AUTHOR'S NOTE FROM AN
To the reader: I'll tell you a few things right off the bat: One, I keep a very healthy sense of humor about what goes on over here, which explains most of what I write. Laughter is a defense mechanism. If you can't sit back and laugh at the sheer ridiculosity (yes, that's a real word) of what transpires here, you go nuts—I've seen it happen. Two, I'm a coward. That's why I'm not using my real name, and that's why I'm not in the field. Three, I'm not and never will be a combatant type. I never see actual violence with my own eyes, but only in after-action reports. However, I can assure you that everything I write about has happened to someone I personally know. I hope this has the desired effect of making all this a little more close and personal to invade your comfort zone. Four, I am vehemently against this war. As for the reason that I take part in this lunacy, see point number two. I am a coward, and I simply don't have the gumption to trade an honorable discharge for what I believe in. Hate me if you must, pity me if you do. I happen to be among the lucky few who are actually safe over here. I spend part of my day working in a VERY secure area and afterwards I go directly to another VERY secure area (barracks) to sleep and relax. I don't ever get to personally see anything interesting, which may very well be a good thing. However, I hear about everything, especially from my acquaintances who go out into "the field." I will continue by stating that in all the events I write about, I will be taking the perspective of the person who originally told me the story and actually experienced the events. This is for several reasons, the most important being that if I write about a buddy that did thus and so, it's not nearly as hard-hitting psychologically as if I write about what happened to "me." Next on the list is that it allows me to apply the metaphor and sarcasm that may not otherwise be in the story if I just parrot a friend. Finally, it allows me narrative control, as I can describe how "I feel" much more eloquently than how another person feels. If you're of the opinion that what I jot down is not funny, you're damn right. What's happening over here is deathly serious. If all you do is laugh at a piece, then you're missing the truly horrifying context that I intend between the lines: the fact that no matter what trappings you dress it in, what dry wit you apply to it, what hyperboles and understatements you mix it with, this war is happening—as you read these very words, it is happening. In the last hour, I can guarantee you that someone over here has died—likely an innocent civilian who only wished to live in peace with his or her family and friends. The entity or person by whose hands they died is not important, as no one can claim the first stone over here. There are no heroes in this war except the children of Iraq, who must go on living, and will. Regards,
- - - - RECENT DISPATCHES: An Open Letter to the Gentleman that Almost Killed Me the Other Day (3/11/04) |
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