Eloquence, Part II

Having a loss in my own family in the not so distant past--my father, who, incidentally, was a career military officer (22 years in the United States Navy. He was a pilot, who flew planes like the E-1 Tracer, the S-2 Tracker, and C-2 Greyhound. Following his military career, he continued to fly as a private pilot for a company here in Louisiana)...anyway, I can strongly relate to this latest post from Cindy Sheehan:

The most emotional thing for me though was walking through the main tent and seeing the huge painting on canvas of Casey. Many things hit me all at once: That this huge movement began because of Casey's sacrifice; thousands, if not millions of people know about Casey and how he lived his life and the wrongful way in which he was killed; but the thing that hit me the hardest was how much I miss him. I miss him more every day. It seems the void in my life grows as time goes on and I realize I am never going to see him again or hear his voice. (my italics).

It's not nearly the same for an adult to lose a parent, as opposed to a parent losing a child, but I know exactly what Cindy Sheehan means about never being able to see or hear someone ever again.

That said, there's the other side of the coin, namely, those small kids who will never see their parents--I've posted before about this, because that also hit kind of close to home: I remember quite well the times dad was called away for long hitches--although he always came back safe and sound, those were difficult times for our family. For kids who've lost a parent, I can't even imagine how tough that must be.

When blowhards--like Mark Williams--so casually bark about death (the whole "well, they KNEW what they were getting into when they elisted" crap), I really do begin a slow boil--not only because it's just plain callous, but it also demonstrates a remarkable ignorance of the modern military--where, like it or not, even basic infantry personnel are extensively trained. A death doesn't simply mean "put 'em in a box and bring up another." Specialists like my dad represent (or, in his case, represented), among other things, a substantial investment on the part of the military. Finally, they may be soldiers, but these are people as well--with families and friends...their loss isn't simply another number (the wingnut interpretation).

Cindy Sheehan, in her own way, makes that point with her words and deeds. She truly represents the best of the United States--and those who denigrate her, well, calling them wingnuts is really almost too kind.