My Memorial Day in Ojai
**warning: cynicism and disillusionment ahead**
I attended most of the Memorial Day event yesterday here in the valley, and i must admit that i’m not sure what to report. I’ll start with the facts and perhaps some insights will arise. The American Legion’s pancake breakfast was good, and very well attended. I was fortunate to be in the company of Sue Broidy (president of the Ojai Democratic Club, among other wonderful things) and Jill Martinez (Democratic candidate for our district Congressional seat, currently held by Elton Gallegly), as well as by my wife, father-in-law, and sister. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and made some new friends who –it seems – came to the event just as unsure as we were about whether we’d be in friendly territory or not.
During the Oak View Memorial Day Parade (a 15-minute affair on Old Ventura Avenue), Eric DeBode and i peacefully held signs reading “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS...BRING THEM HOME!” as the parade passed. A young woman veteran who was part of the color guard got teary and mouthed “thank you” as she passed, and everyone was generally happy to smile and wave and some even gave peace signs. Only one woman gave a clandestine thumbs-down behind her male partner’s back. I was unclear whether she didn’t support the troops, didn’t want them to come home, or both.
Then it was on to Libbey Park, where the red-white-and-blue orgy was to begin. I saw Boy Scouts being trained by veterans, an extensive “wall of remembrance” featuring photos and newspaper clippings from years long past, insignia from every conceivable manifestation of the violent arts, and enough American flags to last me the rest of the decade. The early program consisted of a gazebo full of old men in uniforms. They were gloriously introduced as representative of the whole of American history (the implication seemed to be that history = war, and i was struck with the fact that our history consists of a men-only killing club), and each was introduced by his role in killing this type of person or that, and surviving. A few of them spoke, and the stories they related were of being so underequipped that they stole from their own military in order to survive, being moved from Nagasaki as a war prisoner just in time to see it destroyed, and even a German man who joined the U.S. Military, got deported, found asylum in Cuba, and finally got a visa to re-enter the U.S. and re-join the military, where he later went on to hunt down Nazi war criminals. The Boy Scouts did a creepy flag-passing ceremony whose meaning was lost on me while a piece of prose called “Old Glory” was read under the roar of passing motorcycles on Ojai Avenue. Then the flag near the playground was raised from half mast to full as most people recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the young Ms. Ojai sang the national anthem kind of well. Our County Supervisor, Steve Bennett, spoke briefly and described his idea that this day is more than any words we can say, and is best celebrated through our actions. Ojai’s current Mayor, David Bury, spoke next and presented the veterans with a proclamation by the city that this day was one to honor our veterans and their sacrifices, but not to honor war. Then Mr. Dave Pressey (who was violent in Korea) introduced “the most patriotic man i know” by giving an account of how the WWII veterans were welcomed home as heroes, the Korea vets were ignored, and the Vietnam vets came back to “those peace-niks giving them the what-for, spitting on them, cursing them, giving them the finger”. Then the most patriotic man in the world, Julio Contreras, then proceeded to tell us “i am not here to get your children to go to war, but i do expect them to contribute to our society”. He urged the youth that “we need politicians, religious leaders, and CEOs with integrity, who wont let greed make them turn their backs on the people.” if we can become those people that our society needs, he said, then we will “begin to open the door to peace.” it was, without a doubt, the single best moment of the day for me, and i personally thanked him for it later.
The rest of the program took place at the Bowl itself, where bands and single musicians played, interspersed with speakers and stories. I could only stand to stay for a little of it, but i’m glad i heard Shareen Torres sing and play her song “Gold Star Mom”, which was a sad lament of a mother whose child has been killed in war. Near the end, she spoke the name of each war that the United States has fought in in our history, along with the number of Americans killed in it. When she finished, she told us that the total, if averaged out over all the years we’ve been a nation, would equal over 2,000 Americans killed in war every year. She then added to that the numbers of wounded, which puts the average up to 10,000. That’s 10,000 Americans killed or wounded in war every year since we’ve been a nation. Her last repeated verse was “no more gold star moms, no more gold star moms”.
