Are They Forgotten?
I suppose in a way this is a shameless blog promotion.
But it's not my blog. I only know the author of the blog as a very new social networking contact.
I say the author, but she's really more of an editor than an author in this case.
You see, what she is doing is giving the US Soldiers in Afghanistan an outlet for their voice. Or thus far at least one of them in any case.
Firstly, does anybody remember that Afghanistan, not Iraq, was the original country American troops were posted in during this “War on Terror?” Yea, it’s true folks; American Forces found themselves being deployed to Afghanistan in 2001, while the initial Iraqi invasion occurred in the Spring of 2003. Why is it, then, that Iraq is the war? Why is it that the first response many of us deployed to Afghanistan get when mentioning our current assignment to friends and family is “Oh well, at least you aren’t in Iraq?“
Have we forgotten these brave men and women who have sacrificed a portion of their lives, if not indeed their life itself, in the interest of our nation?
In many key and central ways we have.
It's not as interesting as Iraq for many reasons, largely political in nature, but also in some respects cultural. The political reasons behind our neglect are fairly obvious and easy to spot, or at least easy to recognize and admit once pointed out.
But the cultural reasons are telling, and they are the more important reasons. The political can not act against the cultural without accepting grave risk to it's power structure, so these Men and Women who would defend our "Grand Experiment" can only be politically forgotten once they have been culturally forgotten.
Why have we forgotten them culturally? The biggest reason is that they have not yet captured that man. Now, whether this is because they can not do it, or if it is because that have not been given reign to do it, is another argument for another time. The reason that they have not captured that man are not relevant to the cultural effect of the fact that they have not.
In the US it is no longer enough to prevail. You must prevail soon. You must prevail before something else comes along that we can wrap or fears and hopes, our needs and generosity in. if Iraq rolls around before you capture that man, well, culturally you lose. Especially if Iraq provides us with more divisive language to use against each other than your "forgotten little war" did.
So, have we forgotten these men and women? More importantly, can we recover our memory of them? Must they become numbers in a distant history book? These proud brave representatives of our Shining City on a Hill?
Above my computer I have five objects on the wall. One is a picture of Diane, who is the most beautiful woman in my world. Two others are pictures of K'tala and of Devan, my children who have taught me things I would never have guessed were there to be known.
The last two things are the Stars and Stripes and a large black banner with a white profile and the Words "You Are Not Forgotten" and "POW/MIA". A slogan from another era, but no less important today, if for slightly different reasons than it ever was. We must never forget those who never came home from that war, and we must not forget those who fight this one for us.
I would like to urge you to go right now and visit "A Soldiers Voice" at http://soldiersvoice.wordpress.com/
Post a comment and let the Soldiers fighting the forgotten war know that we have not forgotten.
Please feel free, or even better, compelled to copy this article in it's entirety and post it wherever you would post it. Please do not credit me, just link to the voice of a soldier who needs to know you have not forgotten him.
http://soldiersvoice.wordpress.com/
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I've just visited the blog
I've just visited the blog you've recommended on this post. I've never seen such type of blog before. It's so unique and very informative at the same time. Send my regards to the owner of that blog.
Great post keep it up. My
Great post keep it up. My brother is in Afghanastan and I guarantee you we haven't forgotten. But it does seem as if everyone else has. It was great to read the comments and see not everyone has fordotten about our troops.
Nice article, thankyou soo
Nice article, thankyou soo much!
Thank you for this article.
Thank you for this article. Very informative. Most people only see what is on the news, and this gives us a great insight on what is really going on.
I would just say GREAT about
I would just say GREAT about this article... I know that you are correct that we have forgot about the sacrifice of the soldiers who made there life hell in IRAQ and AFGANISTAN. But thanks to you for this article and giving us a reminder.
very cool blog dude good job.
very cool blog dude good job.
They are not forgotten, as
They are not forgotten, as none of the troops all over the world. However there is no oil in Afhganistan, otherwise they would be mentioned more often.
They often be forgotten by
They often be forgotten by people that don't have any love one or relatives serving the War. We should care more about this. By blogging this would help some of us remember. Great topics.
Dane - Awesome. Thank you
Dane - Awesome. Thank you for remembering.
Hmm very interesting i like
Hmm very interesting i like it.
Very nice point. We
Very nice point. We shouldn't forget our brave men and women who have sacrificed a portion of their lives, if not indeed their life itself, in the interest of our nation. We should asking ourselves, "Have we done anything that is worth compared to them?
I like this blog very much
I like this blog very much and even i'm trying to
post blog tips and SEO in my blog. I would like to read
more from this blog. Can we have link exchange? If
so just drop by my blog.
It is very important to make
It is very important to make sure that the people of Afghan are protected..I think they are being manipulated and abused too much..
Tanx for reminding everyone
Tanx for reminding everyone about the War. I, myself often think there's no war going on. Guess I'm living in my own fantasy world.
Wow, very powerful. Thanks
Wow, very powerful. Thanks for reminding us.
-Jeff
What a great cause. I think
What a great cause. I think everyone needs a reminder.
Nice post Damion told me to
Nice post Damion told me to stop by, nice blog.
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My brother in law Capt Mark
My brother in law Capt Mark T Resh was KIA near Najaf, Iraq Jan. 2007. Whether it is Afghanistan or Iraq our brave boys and girls need our support. Thank you for a provocative and needful piece.
Great site, thanks for
Great site, thanks for sharing the link.
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save gas
Thanks for this post. No
Thanks for this post. No matter what people say or what the media discusses, we should support our troops no matter what.
They are never forgotten. I
They are never forgotten. I thank God for them every single day. Americans seem to have a very short memory and attention span. It's sad.
This is an awesome idea. I
This is an awesome idea.
I have friends serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and would do what I can to help them, and EVERY other troop!
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I appreciate that you
I appreciate that you brought this issue up. The war in Iraq impacts us all. I enjoyed reading your post and I wanted to say thank you for sharing!
Wow, very powerful. Thanks
Wow, very powerful. Thanks for spreading the word about this.
Every day i pray for our non
Every day i pray for our non forgotten soldiers protecting our childrens future.
Thanks For bringing the subject up, I assure you they are never forgotten.
God Bless
This is a great idea! I have
This is a great idea! I have family in Afghanistan, and sometimes it does feel like my loved one is forgotten over there.
I think its awful how the
I think its awful how the war in Afghanistan seems to be forgotten, theres a great documentary on at the moment in the UK which goes someway to show how neglected the british troops feel out there which is well worth a watch.
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[...] Are They Forgotten? [...]
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