from Gene’s Notebook

…and let’s get to one argument that is very unsympathetic to the
US soldiers in the current wars, yes, wars ….

“Hell, they signed up, voluntarily, and if ’stop-loss’ occurs (keeping a service person after the enlistment has expired), too bad; they wanted some money; this is part of the job, which usually was easy.”

Some perverse logic in that, but they did NOT sign up for illegal wars, crazed wars, wars based on lies ….

Now, I have seen Stop Loss, In the Valley Of Elud and No End In Sight, all movies about Iraq, but Stop Loss is the best, very best.

And the day after I saw the movie, in Home Depot, I saw a young man with a US Army tattoo, and I asked if he had been in Iraq.

“Yes, and I was ’stop-lossed.’ I had a squad. I am partially disabled, with brain and chest injuries. I lost three men in my squad.”

I was shocked, from one question so much.

“My wife left me when I was there. She is my friend,” he said, pointing to young woman next to him who was pushing a baby.

What does one say?

Sorry, bad, bad luck, bad war, nothing ….

Eugene “Gene” Novogrodsky
June 18, 2008