Private 1st class Grant Allen Dampier, 25, of Merrill, became the 56th US soldier killed in Iraq when his Humvee hit a roadside bomb. He leaves behind his 44-year-old mother, his wife, and three children (ages 5, 4, and 1). His mother's comments are quite telling:"He told me that he didn't understand why he was there," Goulee said. "One day they feed (the Iraqis), the next day shoot them. He was at the point he couldn't understand why he was there."
The Journal-Sentinel includes more information about Dampier.
13 comments:
This, in my opinion, is what Bush and his administration have on their hands and will not be able to wash away. As evidence of lies from the highest quarters continue to filter down our National Cowboy shrinks into an ever smaller image.
All the while our mission in Iraq grows murkier. And STILL our children die.
We are embarked on a mad voyage in a ship that will never reach port. The captain, insane with power, conducts himself in the manner of Captain Queeg. Someone once gave our president the line "Stay the course!". Now, in this quagmire, he mutters it over and over, sans meaning.
Please do not remind me of "9/11" and the improbably named "war on terror". The first was an horrible incident in which a few, mad, ragged zealots hit the jackpot in pursuit of their own crazy ends. Afterward, in the chaos, the demagogue in George Bush rose up with his bullhorn to declare "we would NEVER be the same".
Nonsense. He gave too much importance to a lucky shot and took the opportunity to sell most of us his hastily gathered "Bill of Fear". He grasped Theatre rather than searching for sane responses and in doing so he has planted hatred in Arab hearts that had not considered hate before.
And still our children die.
And still our children die.
Now we find ourselves engaged in the "War on Terror", never-ending, we are informed. Oh, our children die alright. But I do not think it is to erase "terror" but rather to secure the fever dreams of ignorant old men. These are men in which we placed our highest trust. Unfortunately it seems they saw their main chance to "own" the Middle East and decided to spend the lives of our INNOCENT children to buy it.
wow.
um......okay well now for the anti-climax.
I was,ah, just going to say that I, um
well I hope that this Mom doesn't get too much crap for having spoken out like that from the chicken hawks. Even if people think that she'a a "traitor" I hope they have the decency to keep that thought amongst their own kind and let the Mama be.
Okay. Where's the Stage Manager?!
I swear to GOD that is the LAST time I go on after Citizen. Where's my contract? There must be a clause in there somewhere.....
I would never call Bin Laden a few zealots. He was organized and has had mulitple hits on the US as well a multiple atempts. Each one getting larger and more devastating. You call it a "lucky shot". So was the USS Cole? How about the 1st attempt on the Towers under the Clinton regime? Pull your head out of the sand.
To support your contention it would follow that the FULL attention of this nation should be focused on the capture of OBL. That is certainly not the case, we all can plainly see.
I say, INCLUDING OBL, they are a handful of ratty zealots. Most probably we have swelled their numbers by our adventure in Iraq but even now they remain a small, admittedly dangerous, group.
The pity is that the world's most powerful national entity must use this group and their nefarious deeds as "the big, bad wolf" hoping to instill such fear that we go along with all the administration's cockamamie ideas. Five years after the fact we are reminded almost daily "never to forget 9/11" and that we are in the throes of a deadly "war on terror".
This is artificial and dishonest. Had we REALLY been after OBL we would have avoided decimating Afghanistan and hunted bin Laden like a laser. We most assuredly would not have taken the opportunity to change the regime in Iraq.
Now, in the aftermath of our folly, our dreams of dominion over the vast sand farms of the Middle East, the Taliban is re-surging and the only good news we hear from Iraq is that we have opened a few schools! Nearly 3,000 of our troops, alone, dead and the most recent estimate of deaths among INNOCENT Iraqis at 300,000. Mighty pricey schools I would say.
It has been noted that Israel lives intimately with terror every hour of every day and yet no politician has ever tried to use their situation to fear-monger. The people see their situation as part of what it takes to inhabit their land. I am no expert on the Middle East, but I can tell you with our attitude the Israeli state would have quaked itself to shambles a long time ago.
We are making a bad situation ever worse. It is encouraging to hear the mother relay her son's thoughts. There are many others who feel the same yet hesitate to speak out.
Our children are dying for Nothing. It is as simple and as woefully complex as that. George Bush is staying the course with the blood of other mother's sons and daughters. AND WE ARE LETTING HIM GET AWAY WITH IT!
No, instead Israel has a great army and stomped on Iran the last time they tried anything. Israel uses force to defend itself. Much like we do.
Anonymous: Whoever You Are
No! Not "much like we do".
Israel uses force with intelligence and purpose.
When was the last time they went two thirds the way around the Earth to stomp on a country that had done them no harm?
