I Wonder if Al Qaeda Knows Where Vermont Is…Or If They Even Know It’s a State…
August 26th, 2008by Meghan Elizabeth Hunt
NORTHFIELD, VT -
When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it? - Eleanor Roosevelt
I was barely 20 when the 9/11 attacks happened. It was a bright fall day in the peaceful town of Northfield, Vermont on a military college campus 300 or so miles north of the Big Apple, and I wasn’t even awake when the first plane hit.
I didn’t have class until 10…I had at least another hour before I had to be awake and I was using the opportunity to sleep in, especially because my thesis work would begin in another week or so and sleep would be a thing of the past.
My mom called me that morning and even through the fogginess of exhaustion I could tell that something was off in her voice, that something terrible had happened.
‘Where are you?’ she asked me.
‘In bed still. What’s wrong? What’s going on?’
‘Turn on your tv, find a news channel.’
‘We don’t have cable.’
‘Then turn on a radio or something.’
‘Mom, just tell me what’s going on.’
‘The twin towers in New York…they’ve been attacked. Two planes have gone straight into them and the first tower just fell.’
I remember saying good-bye and grabbing a sweatshirt and bolting upstairs to find a TV and just as I arrived in that room, as I pushed my way past people to find my friend Nick, I turned and saw the second tower fall.
I felt lightheaded and my heart stopped and the room went immediately silent, save for the soft sob of a man behind me whose parents lived in the city. He couldn’t get a hold of them, couldn’t get a hold of anyone. He probably worried the entire day that his whole world had disappeared under the concrete and the dust and my heart broke for him.
I couldn’t stand the claustrophobia of grief felt by fifteen people in a small room and I bolted. Then, because it was the only thing I could think of to do, I went back to my room and got ready for my creative writing class.
I remember that Professor Fields, who was always upbeat and positive, looked as heartbroken as the rest of us and that his voice wavered as he told us to go home. I remember crying, silently, on the walk back to my dorm and passing people who hid their own tears.
Sometimes I think I remember too much of that day, considering I was so far removed from it.
Sometimes I don’t think I have a right to remember what I do.
* * *
People worried that the entire United States would come under attack, especially after the Pentagon attack and the downed plane in western Pennsylvania, and there were plenty of people at Norwich who commented that we could be next, being a military college and all.
The part of me that deals with tragedy by laughing wondered if Al Qaeda even knew where Vermont was…and if they did, would they really see a small northern New England state as a threat?
‘We find your maple syrup and Holstein cows offensive…and don’t even get us started on your organic produce and Ben & Jerry’s. Oh, and we hate your nickname…stupid Green Mountain State.’
It just didn’t seem plausible to me, nor did the idea of them bombing or attacking anything north of Boston. Rationally, we knew that we were somewhat safe in our middle-of-nowhere enclave.
Irrationally, we were terrified.
* * *
They played echo taps that night, one cadet standing near Jackson Hall and the other standing opposite him at Dewey Hall, and we all lit candles and stood around the Upper Parade Ground, corps and civilians and staff members.
Echo taps is haunting. The sound of two bugles calling and answering each other across the vast expanse of a dark and desolate parade ground is not a forgetable sound. I can still hear it, can still hear the sobs of the students who lost family members that day. I can still see the candles moving throughout the dark campus. I can still feel the heaviness that descended over us as the realization of what had happened settled in.
We were at war.
We were attacked.
We were victims and we were not used to it.
It left us discomforted, a feeling that I still have on occasion when I actually have the time to sit down and think about it.
* * *
I went to Norwich University, the oldest private military institution in the United States.
It’s a place where both military and civilian students live side-by-side and work towards a somewhat common goal. At the time of the 9/11 attacks it seemed almost blasphemous to protest the President’s decision to go ahead with a war, especially while sitting amongst future soldiers who would eventually go off into the worlds of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard to risk their lives for the freedom of their friends and families back home.
I will not pretend to understand war or to condone it as a method for peace, but I will tell you that as a result of living a civilian life among those in the military, I respect and appreciate every soldier I’ve ever met. They have an ugly job to do, a job that may or may not get them killed, and for the most part they accept the risk and do it because for them the benefits outweigh the costs. We don’t have to agree with it, but we have to respect it because we wouldn’t live the lives we do without their intervention.
