Staff Sgt. Alex Jimenez comes home for funeral

A hearse bearing the remains of 25-year-old Staff Sgt. Alex Jimenez came to a halt in front of his father's house in Lawrence, the scene of a 14-month vigil as the family awaited word of his fate. A memorial shrine with floral arrangements and half-burned votive candles was on the sidewalk. (7-25-08)

A Nation that sends its Sons and Daughters into Occupations?

A C-17 Airforce Transport plane arrives in Kandahar, Afghanistan to receive the bodies of five U.S. service members killed. Though more than 1,000 US and coalition forces were on hand to participate in the "ramp ceremony," a Los Angeles Times reporter and photographer were asked to leave the area by a military public affairs officer. A Pentagon policy banning coverage of this particular event was cited as the reason. [Photo: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times]

Iraq

Remember this photo? I'm sure you've seen it a dozen times as it's made it's way around the web. Her name is Katherine Cathey and she's a mother, a mother of a son who never met his father Marine 2nd. Lt. Jim Cathey. Katherine mentions this photo in a video, of which I'll give you the link to in a moment, one you should view.

Recently NPR's Fresh Air aired an interview with journalist Jim Sheeler who won a Pulitzer Prize for his series about Marine Colonel Steve Beck and the families of the fallen soldiers. Katherine Cathey was one of those families that Col. Beck helped. The interview was called A 'Final Salute' to Fallen Marines and you can read abit at that link, as well as listen to, or you can click here to bring up the NPR player to listen in, it's abit over 31min. long and well worth the listen.

Arlington West - March 2008 - Honoring The Fallen

The Video was produced for the New York Times and can be also seen At Their Site

There have been 4,192 coalition deaths -- 3,887 Americans, two Australians, 173 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of December 6, 2007, according to a CNN count. ( Graphical breakdown of casualties ). The list below is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The list also includes seven employees of the U.S. Defense Department. At least 28,629 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan

The collective power of the peace movement helped the Democrats take control of Congress and turn Nancy Pelosi from Minority leader into Madam Speaker. But in May the new Congress turned its back on the peace movement, granting Bush another $95 billion for war with no timetable for withdrawal. While the Speaker of the House herself voted against the war funding, she failed to put pressure on the conservative Democrats to form a united front against another blank check for war. She also failed to effectively use her power to decide what bills would come up for a vote. In the case of both the unrestricted war funding and the expanded FISA wiretapping, Pelosi had the ability to keep the bills off the floor but refused to do so.

Iraq
There have been 4,035 coalition deaths -- 3,737 Americans, two Australians, 168 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 21 Poles, two Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of August 31, 2007, according to a CNN count. (Graphical breakdown of casualties). The list below is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The list also includes seven employees of the U.S. Defense Department. At least 27,662 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. And can be viewed at the CNN Honor Roll

(Updated below)

Frank Smitha wrote it best: "We can know about gruesome instances in the past and remain specific in our animosities. Collective animosities are primitive. Collective guilt - ages old - is one of humanity's dumber ideas (...) Let us leave guilt with the fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers and not collectively. We need not forgive everybody. Let us be specific."

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, America had a choice: stay strong in its principles and resolve, or give into the pain, grief and blind desire for vengeance. In other words: walk the high road or tumble down the low road. Despite an unprecedented international outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support, America chose the latter.

What can be added to what has been said throughout these Destructive and totally Immoral Years!

The ceremonies and celebrations are over. The festivities are complete. We await the next holiday weekend. Perhaps, in the interim we might reflect.

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org