So that simplistic fool Lileks tells me that the things that soldiers say when they are dieing are simple things. Tell their wives they loved her, tell my children I thought of them, help my buddy, there's nothing you can do for me.
He then claims that those that would find these phrases maudlin and simplistic are too clever by twice, and innured to the true feelings of those that actually get in the shit.
And then he raises these men up as symbols of what is real, as opposed to those talking, talking, talking. And he hopes they don't die.
And I don't disagree with one word he has to say.
So why do I think he is a simplistic bastard? Because he attributes those feelings to only American soldiers.
What does he think a 19 year old Iraqi soldier that was part of a human wave assault in 1988 agaisnt Iran felt? Is the difference that the American soldiers chose to go into combat?
The movie that got him talking about this subject was about Vietnam. American soldiers were drafted into combat in that war.
What if you were 5 years old when Hitler took power, and all you had ever known was living under the state controlled develpment system for little Germans to become big useful Germans for what Hitler wanted. How would you know any differently? You would be in your own self-contained world, provided for you.If you died in combat, in your buddies arms, both of you would try your damndest to make your death mean something.
Unfortunately, if your buddy lived to be 75 years old he might be thinking of you today and think what a waste your death was.
But, since you are dead, that doesn't occur to you.
My wife's mother grew up in Hitler's Germany, 5 years old when Hitler took power, and was surprised as hell whent eh war ended and she found out they were the bad guys.
Our friend James is one hell of a writer. He seems to be drawn into something that requires him to see enemies everywhere. I suspect it has something to do with his little Gnat being just a micro bug when September 11th occured.
But he just took a universal experience of combat, that occurs on both sides of every shooting match, and invoked it on one side without pointing out that both sides suffer the same sad facts of battle.
The United States lost over 57,000 soldiers in Vietnam. During that time over 1 million Vietnamese died.
The people that convinced that dead 19 year old Iraqi to charge those Iranians should be aware of what they have done. Lileks might want to decide if he wants to do the same work.