A gray area of thanking troops

Jim Cyr’s OpEd, “Troops show bravery beyond description” (BDN, Jan. 10), is a well-intentioned salute to our troops in Iraq, but it raises some profound questions for all of us. His assertion that their bravery and sacrifice – sometimes ultimate – deserves “a million thank yous every day” and our “maximum respect” should be considered carefully from all sides.

In a simpler world of good and evil it would be natural to thank and celebrate those who bravely stood off threats to our safety, liberty and other things we value. This would be in keeping with our beliefs regarding right and wrong and a moral society. Our military presence in Iraq, however, is not such a situation.

Iraq has never threatened us. So, what if our troops are there as the result of ambitions, lies and miscalculations by our own government, and are aggressors, not defenders? What if it turns out that the “war on terror” is a piece of propaganda designed to keep Americans supporting our military efforts in the Middle East? What if we find that our mission there is about controlling the region and its resources, and not about spreading democracy? Do we then thank our soldiers and their commanders for heroically carrying out an immoral mission? Should we overlook the destruction, the “collateral damage,” the inhumanity of Abu Ghraib and waterboarding, the anarchy and near-civil war that have resulted from our troops being in Iraq and give heartfelt thanks for their efforts?

I realize that many of our troops in Iraq spend their days and energies on constructive projects – something deserving of thanks ordinarily. However, someone has yet to persuade me that it is the right thing to do to bomb and shoot your way into another’s country in order to take on the humanitarian tasks of reconstructing it and quelling the civil war that results among its citizens.

“Fighting the war on terror” as a rationale does not pass the common sense test either. The very name, war on terror, suggests the end of the world (for what is more terrible than war?), which it may well bring about unless we realize that terrorism is a Medusa. For every terrorist we cut down 10 more spring up – a vicious circle that will continue until we wake up and decide to address the real reasons that people are driven to terrorism.

“Bringing democracy to the region” is just another doomed mission. Our version of democracy doesn’t look too good to the rest of the world right now as the administration plays fast and loose with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and we don’t seem to be able to manage an undisputed election. Is this something to export – at gunpoint – to another country?

Granted our troops in Iraq have a hard, dangerous job, but you can’t argue that someone’s got to do it because no one should be doing it. They’re all volunteers. I do not doubt that most of them joined out of a sincere desire to serve the good of the country. From the generals on down they have been well trained to honor the chain of command and not question orders, and now they find themselves required to put their lives on the line for an illegal and immoral cause. For any troops who have access to the perspective needed to think about this, it is a real predicament, and my “maximum respect” will be reserved for those who do question it – and accept the consequences.

We desperately need heroes, but not with guns and bombs blazing. We need them here at home to confront a real threat to our safety, liberty and way of life. We need brave heroes here who are not afraid of standing up in Congress and defending the Constitution and Bill of Rights, heroes who will stop Congress from enabling an administration bent on lining its own pockets at the world’s expense.

I’m sorry, but there are just too many questions about this “war” for me to muster the kind of passionate patriotic feelings Mr. Cyr is asking for. American flags nailed to every light pole in town and columns such as his ring very hollow – they are attempts to whip up a sentiment that we remember from sometime long ago, but that is essentially missing now. It is tempting to wrap ourselves in fuzzy patriotic zeal because it distracts us from thinking about the reality of what is going on. We cry, “Support the troops who sacrifice so much for us” without thinking about what it is that they are actually doing. It is dangerous to be lulled into not thinking – it results in messes like the one we’re in.

Yes, support the troops – by bringing them home right now. Have them put aside their guns and get to work making things better here for our own people. Extend our sincere apologies to Iraq and say that once we put our own house in order we will try to find some way to make amends for our grievous mistake. We have a long humbling road ahead of us to get back to being a nation that swells the heart with pride.

Carl A. Chase, a retired teacher, lives in Brooksville.