Every September 11th, I think of my classmates who are stationed overseas, of the men and women who have lost their lives since 2001. I think of my father’s experiences in Vietnam, of my grandfathers’ experiences in World War II. I think of the courage exhibited by a soldier, a level that I know I am not capable of.
But most of all, I think of what this world would be like if peace were possible.
The War on Terror and the fear mongering after 9/11 was a sham.
Our elected officials and the media should be held accountable for not questioning the Bush Administration’s pursuit for the war in Iraq. For a country that prides itself on freedom of the press the Bush Administration did everything in its power to back the news outlets into a corner by labeling anything that spoke out against their policies as unpatriotic. It was sickening.
Have the sacrifices made by our men and women overseas made us any safer? Honestly I believe they have been used like pawns by Bush and his cronies. I saw a sign yesterday that read, “Give Impeachment A Chance”. Perhaps we should grow some balls and not fall victim to labels of the Bush Administration and for once hold them accountable.
God forbid we as Americans could put the remote down for two seconds and honestly question our government and its policies.
I understand your comment, but I think you missed the bigger picture. We all know it was a sham, the men and women fighting over in Iraq know it was a sham. It’s more about respecting them for doing a job they need to do than it is about fear mongering.
I’m glad you got it off your chest, but I want to stress that the article wasn’t an impeachment of Bush - it was a statement of emotion and the way we felt it in a small, isolated town in Vermont.
How could you consider yourself an American if you were not sickened and saddened by those horrific acts. I think most Americans felt the same all over the country regardless if you were from Vermont or California. With that said, I don’t think any of us will truly understand the horror of that day unless we were actually there. At least that is my point of view. Protesting is more then just rallies outside government buildings or taking to the streets. As a writer you should should know that the pen is mightier than the sword. Write your elected officials, local newspapers etc. Activism is a wonderful thing. I find it ironic that a college which prides itself on defending the nation and the military would sensor the very thing they are fighting for.
I should have done something more but I already feel guilty about that. The point of these 9/11 recounts (there are multiple ones across TNB and you should read others views as well as mine - they may settle more easily with your own) is to bring everyone a perspective of what that day was all over the US.
*FWOOOOSH*
That is the sound of this blog going right over your head.
Save your rant for another time and another place. This blog has nothing more to do with the war in Iraq than 9/11 itself. Back up, read the blog again, and realize how out of place your knee jerk reaction really is.
-Tim
Really, Tim, you don’t think it did at all? Not even the final 4 paragraphs?
So Matt….two things…
1. What article did you read?
2. Yes, we get it….you don’t like Bush.
This sentence, though, was interesting, Meghan:
“At the time of the 9/11 attacks it seemed almost blasphemous to protest the President’s decision to go ahead with a war …”
Not to everyone, you know? There were those of us who did protest at the time. How do you reconcile your willingness to go along with Bush’s warmongering at the time with your easy recognition now that it was “a sham?” I think this is the kind of question Matt is interested in raising, and your post doesn’t really address an answer.
I mean, wouldn’t it be great if the student soldiers had protested the war at the time? Wouldn’t it be great if they did so now?
Also why do they “need to do” this job? Civil disobedience is always an option when faced with an immoral order, even for soldiers. Yes, it’s hard. But it’s always possible. Your language reinforces the inevitability of war even while claiming to understand that it’s a “sham.”
I meant blasphemous on a campus full of military people, not blasphemous in the nation. I wanted to protest, but I wasn’t able to. I didn’t agree it with from the outset, I still don’t agree with it, but it would have started a war of its own to stand there and scream at the top of my lungs how stupid I thought the President was.
There were plenty of students who didn’t want to go to war, but if you’re in the military, you don’t have a choice. They signed on for their six years and were stuck after graduation. I saw it in a few people’s eyes that they would have rather been anywhere but headed to Iraq.
I didn’t want it to come across as a complete villification of the war…I just wanted to commend the men and women I know who are fighting in Iraq…I know people who have died over there. Nothing would make me happier than to see every single one of my classmates make it to their reunion next month…but it isn’t going to happen.
We didn’t choose this mess, it was chosen for us, and I’ve always separated the war from the soldiers.
I didn’t realize this was going to create such a mess of its own….
I’m not interested in attacking you, Meg, just in asking some provocative questions and seeing if you’d be willing to take a stab at answering them.
