your gift is well-received. A handmade envelope from a friend meant a lot to him. The woman who became his girlfriend made a wreath with her mother of Vermont balsam and Davis hung it in his tent until it was brown; he had to be asked to take it down. Yellow ribbons are meaningful for troops to see. Davis also said, "I wish people talked more to soldiers." They have stories to tell and the telling may benefit both the veteran and the listener.

In Part II, a discussion of how we can become better informed, the role of National Guard, and LSC Vietnam veterans consider the issue of how to respond to war and how to best support the troops.