My Late Reply to a Disturbing Conversation Overheard in the Bathroom
Saturday, Sean and I arrived early at Dining Out, as he was appointed to the color guard and to toast the commander-in-chief (Yes, Anna, that would be George W. Bush). The color guard planned to arrive early to practice, as they had to deal with the table configurations, low ceilings with large beams, and cramped conditions. After we arrived, Sean introduced me to several soldiers and their wives, so I would have someone to talk to while he attended to the rehearsal. Everyone was so kind, and I was comforted to find that I wasn’t the only one who felt like I was in a foreign land.
After chatting with the ladies a bit, I excused myself to the restroom upstairs. The bathroom was small with cloudy glass windows, adjacent to an outside deck where small groups of people were sitting and talking. The Army event was not the only event on the boat that evening. The upper window was open to let in some air, and I overheard a very loud conversation as I was washing my hands. To my surprise, I felt overwhelmed by the conversation that carried in through the open window.
A woman was telling a story about the son of a friend of hers who served for a year in Iraq. According to this woman, he was ordered to shoot children who would approach the vehicles—and so he did. It didn’t matter how the children approached, they were ordered to kill them. She said that as a result of this he had suffered severe psychological effects, which ultimately resulted in abuse to his wife and children and the demise of his marriage. He believed that God would never forgive him for what he had done in Iraq. She closed her story by saying that Bush had destroyed the lives of thousands of American soldiers and their families and that God should never forgive him.
I was stunned as I stood there with the water still running over my hands as I listened to this. From where I was, I couldn’t see any of the members of this conversation, but their voices were carried loud and clear into the bathroom. I don’t believe that she has the story right—soldiers I’ve spoken to have talked about how recent events have created a situation where soldiers are constantly second-guessing when they should shoot in order NOT to harm civilians. In fact, Sean says that there are strict “Rules of Engagement” over there. Unfortunately, this has created a dangerous situation for our soldiers. Soldiers are being held personally and legally responsible in this war for murder and other atrocities, which makes it different from other wars. We’ve seen Abu Graib in our newspapers and on our T.V.’s. We’ve read about their trials as well as other examples (i.e. Haditha, memories of a massacre, etc.). And now we have the media, or some unknown source, spilling lies about soldiers killing innocent civilians and children. If the story is true, and children were tragically killed, the soldiers would not have shot—or been ordered to unless these children were viewed as an immediate threat.
How could I stand to listen to such propaganda when I was at an honorable military function? She obviously didn’t know that there were going to be sixty United States service members attending a formal gathering on this very boat. Later in the evening at the banquet, we would honor the fallen soldiers. How could I gather my thoughts with such lies being told?
After this disturbing experience, I quickly went to find Sean to tell him what had happened. I was furious and confused as to what to do. Sean didn’t want a confrontation nor did we want to go around the boat looking for trouble. But I wanted that lady to know what is really happening over there, what my boyfriend went through, what 147,000 soldiers and United States civilian contractors are going through at this very moment while she was relaxing on deck enjoying cocktails with her friends. I wanted her to know that although war is not a happy place, we are doing good things to better a people. We are spreading peace and freedom on a populace that has only known violence, poverty and repression; we are controlling a powder keg between religious factions Shia’at, Sunni, and Islamic Fundamentalists (terrorists); we have introduced democracy; we are making huge infrastructure changes over there, (i.e. building schools, roads, aqueducts, and bridges); and we are making sure that terrorists and people that want to KILL us, stay in the Middle East rather than come to our sacred soil to cause harm and death to Americans (again!). It is not about oil! It is about nation building in a place that hasn’t had a nation since agriculture was introduced. In retrospect, we took out a lot of bad people back in 2003--including Saddam Hussein. We continue to do what our Commander in Chief has envisioned, although the end seems futile at times. Cut and Run or Stay the Course---what we have to look forward to is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chávez in 2007.
Next time you talk outside my bathroom window, please be advised that I am listening and I will share my opinion if not with you, than with others!
After chatting with the ladies a bit, I excused myself to the restroom upstairs. The bathroom was small with cloudy glass windows, adjacent to an outside deck where small groups of people were sitting and talking. The Army event was not the only event on the boat that evening. The upper window was open to let in some air, and I overheard a very loud conversation as I was washing my hands. To my surprise, I felt overwhelmed by the conversation that carried in through the open window.
A woman was telling a story about the son of a friend of hers who served for a year in Iraq. According to this woman, he was ordered to shoot children who would approach the vehicles—and so he did. It didn’t matter how the children approached, they were ordered to kill them. She said that as a result of this he had suffered severe psychological effects, which ultimately resulted in abuse to his wife and children and the demise of his marriage. He believed that God would never forgive him for what he had done in Iraq. She closed her story by saying that Bush had destroyed the lives of thousands of American soldiers and their families and that God should never forgive him.
I was stunned as I stood there with the water still running over my hands as I listened to this. From where I was, I couldn’t see any of the members of this conversation, but their voices were carried loud and clear into the bathroom. I don’t believe that she has the story right—soldiers I’ve spoken to have talked about how recent events have created a situation where soldiers are constantly second-guessing when they should shoot in order NOT to harm civilians. In fact, Sean says that there are strict “Rules of Engagement” over there. Unfortunately, this has created a dangerous situation for our soldiers. Soldiers are being held personally and legally responsible in this war for murder and other atrocities, which makes it different from other wars. We’ve seen Abu Graib in our newspapers and on our T.V.’s. We’ve read about their trials as well as other examples (i.e. Haditha, memories of a massacre, etc.). And now we have the media, or some unknown source, spilling lies about soldiers killing innocent civilians and children. If the story is true, and children were tragically killed, the soldiers would not have shot—or been ordered to unless these children were viewed as an immediate threat.
How could I stand to listen to such propaganda when I was at an honorable military function? She obviously didn’t know that there were going to be sixty United States service members attending a formal gathering on this very boat. Later in the evening at the banquet, we would honor the fallen soldiers. How could I gather my thoughts with such lies being told?
After this disturbing experience, I quickly went to find Sean to tell him what had happened. I was furious and confused as to what to do. Sean didn’t want a confrontation nor did we want to go around the boat looking for trouble. But I wanted that lady to know what is really happening over there, what my boyfriend went through, what 147,000 soldiers and United States civilian contractors are going through at this very moment while she was relaxing on deck enjoying cocktails with her friends. I wanted her to know that although war is not a happy place, we are doing good things to better a people. We are spreading peace and freedom on a populace that has only known violence, poverty and repression; we are controlling a powder keg between religious factions Shia’at, Sunni, and Islamic Fundamentalists (terrorists); we have introduced democracy; we are making huge infrastructure changes over there, (i.e. building schools, roads, aqueducts, and bridges); and we are making sure that terrorists and people that want to KILL us, stay in the Middle East rather than come to our sacred soil to cause harm and death to Americans (again!). It is not about oil! It is about nation building in a place that hasn’t had a nation since agriculture was introduced. In retrospect, we took out a lot of bad people back in 2003--including Saddam Hussein. We continue to do what our Commander in Chief has envisioned, although the end seems futile at times. Cut and Run or Stay the Course---what we have to look forward to is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chávez in 2007.
Next time you talk outside my bathroom window, please be advised that I am listening and I will share my opinion if not with you, than with others!
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