Obviously you’re not, so I’ll let it go. But if I were going to ask a few more questions, they would be: what do you mean by the students “didn’t have a choice” to go to war? Also, who is the “we” that didn’t choose this mess?
I didn’t see it as an attack, but I really didn’t intend for the article to do this.
Hindsight and all that…
The ‘we’ is mixed, from both the US and the students at my school. There was never a vote made by the American people to go to war…that’s just what I meant by not having a choice.
It’s almost hurtful to be lumped in with war sympathizers, as I am not one at all, so I may have come across a little harsher than I intended. I’m definitely among the ‘why can’t we all just get along’ crowd…I believe problems should be solved with beer and cake.
Well, Congress *did* authorize the use of force. Votes on whether to go to war are never put directly to the American public, always to our elected representatives. My only point being, if there had been a stronger public outcry against it, more of those Senators and Representatives might have voted differently.
I agree wholeheartedly. If it’s any consolation I hate myself sometimes for my complicity during that time. I wanted a public outry. I walked in Montpelier and listened to the protesters and it was difficult to be in a state like Vermont, where it’s practically built on a foundation of protest, and not do anything besides sign the occasional petition. Even now, I wish I’d done more and I wonder if it would have made a difference, if the people I know over there would instead be home and with their families.
I think I need to set the record state because I’ve confused people with my article. I lived as a civilian amongst military men and women for four years. I saw the way the military works in an environment like that, how the government pays for your college but you have to pay them back with at least six years of service. I knew I couldn’t do it, knew I couldn’t stand the structure or the service or the adherence to rules that I didn’t necessarily agree with, which is why I was a civilian student, no ROTC, no formation, no MCJ.
At the same time, I watched what the Corps of Cadets went through during the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent war in Iraq and I hated the way we were forced to sit there and do nothing and let our friends march off to war. I still hate it. I don’t agree one bit with the Bush administration and anyone who reads this that knows me and has known me for a long time will tell you that I’m first to say it’s a bullshit experiment in revenge.
I would have loved to have seen a massive protest form, to have every single student who was opposed to the war march on Jackman Hall and tell the government to kiss their asses, but at an institution that isn’t funded by the state but instead by private donors there are rules that are different from other universities and one major rule was that protests were not allowed. Civilian and corps alike.
So, here’s my protest (and I realize it’s seven years overdue):
There were no weapons of mass destruction, Bush has driven us into a hole that neither Obama or McCain or any politician without a magic wand and a time machine is capable of digging us out of, and the list of dead soldiers continues to grow. I want peace and I want my friends home and on safe soil. I’m sick of worrying and of checking the Roll of Honor on the Norwich website for a list of alumni who have been blown up in a war zone.
I didn’t intend for the article to offend or upset - I honestly just wanted it to be a little slice of what it was like in an isolated town in Vermont. We were so far removed from everything…it was such a different experience.
It was hard to read through the tears, but thanks for writing it… I, for one, will certainly never forget that day…
love, mom
Awww…mom…I’m sorry I made you cry, but I’m really glad you enjoyed it.
Meg - I don’t think you need to set the record straight. Your Eleanor Roosevelt quotation sets your stall out pretty clearly.
I also don’t think anyone’s offended. But these are really interesting questions and your position (removed from the attack; in a traditional US environment; with close relationships to soldiers) is probably close in spirit to many American voters.
It’s important to understand how American felt at that time and how easy it was for many people (perhaps fearful, perhaps vengeful) to fix upon a tangible - and entirely mistaken - target. I think you can deliver some insights there.
It’s a measure of a good post to spark debate.
Thank you, Emma. I actually really hate conflict…and I’m one of those people that doesn’t want to willingly and maliciously hurt anyone’s feelings. Debates in high school would make me seize up and stumble over my words…I blushed a lot, too.
It’s funny, too, because my position is so far removed from the average voter (and I really hate Wal-Mart, so there’s that). I’m one of those crazy Liberals, but that experience made it easier for me to remove the soldier from the war, especially when people I knew looked terrified when they talked about deploying.
A friend of mine recently got out of the service after he finished his six years. He was one of the more gung-ho soldiers and he was really excited to deploy to Iraq. But then he married and he became a father and he decided that fighting a war wasn’t what he wanted to do. He wanted to be home so he could watch his son grow up. It was incredible how much being there had changed his mind about things.
right on.
lovely tribute.
let’s hope peace is possible, through whatever means.
