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January 03, 2006

A Life, Wasted

When a soldier dies while serving in Iraq, does that make them a hero?

I've wondered before if we're not a bit too freewheeling with that label.

This grieving parent whose son was killed in Haditha, argues that "hero" is about the life, not death:

Early on Aug. 3, 2005, we heard that 14 Marines had been killed in Haditha, Iraq. Our son, Lance Cpl. Edward "Augie" Schroeder II, was stationed there. At 10:45 a.m. two Marines showed up at our door. After collecting himself for what was clearly painful duty, the lieutenant colonel said, "Your son is a true American hero."

Since then, two reactions to Augie's death have compounded the sadness.

At times like this, people say, "He died a hero." I know this is meant with great sincerity. We appreciate the many condolences we have received and how helpful they have been. But when heard repeatedly, the phrases "he died a hero" or "he died a patriot" or "he died for his country" rub raw.

"People think that if they say that, somehow it makes it okay that he died," our daughter, Amanda, has said. "He was a hero before he died, not just because he went to Iraq. I was proud of him before, and being a patriot doesn't make his death okay. I'm glad he got so much respect at his funeral, but that didn't make it okay either."

We've watched our leaders wrap themselves in the flag with the Iraq War. We've heard them claim that those who are against it and speak out are traitors and unpatriotic. Our soldiers who've been sent to die needlessly are labeled as "heros" in a war that shouldn't have happened, as if their deaths are justifiable.

The author of the Post piece, Paul E. Schroeder, offers an eloquent rebuttal to this notion:

Doing your duty when you don't know whether you will see the end of the day is certainly heroic. But even more, being a hero comes from respecting your parents and all others, from helping your neighbors and strangers, from loving your spouse, your children, your neighbors and your enemies, from honesty and integrity, from knowing when to fight and when to walk away, and from understanding and respecting the differences among the people of the world.

Two painful questions remain for all of us. Are the lives of Americans being killed in Iraq wasted? Are they dying in vain? President Bush says those who criticize staying the course are not honoring the dead. That is twisted logic: honor the fallen by killing another 2,000 troops in a broken policy?

I choose to honor our fallen hero by remembering who he was in life, not how he died. A picture of a smiling Augie in Iraq, sunglasses turned upside down, shows his essence -- a joyous kid who could use any prop to make others feel the same way.

Though it hurts, I believe that his death -- and that of the other Americans who have died in Iraq -- was a waste. They were wasted in a belief that democracy would grow simply by removing a dictator -- a careless misunderstanding of what democracy requires. They were wasted by not sending enough troops to do the job needed in the resulting occupation -- a careless disregard for professional military counsel.

Schroeder's piece is a courageous one. In the face of excruciating pain at his son's death he asks Americans to stop hiding behind the flag and the labels of heroism, and look at the stark realities of the Iraq War.

If Schroeder's Post article is noticed and creates a ripple..he'll most certainly be castigated by the likes of Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin. Sychophancy pays well these days. Like Cindy Sheehan, Schroeder could become a victim of the business end of the rightwing poison punditry.

Schroeder is a profile in courage.

Posted by Carla at January 3, 2006 07:15 AM