I left after that, but not before i managed to stop Ms. Shelley Rhoades (EOCS, Iraq), who was one of the day’s organizers and whom i’d seen tear up in the parade in Oak View. I thanked her for her role in the event, and told her that i had a lot of personal confusion and anxiety about war and veterans, and that i hoped that being there had helped me sort some of it out and given me things to think about. She seemed to be concerned that people often misinterpret support for troops and support for military holidays as support for war. She also told me that 80% of the people she knew in the military joined for college money or other benefits, not to got to war. It suddenly occurs to me that the remaining 20% perhaps DID join to go to war, and that still concerns me.
I left at about 2:30, emotionally drained and yet disturbingly emotionless. I wanted to be more moved...i wanted to feel more connected...i wanted to get more clarity about my relationships with war and with veterans. I wanted to ask some veterans what they thought about how to oppose war, yet support individual members of the military...but i didn’t create that opportunity for myself because i’m afraid of them.
since this is a blog, i'd be VERY interested in some continued discussion on the topics present in my report. i'm nowhere near claiming that i have things figured out, and i'm not above accepting new information. CAN i support individual people who happen to be enlisted in the military, while not supporting the institution of war? HOW?
my photos are posted at http://www.ojaipeace.shutterfly.com.
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Comments (9)
I think our nation has grown a lot since Vietnam, when the troops themselves bore the brunt of protests, as Dave Pressey attests in your post.
For the 70% of Americans who are disillusioned with the Iraq war (be they opposed from the beginning or recent converts), there is a clear distinction between appreciating the service of young men and women, and being abhored at the corruption and incompetence of the leaders that sent them to an unnecessary war.
I find it very telling that in the November elections, there are about thirty Iraq war vets running for Congressional seats, all but one of them are running as Democrats. The Bush administration, particularly those who have not served in the military but are so willing to commit troops, have let down the military and this nation down, and the damage they have done will reverberate for generations.
Comment #1 Posted by: Tyler | May 30, 2006 06:14 PM
insightful as always, Tyler...and i heartily agree with your assessment. the line of logic that i have the most trouble with is this: if troops are the bullets in the gun that is war, how do i oppose the gun and support the bullets? in other words, i dont simply oppose THIS war...i oppose ALL war. and since without troops there would be no war (barring almost-futuristic robotic war), it seems as though i cannot support them. i feel the contradiction in myself, since on a personal human-to-human level i cannot turn my back on them. again, i'm not pretending like this is an airtight argument that i'm defending so much as a line of thought that's causing me much discomfort. i hope many people will have some thought to contribute.
Comment #2 Posted by: evan | May 30, 2006 09:05 PM
If young men (and now young women) would refuse to be the fodder for the elite, rich, politicians who send them off to die for oil, war profits, or just plain power, there would be no wars. Why do these young people do it? Somehow they believe they are doing it for noble reasons. They blindly follow their flag without questioning the right or wrong of the issues. They blindly follow their buddies, cause their training tells them they must be there to protect each other. They blindly follow in their father's footsteps, because this defines who they are...who they will become! Politicians are good at polarizing people, one against the other. Always an enemy be it from another country, another race, another class. As long as people continue to follow blindly, war will continue. We all need to wake up and realize this earth is really very, very small and we're all in this together. Thanks for sharing your insights and your feelings. It took a lot of courage for you to say how you felt about the day.
Comment #3 Posted by: Coleen Ashly | May 31, 2006 12:32 AM
evan - a troop isn't a bullet - a troop is a human being, a 19 year old kid from Michigan or Arkansas or Florida. He or she may have been drawn to the military for the college funding or skills training.
The administration is also grossly misusing and abusing our National Guard. What did they sign up for? One weekend a month, two weeks a year, to help with state and local issues? And now they are on stop-loss, doing two, three, four tours of duty. Many are in their thirties and forties, professional firefighters, doctors, engineers, people who never anticipated going to an ill-fated war in the middle East.
To Colleen - finding fault with the troops themselves seems to me to be misguided when the finger should be squarely pointed at the people making the decisions to send troops to war. How do you feel about the National Guard being used the way it is?
Comment #4 Posted by: Tyler | May 31, 2006 03:22 PM
Tyler, the questions posed by evan were about the troops not the government who are absolutely at fault for this entire mess. The point I was trying to make is if they started a war and no one came, that would be the end of it. You're right many of these young people are part of the economic draft, but joining the Guard doesn't protect you from doing what it is that the military does, fight wars. This discussion wasn't just about Iraq either, it was about all the wars represented at the memorial day ceremony. It's a tough question and while I support the troops by wanting and working for them to come home and by doing everything I could to keep them out of there in the first place, they still have to accept some responsibility for their actions and decisions. Don't they?
