Activists Observe 1000th Afghanistan Death
BOSTON/Boston Common - With the message "Not one more Death, Not One Dollar More!", about 100 military family members, veterans, and peace activists marked the 1,000 death of a U.S. soldier in Operation Enduring Freedom Monday afternoon at Park Street Station in Boston.
OEF is the military's name for the Afghanistan conflict. 930 of those victims died in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, and 70 in other parts of the world.
Veterans read aloud the names of 60 New England residents who lost their lives in the conflict, and 60 names of Afghan civilians who died were also read. The names of the 1,000 dead were inscribed on postcards calling on Congress to stop funding the war; those assembled signed the cards, which will be sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pat Scanlon of Veterans for Peace Smedley Butler Brigade led songs and spoke in grief, frustration and anger. Melida Arredondo, stepmother of a soldier who died in the Iraq war, denounced the war. Joyce and Kevin Lucey's statement expressing the grief of parents whose son committed suicide after returning home from war was read by Deb Forter of Military Families Speak Out. Matt Andrews of Greater Boston Stop the Wars Coalition, Marie Jackson-Miller of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and Sarah Roche-Mahdi drew out the importance of opposing the war. David Fillingham of VfP read a poem by Langston Hughes, and Unitarian-Universalist minister and VfP board member Lara Hoke closed the remarks.
Following are Pat Scanlon's remarks.
"We are here together to mark a very sad occasion, a very sad day marking the death of the 1,000th soldier, a sad day for his family and friends, a sad day for all of us gathered here and across the country in similar small gatherings and last but not least this is a sad day for this country. Over the past week or so, As the number of deaths of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan started to escalate towards 1,000, I started to have a fantasy, of what I knew was irrational hopes. How wonderful it would have been for the count just to stop and not have any more deaths. Not have to be here, I don't want to be here, I don't want to mark the 1,000 death. But sadly I knew, as we knew in Iraq and as we knew in Vietnam that the number of causalities would continue to grow and that it was inevitable, isn't that heartbreaking, it was inevitable, that we would be out here together at Park Street Station sadly and solemnly marking this event.
"Today, I am caught up with a number of different emotions. First I feel profound sadness and emptiness over the loss of these, our treasure, our hope, our future. Events like this draw me back to Vietnam, to the body bags and those grey coffins. All of those raw emotions from forty years ago come rushing back and are so very real and present today. I don't see a number, but sadly that is what most Americans will see and hear, if they see and hear at all. They may hear a name mentioned on TV or the radio, which also most likely doesn't mean anything to them. Today, this kind of news is so common place, so impersonal, it is as if it is inevitable, we take it for granted, we have all been pacified. Well those names mean something to me, they represent real people, those names mean something to everyone standing here today. Each and every one of those names means a son or daughter, a brother, sister, father, mother, uncle, aunt, cousin, friend, relative, neighbor, classmate, teammate or co-worker. I see the faces of these kids, and for the most part that is what they are - kids. We were all kids in Vietnam, they are kids today. I see can them, they are of all colors, all races and from all religions. They had hopes and dreams, they laughed and cried, they loved, they had interests and passions, they were beautiful, they had a future. I see their families, friends and neighbors, I see their grief, I feel their pain, I have been there, I am there again today. I see and hear the solemn religious service, the flag at half mast, the honor guard, I see the cemetery and I hear the bugler playing taps and I hear the last prayer. After that there will always be that ever persistent feeling of loss and emptiness of what could have been, what should have been and the ever present question of why, that will never be able to be answered.
"I feel a bit bewildered and frustrated today.
"Nine long years of war and it is looking more and more like Vietnam every day. I am frustrated because we work so hard to stop these wars. We petition, write letters, make phone calls, fight war funding, talk to our Congressmen and Senators, protest, march and sometimes get arrested. Yet with all the effort, it seems to be all for not because nothing ever seems to change, nothing is resolved. The war machine keeps rolling along and people keep dieing.
"Where is everyone, where are the masses, why does it seem that no one, other then a small group really cares? A small group that others view as a fringe group, anti-war, anti American, anti-establishment, flag hating, enemy sympathizers, those peace nicks. It is true that we are peace-nicks and I am proud to be one in the midst of such a violent society. Some of us are ashamed of what our country has done. Some of us are ashamed that our flag has been used to support and condone war. But none of the rest is true, we are the real patriots and don't ever forget that. There should be thousands down here, but no, it is always seems to be the same faces, the same signs, the same concern, the same passion. Each and every one of us are here today because we have to be here. We all just have to be here. I can't think of another place I should be right at this moment and I am sure you can't either. We are drawn together to witness and mourn the loss that we all have experienced today. We are drawn together because being people of conscience we have to stand up to war mongers, the war machine, to injustice. I am physically a little sick today, but I had to be here. We all had to be here, to stand in solidarity, together, in solemn remembrance of all these soldiers from number one to one thousand and to express our continued opposition to these wars, to the ongoing killing, destruction and mayhem.
"I also feel anger today. Real anger at a country, a government, a foreign policy that is more intent on waging war then of waging peace. More intent on power and domination and building an empire around the world then on peace, justice, fairness, acceptance of differences, open communication and understanding. Is more willing to put our tax dollars into the military industrial complex for more tanks, planes and guns plus the latest in missile, stealth and drone technology than for universal health care, a sound future focused energy policy, environmental stewardship, affordable education for all, sound and fair jobs programs, decent housing, the list goes on.
