DavesDigest

The cost of the war.  Is it U.S. troops?  Is it Iraqi troops?  Is it Iraqi citizens?  Is it dollar signs $$?  What is the cost of the war in Iraq?  According to an article in the Gulf Times Professor Oweiss, an economics teacher at Georgetown University-Qatar, says that

“The US-led war against Iraq has turned out to be the costliest war in the history of America. According to him, since 2003, 4,000 US soldiers and 1,200 members of Allied Forces have been killed in Iraq, while 60,000 US soldiers have been wounded with an additional 17,000 injured for the Allied Forces. The death toll is 800,000 for Iraqis.” 

This represents the cost life.  To most people the cost of life would be more significant than the cost of economic loss.  Well this professor reiterated the point that the U.S. is spending a lot of money on the war.  The figures are quite stunning.   

Professor Oweiss said, “In 2003, the US was spending $93,000 per minute on the war in Iraq, which is $1 every 10 minutes. That has gone up to more than $317,000 every minute in 2008, resulting in a loss of $1 every three minutes.” Not matter how you look at it, the cost of the war is devastating “period”. 

I don’t know what impacts the U.S. more, loss of life, or of dollars.  I honestly can’t understand either.  I have lost a classmate in the war but I don’t think I’ve lost any money.  At least I can’t acknowledge or understand the loss of money in my personal life.  The economic cost of the war hasn’t really impacted my life.   I mean I’m still in college getting an education and have everything I need (plus some and some more).   

As I read Testament of Youth I realized the impact that Roland’s death had on his family and Vera Brittian.  Brittian doesn’t tell her story from an economics perspective.  Her story is about life, death, and love.  Brittian writes, “I never could have dreamed of the effect Roland’s death would have on me…and everything I loved and love, everything I lived for, worked, for, prayed for, seems to be slipping away…” The cost of war.  What is the cost of war?  To some it’s life.  To some it is economics.  I can’t tell you what it is because I haven’t felt the cost of war.  I hope I don’t have to, but for those that have felt it, I pray for.  Those who have felt the cost of life might not even recognize that there is any other cost…money.  What is more important to humankind?  Life or money?  I think some of us would have to think about that more a moment.  What do you value more?  The impact war has it different for everyone.  And how people live their lives may illustrate what impact the war has on themselves, their family, and their friends…The cost of war is it life…or is something else, like economics? 

Iraq war is costliest in U.S. History

Gulf Times

February 6, 2008

I have always been interested in the military and wondered what it would be like to be a pilot, especially a fighter pilot.  In our first class discussion we talked about the Ball Turret and read the Poem The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell.

“From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,

            And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.

            I woke to black flak and the nightmare of fighters.

            When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose”.

The poem makes a symbolic interpretation that being a gunner was like a baby in a mother’s womb because the gunner was attached to the bottom of a B-17 or B-24 bomber.  Our discussion also focused on a documentary film of a survivor of a ball turret gunner and his memories of the missions that he was sent on as a gunner.  The poem and the film had a significant impact on me because I was able to understand the reality of what it was like to be a gunner. After the discussion I was so intrigued by the turret gunner that I looked at pictures of B-17’s and B-24’s and witnessed how small a person had to be to be a ball turret gunner.

As I read an article titled Bombs Away over Iraq I began to realize how much the air war has changed since WWI and WWII.  In the article the authors indicate that “In the last 10 days, the military has dropped nearly 100,000 pounds of explosives on the area, which has been a gateway for Sunni militants into Baghdad.” Since WWII it may sound like a small number as the authors report.

“For those who know something about the history of air power, which, since World War II, has been lodged at the heart of the American Way of War, that 100,000 figure, might have rung a small bell”.

Since WWII and the ball turret gunners I think that the air war has changed significantly with technology and the advancement of intelligence in how to fight a war not only from the ground but from the air. 

The theme of the ball turret gunner signifies fright and terror of being enclosed in such a small space of the belly of the bombers much like a mother’s womb. In today’s air war with Iraq, missions of fright continue, supporting our ground troops and convoying through red zones to eliminate the threat of IED’s. 

“According to the Air Force Radio News an audio Pod cast from January 28 indicated that EOD flights (Explosive ordinance disposal) have been risking lives to defeat terrorist and their small arms.  The Air Force EOD has destroyed over 23,000 small arms in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The Air Force EOD has suffered more causalities than any other career field in the air force.”     

The theme of fright and terror of air war still continues as these fighters battle a war clearing the way and giving up their safety for the safety of their companions below.

Bombs Away Over IraqBy Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. Posted February 4, 2008. Air Force Radio NewsJanuary 28, 2008 

I received this emial from a co-worker and thought that it was appropriate for my blog.  The original sender or author is unkown. 

—– Original Message —– No matter what your view, how can your heart not respond to this?  

you stay up for 16 hours
He stays up for days on end.

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

You complain of a ‘headache’, and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

You put on your anti war/don’t support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

You make sure you’re cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You talk trash about your ‘buddies’ that aren’t with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn’t get to eat today.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn’t have time to brush his teeth today.

You’re angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He’s told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love’s perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they’ll ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don’t.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.


REMEMBER our Troops, and do not forget them LATER
Lest we forget -
                              

The brave soldiers that fight our wars not only engage in a battle that can impact their lives, but the lives of others, especially their family members.  After reading sections from Testament of Youth it is clear that there are many wounds in war.  Wounds may be physical and emotional.  Wounds will impact others, especially those that are close.  Wounds affect the nurses who care for the wounded.  Wounds affect the children, who can don’t realize why their daddy is plugged in to machines with tubes and big white band aids wrapped around his arms and legs.  The care takers of our soldiers see all of this first hand and have an ability like no other to have an impact on the lives of many. 

Nurses, whether in the field of battle or in the hospital, are there to treat the wounded first before family members can see the injured.  Just like in WWI with nurses such as Vera Brittain, nurses today are healing the wounded soldiers from Iraq.  Healing the wounded must be difficult.  I can’t imagine seeing some of the stuff that nurses see.  The blood, the pain, and the cries are not something that everyday people see in their jobs. 

As Britain wrote, “Many of the patients can’t bear to see their own wounds, and I don’t wonder.” 

Caring for the wounds must take someone special, someone strong, and someone brave like the soldiers who they care for. 

After reading a post from a RN Clara Hart titled The Faces I realized the impact of nurses and how they’re heroes too.  Hart describes caring for a wounded soldier in the ICU.  She was immediately touched when she was introduced to the children.

She wrote, “As we talked I looked at the children. I could see the fear and uncertainty crowding their small faces. I asked if I could bring in a DVD player so they could watch movies. Eyes filling once again with tears, Sarah (the mother)  thanked me, telling me over and over how much she appreciated the help. 

Caring for wounds is just a job for some, but for others it’s a passion. Caring for the loved ones closest is just as important.  I think nurses are a gift from God called “Angles.” 

The Faces by Clara Hart

The Sandbox

1/28/08