|
Planet Waves | for May 5,
2005
War and Peace ... and the Gray Area
Between
Retired U.S. Army Col. David Hackworth
died yesterday at 74. He was pretty much what you would think an
American military commander who spent half a century at the front
lines of the Army's most important battles would be. He was cocky,
colorful and brash ... and for all his valor in the field [10 Silver Stars, 8
Bronze Stars, 8 Purple Hearts] I most appreciate his valor in attempting to
expose and reform the military practices of this nation.
According to the article posted below, his death is
attributed to "a form of cancer now appearing with increasing frequency among
Vietnam veterans exposed to the defoliants called Agents Orange and Blue."
With Hack's five years service in Nam, the irony can't be
missed.
You may wonder why I'm calling your attention to a
warror of Hack's ilk, considering my abhorrance of war and activism for
peace. Well -- I trusted him. He and his
organization, Soldiers for the Truth, published
straight-talking articles that I used frequently on
Political Waves. He never white-washed or wobbled --
he said what he saw and what he thought. He spent many years as a
journalist, author and activist. He was presented the United Nations
Medal of Peace for his anti-nuclear activism. Never doubting the choice
he'd made to define himself as a soldier, he was a person of substance and
courage -- an insider gone rouge. He was a very sharp thorn in the
Pentagon's side ... for which he earned my grudging affection and
admiration.
Is David Hackworth one of my hero's? Nope, not by
a long shot ... but in a way, I feel as though I've lost a comrade in the
effort toward creating a better world. I'm not a soldier, but I'll miss
Hack ... just like I'm not a Catholic, but I'll miss John Paul. These kinds
of extremely public and controversial men are moving targets for
criticism, but what they contribute to the progress of consciousness should not
be under-appreciated. Both of these men were prominent in their selected
careers [oh, ok -- the Pope WAS the Church, granted,] both steeped in their
respective traditions, both trapped by their definitions, but they both had
the capacity to display moral courage, to step out of that
"circle-the-wagons" dogma that keeps ancient societies stagnant and
self-protecting.
For what we do well, we should be
commended. No matter what else he did or didn't
do as Pope, John Paul influenced millions of minds toward
forgiveness on that remarkable day he went
to the Wailing Wall with his scrap of paper in hand. In like manner, no
matter what else Hack did or didn't do as a fighting man, he spent the
last portion of his life doing everything he could to keep the military
industrial complex honest and tell the truth to the American people.
Today there is one less old warrior in the
world ... one less champion of the weary foot-soldier, the
recruit that's sent out to fight without adequate protection or
equipment, the vet returning to limited services and health care ...
one less voice speaking for honorable military solutions to our global
differences.
I trust, wherever he went, David Hackworth was
warmly met by his band of brothers.
Peace ~
Jude
Soldiers for Truth
Col. David H. Hackworth,
1930-2005: Legendary U.S. Army Guerrilla Fighter, Champion of the Ordinary
Soldier
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050505/nyth166.html?.v=6 Eric Francis is on holiday. Jude, the editor of Political Waves, is standing in for his daily blog this week. You can subscribe to Political Waves (our all-politics news distribution list) for free at the link below. You’ll receive between five and 10 news articles each day. You may write to Jude with your responses to her commentaries at moderator@planetwaves.net. Political Waves list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/political_waves/ | ||||||
|
