You need to consider vocalizing
your questions or feelings.


Sun 11.27.11


I watched a movie last night, Restrepo, a documentary filmed by Sebastian Junger, the man who wrote The Perfect Storm. It's about a group of 15 soldiers, deployed on a mission in Afghanistan to a particular hellhole called the Korengal Valley. It's a hellhole because in all of Afghanistan it's the place where the fighting is most intense. They first have to set up a post digging for a few hours or however long the enemy leaves them at peace, then pick up their guns and respond to fire.

The guys are innocents and have yet to have a serious encounter with death, have even discussed their belief that none of them will get killed. No way, it's not going to happen to them. Their enemy, the Taliban, it must be said, if they had the modern weaponry that the US uses against them, would have cleaned up a long time ago. They are fearless and will get close enough to steal armament from the soldiers, unnerving them. What the US soldiers are trying to do is get a road built to connect two towns. Beyond a certain parallel the Taliban do not allow the US military to enter; it is their line in the sand.

The soldiers cross this boundary on foot. Nothing. This goes on for several days and tension is very high, still nothing. And then, Bam! They are attacked on all sides, and a sergeant, particularly respected by the men is killed. It has a profound effect on all of them. One man completely breaks down. Another later says that, the feeling among us was that if someone that knowledgeable and savvy could still be killed what chance did we have? We were all petrified and anybody who says different is lying. You could just sit there and be engulfed by it, he says, but you don't. It may be your last day on earth, but you pick up your gun and you go at it. What is very frustrating to the soldiers is never seeing the enemy, just their bullets. They shoot in the area where the bullets are coming from. Are they hurting the enemy? They have no idea.

One soldier interviewed talks about war and how he has done bad things in it, and that given a chance to do it over he would do it again. He doesn't say this out of bloodlust but as a fact of war. Nor does he excuse himself with the line that he had to do it; he had no choice. I didn't have to join military. This is what he has to live with. There is no excuse for his behavior.

Manhood, or womanhood for that matter, is when one accepts what one is capable of, no excuse, no moralizing.

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Current favorite this past month has been Mind Games