My thoughts exactly.
I agree with Emma. I am not really sure how a post about 9/11, the emotions it evoked, and the uniqueness of experiencing the event while attending a military university have anything to do with Bush and the war in Iraq.
I understand the points of views expressed against Bush and the wars we fought (because technically are those wars not over?) and I happen to agree with them compeltely.
But I am not sure they give this post any justice.
I appreciate the views shared in some of these comments, but I also find it interesting that while some appear eager to share their perspectives they do little to see the one published in the post. I viewed this post as an opportunity to see 9/11 through someone else’s eyes and through a perspective not available to me - not as a platform from which to spout my political views. Regardless of whether war is “right” I think it is always important to understand there are million ways to view one event or decision and yours may not be the correct one.
Like I’ve said quite a few times before, I had no idea that this post would open such a large and somewhat unruly can of worms. I’m glad I sparked debate, but I’m also thankful that a handful of the readers saw what I intended.
Thanks Juana.
Just to clarify, Juana, I was reacting to material taken directly from the post itself, and then to comments the author herself made. Here, I’ll quote them again for the sake of further clarity:
“At the time of the 9/11 attacks it seemed almost blasphemous to protest the President’s decision to go ahead with a war …”
“It’s more about respecting them for doing a job they need to do …”
I might also add
“I hated the way we were forced to sit there and do nothing …”
To ask some more pertinent questions:
What does it mean that they were “forced” to sit and do nothing? What would have been the consequences if they had disobeyed?
I understand, you don’t want to hear these questions. They seem obnoxious and intrusive on your nice little reverie. That’s exactly why I have to ask them.
I also understand that you don’t want to think about them. They make you feel angry, as well as defensive for someone who is, perhaps, your friend. I understand. I value personal loyalty greatly.
But perhaps later you’ll understand that these questions are not an attack on your friend, or anyone. And maybe you’ll think about them. Maybe you’ll even come back here and respond to them. I haven’t heard anyone do so on this comment board yet, but I remain hopeful …
“It’s more about respecting them for doing a job they need to do …”
Military men and women have honor. They signed up for a job. Once they’ve done that, their honor prevents them from not doing it. In this way, yes, they do need to do their jobs.
I definitely thank them for that.
I thank my brother for that.
I thank multiple friends, dead and alive, for that.
Does honor never involve following one’s conscience?
I realized I’m dancing around my central question, which is annoying. So I’ll just go ahead and ask it. My question concerns agency. Meg did a fine job conveying the sense of powerlessness, fear, alienation–a lack of agency–that she and many other Americans felt in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Very well. But what’s fascinating about this post is that there’s still a distinct lack of agency conveyed in the present. This is what I’m attempting to address. Where is the agency? It doesn’t seem to be held by American citizens or soldiers. So, where is it?
These are not trick questions, nor rhetorical questions. I don’t know the answer, and I’d very much like to know. And I’d love to see the author take a stab at answering them, or even telling us why she can’t.
I had a really great, really articulate comment written out and then, poof, it disappeared. Perhaps the computer did not agree with my assessment of ‘articulate’.
Anyhow, Lenore actually got to this one before I did and her answer was on par with what I had written.
Soldiers are, of course, conscious of their actions and they know right from wrong, but at the same time they are put in charge of each others lives and a platoon leader is put in charge of a large number of them. In a combat situation, where you’re faced with life and death within the split second it takes for a grenade to go off, I would imagine it’s easier to be told what to do than it is to decide for yourself.
Imagine the chaos and confusion that individual thought would create in that scenario. Imagine how many more lives would be lost. Honor always has conscience, it wouldn’t be honor without it, but the situations vary so much that sometimes it isn’t until it’s all over that you’re given a chance to consider what you did and whether or not it was the absolute right thing to do. Honor codes in both the military and its academic institutions are created in order to instill trust among students and leaders.
Does that answer your question or does it create even more confusion?
Well, it’s a confusing topic, to be sure.
I was meaning to ask the question, not just of the soldiers, but of all of us. After all, soldiers aren’t just soldiers. They are also citizens, for example. They can vote. If even some of the soldiers you know who are over there consider this war “a sham,” then who has the agency to put a stop to it?
Do you have any thoughts on that? Do they have any that they can safely express to you?