"I feel manipulated. The Bush Administration was so adept at controlling public opinion. Their public relations team worked overtime in figuring out how to present the war and put our massive death and destruction in the most favorable light to the American public. Remember not being able to see those coffins coming home. Remember how they kept changing the reason for going into Iraq trying one reason after another hoping one would stick. From those weapons of mass destruction to bringing democracy to the middle-east. Now we have a new president swept into office on the winds of hope and change - but in regards to war and peace, what has really changed? This administration is repeating the same war tactics, the same empire building as the previous administration, with the same old faces and same old ideas when it comes to war and peace. What has changed is his way of presenting his war policy. Once again, it is all smoke and mirrors and an expensive public relations campaign, all designed to manipulate and disarm his potential critics. Don't you love how he says he is escalating and withdrawing U.S. combat forces all in the same breath. It is the statement that we are "withdrawing combat troops" that sticks in peoples minds as the troops are boarding troop transports to take them into combat and harms way. The impression is left that this will be of a short duration and our men and women are coming home soon. If you actually believe that I have a bridge in Arizona I want to talk to you about. Tens of thousands of our men and women will be in Iraq and Afghanistan for at least the next ten years and probably into the foreseeable future. Oh, and please don't take your eye off the next encounter. The military is preparing an enhanced bunker buster capable of penetrating sixty feet of concrete. Which country do you think will be the beneficiary of that new technology?
"Amidst the feelings of sadness, emptiness, confusion, frustration, manipulation and anger that I am feeling today. I also feel a renewed sense of commitment. Even though we are small in number, we know we are right. We are on the right side of justice, fairness and history. Even in the face of right wing attacks and a country that has seemingly forgotten that two wars are still in process. A country that is preoccupied with the economy, jobs, fox news and Tiger Woods, we have to carry on. We have to carry on in hopes that today's event is never repeated. We have to carry on for all the other soldiers who will soon be in harms way. We have to carry on for all the victims of war. We have to carry on, we can't turn away. We just have to carry on, together.
"May they all rest in peace.
"Thank you."
Comments
Speech to mark 1000th US death in Afghanistan
By Matthew Andrews
Greater Boston Stop the Wars Coalition
Socialist Party of Boston
Today the list of casualties among the U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan reached 1,000. Marking this occasion has become a tradition in the peace movement as we saw the death toll in Iraq pass one, two, and then three thousand. The news of our carefully counted 1000th casualty is accompanied with the news that 33 Afghan civilians were killed by a NATO airstrike in Uruzgan province. The exact total dead suffered by the Afghan people is not counted by our military, although circumstantial evidence suggests thirty-three to one is as good a guess as any.
How many have died is not important to me. What is important is that their deaths were unjust and preventable. Let's not refer to the dead as troops or terrorists. Both of these labels tend to justify their deaths and rob them of their humanity. Putting on a uniform or picking up a weapon doesn't make them any less human. Their deaths are tragic and we must lay blame not on them, but on a political and economic system that creates troops and terrorists out of brothers and sisters.
This day reminds me of why I have committed myself to the anti-war cause. A long time ago I came to realize my connection with all living things. We are all a part of the same living eco-system. From this universal perspective it should be obvious that we are all equally deserving of our human rights and dignity. All men are my brothers and all women are my sisters. But by the fate of fortune I have the privilege to be standing here speaking to you while so many others have suffered a cruel and untimely demise under the leadership of our government.
We cannot continue to rally only when the fatalities of war reach a new round number. We owe those who have died; those who continue to suffer; and those yet to be victimized at the front lines of this war much more than we have offered so far. I don't care how many rallies I have to attend, how many meetings I have to sit through, or how many phone calls I must make. These are not inconveniences in my life. This work is the honor, privilege and duty of my life; and I am grateful to have it so easy.
We cannot afford to put the burden of fighting against this war on the veterans, their families, or even the core of the peace movement. Everyone is responsible. Everyone has a legitimate voice. Everyone's participation will be necessary if we are going to stop these wars. In the words of the late historian Howard Zinn, “You can't stand still on a moving train.” Don't let anyone get caught standing still on the question of war.
Our distance from war, both physical and psychological, has provided our unwitting consent and a slippery escape for the warmakers in Washington. In this global society, we must not allow our physical distance or personal identity to limit our compassion or sense of ethical responsibility to one another. My challenge to you, and every U.S. citizen, is to break through this shroud that protects war. Get to know the people of Afghanistan. Learn about the history of Afghanistan and U.S. militarism around the world. Get to know the veterans and their families in our communities. Make this war personal to you, and you will find the time and courage necessary to fight back.
I believe in the good character of the American people. If we lived in a true democracy we would not have chosen to build this global military empire and we would not be occupying Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States government was a tepid experiment in democracy that has turned into a murderous monster. The people's history of the United States has been the history of trying to tame this monster. I say “enough!” the monster must be slain! The American people deserve, and have a right to, an authentic democracy – a democracy based on a classless exploitationless society where we own our own economy, and govern our own communities. Only by slaying this monster can we crush the seeds of war, tear down nationalist barriers to solidarity, abolish capitalist exploitation, share in our common wealth, and live in true peace and security with the Earth and all its people.