La Plata County residents lined Main Avenue on Wednesday morning to honor military veterans on Veteran Day. A short parade included veterans organizations, color guards, bands, Boy Scouts and more.
This week, The Durango Herald asked veterans to share their thoughts about the United States’ involvement in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama recently announced he will keep more U.S. troops in Afghanistan until he leaves office in 2017. We asked vets: “How do you think the conflict in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history, has changed the way your fellow citizens perceive war?”
Here are their answers:
HHH
Tony Romero
Age: 49
Military branch: U.S. Army
Years served: 10
Deployed: Thailand, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
Rank: Sergeant E-5
Town: Durango
Personally, I think most people (sane people) are morally opposed to war of any length. War by nature is an inherently violent, disgusting means to an end. Unfortunately it may be the eventual end to humankind.
I believe people tire of war and lose sight of the main reason we went to war to begin with. Why are we at war now? I bet a lot of people either don’t know or don’t care because we have been at war for so long. Is it oil? Terrorism? Strictly political? Who’s getting rich from this? This is what I hear when the conversation turns in this direction.
People are supportive of our military for which I am thankful. However people are tired of being at war. The horrors of war cannot be captured on film, or in stories. War can only truly be seen by the eyes that live it. I served as a U.S. Army bomb squad technician during the first Gulf War. More than 20 years later I still battle my demons.
My fellow citizens are sick and tired of being at war period, is it a necessary evil? I’ll let you decide.
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Mike Goodwin
Age: 73
Military branch: U.S. Army, National Guard, U.S. Army Reserves
Years Served: 37 years
Deployed: Berlin, with the Army Security Agency-Desert Storm, with the National Guard
Rank at retirement: Sergeant first class
County: La Plata County
Veterans (even of my generation) are greeted now with respect, which sometimes verges on unwanted pity. Most want to get back into the real world as soon as possible and put their service behind them as a character building experience.
“Thank you for you service” has become a replacement for “Nice to meet you” for most service men and women.
Do those who speak these words think about their meaning?
In the 60s and 70s, returning warriors were denigrated, but we led the peace marches. No one wanted war. Today the American citizen not only accepts war and its deaths and maimings, but continues to elect politicians who have no idea how to end a poorly thought-out commitment.
There seems to be a grudging acceptance that we are at war and have been since Desert Storm 25 years ago.
We should always remember that in wars on foreign shores, less than 10 percent of our people in uniform see actual combat (get shot at). These are the ones we need to bring home and care for when they return. For every two “feet on the ground” there is a real person in the boots.
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Gregory Hopkins
Age: 50
Military branch: Alaska Air National Guard
Years served: 11 years 10 months
Deployed: Gulf Region
Rank at the end of service: Technical Sergeant. Pararescueman
Town: Breen
I’m not totally certain that the war in Afghanistan, nor any other war that America has been involved in, has changed the way my fellow citizens perceive war as a whole. I sense a common perception that war is a horrifying yet seemingly unavoidable and perhaps necessary part of our existence as humans. A change has occurred, however, in regards to the perception of actual war in Afghanistan. We are weary. We have become desensitized. I would argue we have become ambivalent.
I’m not talking about those who have someone over there serving right now. I’m not talking about the caretaker wife of a bedridden, multiple amputee. Nor am I talking about those who have endured a family member’s death. I’m not even talking about the multi-tour combat veteran watching his buddies kill themselves at unbelievable rates. They, and others like them, keep it raw. Keep it alive. They know. They feel it.
Ambivalence is two parts result and one part cause of a “longest war ever”. And it is subtle. I would imagine that most conscientious individuals, upon self-reflection, might likely judge themselves to be anything but ambivalent about war. So, I ask you...does it consume a part of your day? Every day? Do you own it, no matter which way you voted? Is it alive for you? Do you keep it raw?