Comment #5 Posted by: Coleen Ashly | May 31, 2006 07:17 PM
Hi Coleen - thanks much for participating on the Post - don't be a stranger!
You said,"Why do these young people do it? Somehow they believe they are doing it for noble reasons. They blindly follow their flag without questioning the right or wrong of the issues. They blindly follow their buddies, cause their training tells them they must be there to protect each other. They blindly follow in their father's footsteps, because this defines who they are...who they will become!"
I think to lump all soldiers into the "lemming" category oversimplifies things. I think there are many motivations for joining the military, including what I stated in the previous comment. It is an opportunity to get ahead in life, and there is nothing wrong with serving our country.
And many, many troops are questioning why they are there. They see that they are not getting the material support they should have, they see troop levels too low, they see the military dangerously overstretched, and many are becoming disillusioned. That's why so many Dem veterans are running for office this November. And that's why enlistment is down. And that's why the rumble of a draft or skills draft continues to lurk.
Of course we all have to accept responsibility for our own actions. But often in life, we have to put our trust in others, be it our military leaders, our company's executive team or our doctors. And so when those people fail to live up to their obligations, we bear the brunt of their decisions.
Comment #6 Posted by: Tyler | May 31, 2006 10:19 PM
Evan,
I've got to commend you for taking the time to write such an honest perspective on this. I remember 9/11 and the swell of emotions that brought about a shift in thought and propelled me into reality. I remember high-tailing it to work after watching the plane run into the tower to find a friend brought to tears just hours after the attack who couldn't fathom the complete horror of what had just happened, while I was just too dumbstruck to feel anything. That day transformed me. I finally put away my People mag and started reading newspapers and became a complete CNN junkie. I decided I could no longer collect a paycheck just to serve the more fortunate. I left the hotel business and haven't looked back. And yet I still feel disappointment. What kind of legacy are we leaving following the events of 9/11? Why are we allowing religion to shape decisions and push medical advancements back decades? Socially, we are regressing while economically only the wealthiest move ahead. I felt (and still feel) that our actions in Afganistan were justified, but Iraq was totally unwarranted. What are we doing there? This administration has succeeded in creating a new enemy and caused us to forget the one who took everything we took for granted before 9/11. "Osama" no longer exists in this administration's vocabulary, why is that? Evan, your observations, thoughts and admissions were well put and your candid admissions were appreciated. Clearly, no one can say they have things figured out.
Comment #7 Posted by: Lisa Snider | June 2, 2006 08:40 AM
Lisa, and all...
thank you so much for the insights that you're all contributing. this kind of dialogue is so valuable on so many levels, and i appreciate the time that we've all put into it so far. i have a couple more things to add later, but i just want to quickly promote (in light of Lisa's mention of 9/11) the special showing of "Loose Change, 2nd Edition" playing at 5pm this saturday june 3 at the home of Dr. John Nasse, 308 West Aliso. there is only room for 25 or so, so get there early. there may be additional showings, but this is the only one officially planned so far. the film is among the best i've seen for re-analyzing the events of 9/11 with a critical eye, but without necessarily accusing anyone of anything or creating new enemy images for us. it's simply enough to say "look, our eyes and our minds can clearly see things that conflict with the official story...let's not lose our critical ability to ask questions." the screening is joyously FREE, and there will be a few copies of the film given away, courtesy of the Ojai Peace Coalition!
Comment #8 Posted by: evan | June 2, 2006 10:45 AM
I heard from a friend this week that her friend, a Vet with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (from her time in the military), received notice from the military or the VA or whoever it is that she will no longer be receiving her 100% disability compensation. They are taking away almost $2900 dollars a month, leaving her with a mortgage and $100 in income. So much for supporting the troops.
I think that the economic motivations for joining the army are hard to understand from our cozy position in Ojai. I think back to whichever Michael Moore film it was where he talked to kids being recruited. They seemed to have the options of joining the military and getting paid and maybe some training for killing people or joining gangs or lives of petty street crime, or living on the pitiful welfare or minimum-wage jobs available to the poor, brown and undereducated in this country. It is important to me to really feel the sense of hopelessness that those individuals face.
Comment #9 Posted by: Heather | June 3, 2006 09:42 PM