I think that until we get a Congress and a President who believe we are not a necessary presence in the Middle East and who pull our troops out completely, leaving the peace keeping mission that Iraq has become to the UN, that no one has the ability to put a stop to it. I hate to make the parallels to Vietnam, but the Iraq war has become a shadow of that greater debacle.
Our soldiers are fighting a war they do not necessarily understand in order to keep free a country that is not their own. It could be every war we’ve ever entered into.
My military friends will answer any question you pose them, will tell you the truth about how they feel with regards to Iraq and Afghanistan and our government’s involvement in both. But it’s harder for them to speak publicly about it, harder for them to say whether or not they like or dislike President Bush. He’s their boss - could you go into a public forum and tell the world that you hate your boss and his politics?
No, of course not. That’s why I was hoping maybe you’d be willing to act as a kind of screen for them here, from behind which we could get a glimpse of their views.
Which you did. Thank you very much.
You’re welcome, Dawn. I’m sorry it took all day!
Okay.
To clarify:
1. Blasphemous - would you sit next to a Catholic and tell them their faith was meaningless and ridiculous and based on lies and in that same breath stage a protest in front of the Pope? That’s how I felt at Norwich. I wanted to say something, but it would have been insanely disrespectful to do so. Perhaps, instead of blasphemous, disrespectful would have been a better word. Because that’s what I meant.
2. A job they need to do - a soldier who doesn’t do as he or she is told, is insubordinate. It’s as simple as that. It’s kind of in their job description to fight. They need to do it because if they don’t they either get sent home for a court martial or they get sent home in a pine box. It’s black & white.
Plus, have you ever watched a person go through boot camp? It’s about being broken down as an individual and being rebuilt as a member of a team. There is no more ‘I’, only ‘we’. As a psychology student, that was fascinating to me.
People who serve in the military do so because they feel they are doing something right, because they believe they are protecting something worth being protected. I don’t understand it any more than you do, but that’s probably a big indicator of why we aren’t in the military.
3. Forced to do nothing - I’ll admit that this was an exaggeration. Sure we could do something - we could get in cars and drive to Montpelier and march on the state house. But we couldn’t do that at Norwich and, at the time, I didn’t have it in me to be an activist. Not everyone is built for protesting and writing petitions and rallying and sticking it to the man.
I hope that answers some of your questions, Dawn, and hopefully I didn’t sound as defensive as I did earlier.
there’s a purpose in breaking down the individual perspective in military training. in the event that there is a real threat, we can’t have our military taking time outs to search their personal set of morals. we need them at the ready to defend us.
i’m not saying that i believe individual perspective isn’t valuable. but in a system like the military, it’s important that they can trust each other to react in the ways they’ve been trained to react. it’s also important for the security of our country, for the safety of our citizens, that we have a military we can trust.
if that strength happened to come into question, we would be a lot more vulnerable. that’s when things like 9-11 happen. when there is an opening for such things to occur.
It was such a crazy thing to watch the Rooks (freshman cadets) go from being individuals to being one among many. They all wore the same uniform and they walked in the gutters and they squared their meals and it became even difficult for me, who was learning, at the time, to be an observer of people, to tell them apart from each other. The men became interchangeable - buzzed head, white shirt, khaki pants, brown shoes, maroon Rook hat, blankly terrified facial expression - and the only distinction between the women was hair color.
They did as they were told because they were expected to. Imagine if the military didn’t act that way…imagine the chaos.
‘Defend our borders!’
‘Naw…I’ve got a Tekken 3 game on hold and that’s really kind of important to me right now.’
We’d be screwed without that strict front line.
Your questions do not *seem* obnoxious. They are obnoxious. And rude. And your “nice little reverie” quote is simply patronizing. Meghan is completely capable; she doesn’t need to ponder your posts in the hopes that maybe “later you’ll understand that these questions are not an attack.” And she certainly doesn’t need to answer up to you.
You missed the entire point of the post.
P.S. I would argue I *am* seeing the perspective expressed in this post. Quite clearly, in fact. It’s that perspective I’m attempting to sharpen and question, by asking questions.
Meghan,
First, I think your post is beautifully written (as always).
Secondly, being a person who decided to attend the same military college you did, at the exact same time, and as a daughter of a proud man who served in the US Army, I can truly understand how you felt after the attacks on 9/11. It was a strange atmosphere. No one was really sure how to react. I am sure it was the same way across the country, but I believe we had a unique experience on that day and during the weeks that followed.