Do you recall the attack on the Israeli athletes at the Olympics? Israel avenged itself like a surgeon.
Here is General Aharon Yariv — who was the general overseer of the operation stating that after Munich the Israeli government felt it had no alternative but to exact justice.
"We had no choice. We had to make them stop, and there was no other way ... we are not very proud about it. But it was a question of sheer necessity. We went back to the old biblical rule of an eye for an eye ... I approach these problems not from a moral point of view, but, hard as it may sound, from a cost-benefit point of view. If I’m very hard-headed, I can say, what is the political benefit in killing this person? Will it bring us nearer to peace? Will it bring us nearer to an understanding with the Palestinians or not? In most cases I don’t think it will. But in the case of Black September we had no other choice and it worked. Is it morally acceptable? One can debate that question. Is it politically vital? It was."
You will notice there was no grandstanding in this mission. Necessity demanded action. Five years later citizens were not being daily reminded of the tragedy. Heartstrings were not being pulled to prolong fear for political advantage.
I suspect, had Bin Laden sent malcontents to topple large buildings in Israel nearly five years ago, he would be but a memory now. Those closely affected by the attack would, of course, be mourning their losses, but the remainder of the people would be going on with their lives.
While I have reservations about many Israeli actions, they DO know how to live with terror.
Do not compare a dedicated state doing what it has to do for survival with the Katzenjammer Kids antics of our kooky government. It makes you look as if you are not paying attention.
Citizen, I am not going to argue the war with you. We are fighting terrorism where terrorism lives. How deep does your hate for our country and its government run. You seem like a very bitter and angry person. Very sad.
I am not a bitter nor an angry person. In some circles I have been known for wit and my Joie de Vivre. Please put my state of mind aside. It has nothing to do with the situation at hand.
The cliche of "fighting terror where terror lives" is part of this administration's pathetic talking points. There is utterly no basis for the contention that the destruction of Iraq has any bearing on "terror" except to increase it. As events unfold in Afghanistan it seems we are striking out there as well.
I suspect I was honoring and respecting this country before you were born. I need no lessons from anyone on patriotism.
What you seem to be missing is that at times protesting is of greater value in defending ones country than yellow ribbons and saluting the flag. Blind obedience to a rogue government is no act of valor nor does it fall under anything but a fool's description of love for country.
I've been way too busy with getting ready to move and other horrors of real life to pay proper attention to making lives miserable here. Alas, I've shirked my duties.
So I must take a moment say that Citizen is not bitter. Fie upon thee!
One could not perform their craft with such transcendant artistry while mired in a state of bitterness. Can't happen. The piquant sprinkling of factoids, the phrasing, the sarcasm that is lost upon the victim (!), perhaps even iambic pentameter too - who can say....but ah, 'tis lovely indeed.
Seeing someone get in Citizen's face is truly a guilty pleasure - I hope Citizen is not actually upset by the peon-ery, because I admit I do settle back to enjoy the melodious,peaceful and bucolic scene of The Citizen ripping some yokel a new one. Perhaps this is why ancient Romans enjoyed the gladiators in the coliseum so much.
But bitter? Angry?
Never.
ummm...
Oh dear,
Am I frightening the youth? Never my intention.
I'll restate in a less absurdist manner.
Do I think Citizen has an inspired sense of dismay or even at times moral outrage?
Yes, I do.
What do I think inspires this?
Certainly not bitterness. Bitterness comes from "life didn't go the way I wanted and now you're all gonna pay" and related attitudes like that. Or it often seems people get abused into a state of hopeless bitterness as well. Not something that should be mocked or held as a trump card over one's head then, is it.
I think Citizen's outrage is inspired by a higher vision, a sense of how things could be/should be if...well, far be it from me to fill in that blank.
But to condemn C. as "bitter and angry" was just a ploy to discount or override C's arguments by attacking his/her personality. About as elegant as making fun of someone's hair or clothes to gain an advantage over them. An absurd action.
I respond with absurdity to the already absurd. Which is not to say that the role of Village Idiot is for everyone, but it does work for me.
Ah, Jody, as someone who is a friend of Citizen's you are so right about your description of her... she is NEVER bitter or angry and I don't have either of your gifts for words, your description of inspired by a higher vision is right on. You are very perceptive.
Regardless of hate, bitterness, or personal judgments, we do not belong there. Maybe once, but no longer. Iraq should belong to the Iraqis. They are trhe only ones who know what they need and the only ones who have to live with the government that ultimately ends up ruling there. We have problems here we need to address. Bush-enomics needs to be stopped.
I still support out troops, I don't agree with our government's policies.
Post a Comment