I know you always stick up for what you believe in, but you are also respectful, well mannered, and have the common decency that many others lack. I appreciate your point of view. I appreciate the fact that you are allowed to voice your opinion because of our fathers and because of the men and women who fight the battles that many people believe we have no business fighting. The same many people who would not have the gumption to do what the men and women in the Armed Forces and our Elected Offices do everyday. It is easy to be a Monday Morning Quarterback.
Meghan, don’t you ever feel guilty about how you (or any other person) reacted after that day. Regardless of how you feel now, how you felt then, and of what people have posted on this comment board, you reacted just as many people across the nation did. We were all stunned. Maybe we still are. Maybe we did not take the correct approach. Maybe we did. Hind sight is always 20-20, and unfortunately no one can go back and change what happened. It is very easy to point fingers. All anyone can ask is that we learn from the past.
Learn from the past. Don’t just dwell on it.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Maybe instead of criticism and blows to your patriotism on this comment board, people should share their own experiences of that day. Although I doubt it would be much more than the usual bitter, over-dramatic, anti-establishment rants I read on a weekly basis. Your story is different.
And as the daughter of a proud United States Coast Guard vet who ferried the wounded from shore to ship during Vietnam, thank you for having the courage to post your thoughts. I know you’re not big on the public speaking thing, which means I’m honored you came in here and spoke up and that you did it in response to something I wrote.
We are lucky women to have such brave men - men who fought a war they didn’t agree with so a country other than the United States could have freedom - for fathers.
The other side of the soldier aspect of this post is people who joined the military, not out of a sense of patriotism, but out of a sense of desperation.
A friend of mine joined the Marines because he wanted to get the hell out of Flint, MI, and the military seemed like the only way for him. He was lucky, he finished up his 6 years before Afghanistan or Iraq.
My cousin is a chopper pilot in the Air Force. He served two terms in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
An ex of mine is a Navy medic. He followed Marines around in Iraq.
Thank God they are both safe now.
Neither of these guys are patriotic. And neither of them thought they were going to Iraq because our country needed to be protected.
One did it because the Air Force paid for his college degree and gave him the best flight training in the world. He wants to be a professional pilot; the military is how you get there.
The other did it because he had no direction, no job, and no future, and his daddy was a Navy man.
There are thousands of men (and women) who join the military to get the education they need, the opportunity to get the hell out of whatever shithole town they grew up in, and to have some idea of direction.
I absolutely hate this war. Have hated it since day one. I wrote, rallied, and canvassed for democratic votes. I was active in my loathing of this war, and for the administration that got us here.
But I will not turn my wrath for the people in charge towards the soldiers. Because too many of them, not all of them I know, but a lot of them, never wanted to be there. Don’t want to be there now. They were given a chance to be something more than what they were, and they grabbed it. And now they’re paying their end of the deal. It sucks, but that’s what they owe. Years of service.
I think the message of peace and support for the troops goes hand in hand, Meghan.
’support our troops - bring them home now.’
Great discussion, btw. Awesome to be among such calm, steady intellect for such a passionate subject.
What you’ve said here is definitely the other side of my post, the one I didn’t mention but that I’m beginning to think I should have. Even I considered the military as a replacement for college loans, but the idea of structure and uniform and a six year committment was enough to make me sign the Sallie Mae promisary notes.
I definitely support our troops and I definitely want them home sooner rather than later.
Thanks for presenting the other side of it, the one that is probably true for a much larger percentage of our troops but that our society doesn’t necessarily want to hear.
The discussion definitely took on a life of its own….
Meghan: Brave article. There’s a military angle to your 9/11 story that mine and Savannah’s pieces skirt. So it makes sense issues are coming up simply because of your shared experience with military personnel. You make certain statements that are simply OK to make. You respect your soldier-student friends and you show that you hold the office of presidency high whether it’s filled with goombahs or not. That’s noble and patriotic.
And it’s normal.
Now, in reading Thick White Crust and the liberal ways in which I tell the story (shoot, we’re not even to the homosexual themes yet nor to the chapter where I talk about the dishonor of an ex-soldier) you would probably never know that I’m a Republican.
I am moderate though. And I write literature and creative non-fiction on a site, that, well, isn’t very conservative most of the time.
America has as part of its fabric a culture of war. For me, I’ve always been interested in reading about and telling the stories of the common man, the common soldier, the daily life of society…
One of my treasured letters is from a military historian who never fought in a battle. John Keegan. I wrote a paper about him called “A Soldier’s Spell.” It’s about how he really is a soldier without having gone to war. He’s like a simple soldier in the trenches. I’m always interested in those tales. It’s like your tale. You were a civilian in the trenches of your school. And in my opinion, every American was a sort of soldier that day. It was a battle everyone shared through television. I mean, don’t soldiers get scared or cry out, “Why me?” in the face of grueling war and want a taste of calculated revenge against the tyrant?
As a history graduate student I studied every major American war. I studied immigration and politics, war culture and war tactics. I studied the economic, social, bubblegum blah blah causes for conflict. Few causes are ever really valid. And all can be argued. I think it’s always an excuse for nationalistic pride through force. Unless it’s over resources.
I’ve taught on topics that make students want to throw chairs at each other because there’s a fine line between debate and passion. I usually don’t share my political views. I haven’t taught college in a while. I would just pose questions to students. Let them duke it out.
Here I will say that not all soldiers are against being in Iraq. I’ve talked to my share. But it’s not uncommon in any war for soldiers to say war is stupid and for some soldiers to want out. Didn’t Kerouac want out of the most noble of wars? WW2? Some soldiers want to fulfill some kind of democratic destiny or just kick ass. Some want to fulfill duty, honor… there are a bazillion reasons. And sure, some do just want the hell out.
I did some news stories on soldiers who got messed up pretty bad over in Iraq. One thing I realized. Someone is shooting RPGs at Americans. Someone is setting off bombs. I know that much.
And when the world stood by and helped America storm Iraq. Well, they knew what they were getting into.
Whether it’s an unpopular and lied about war for oil resources, a war of vengeance and democracy, or a lot of both, war in my opinion is a knee-jerk reaction to the age old balance of power. It’s not about 18th Century European diplomacy or carving up Africa in the 19th Century, but about the latest balance of power—power in the Middle East.
Historians are part of the intellectual construct society has in place that makes sense or reason from historical periods that include war. You can call some era an Age of Romanticism or Enlightenment, or the Cold War or Civil War. But it was usually a historian who made up such a label. The people living at the time were just as confused as we are today about political destiny and warring countries.
It’s the aristocrats at the top who really know.
With that balance of power in the Middle East there’s been a long history of fanaticism grown from tribalism, grown out of bastardized European imperialism and a sense of Westernization all at the same time. A true cultural flowering amongst peoples who love and hate America, and like many countries, send their people to the west for education.
To truly understand war and people and cultural acceptance and peace, one must understand the suffering, the hatred, the pain, the punishment, the retaliation on both sides of conflict, including the war in Iraq, an area like I just mention, is westernized and is not because of what it grew from.
Is there a sense of good from such a war? Maybe that depends on the media interpretation coupled with the mindset of society who always wants a damn good reason to go to war. Grandma and her grandbaby dying in a building collapse is much easier for Americans to digest than: “Hey, let’s strategize here at the expense of humanity because there needs to be a new balance of power. One in the Middle East.”
Is that good or bad? Depends on how bad people value their oil-based products. I don’t know, is it justified to go to war to lower my heating bill. Sure doesn’t seem to have helped at the pump. But those oil barons sure like their Dubai penthouses and record profits. And I guarantee some of those folks are Iraqi nationalists grateful for democratization of piplelines.
Political parties want to get into office. They will say what they want to turn the tide of the people’s consciousness. They use the media to sway opinion. Dear God, read my book about what happened on a small town level because a newspaper publisher was in bed with murderers and pedaphiles! A dust storm transformed into a religious apocalypse… I hope Listi sees that TV broadcasting and other news entities are in bed with the politicians at any political convention, because they want power and money and their own sense of destiny. We’re the little guys left at the bottom of the Republican and Democrat barrel paying for huge energy bills and blood sacrifices…
This story at a small college in Vermont of a young girl with dreams to become a writer, has a sense of destiny.
And during any kind of fight when dirt is kicked in your eye, can’t you see that destiny? That punch back in the ribs of the kid who kicked the dirt? After 9/11, I did.
Viva la troops and the administration, Democrat or Republican. Because in the end they will both send troops into battle. There are legions of them. And America is a culture of war.
Oh, by the way, I may be talking about this piece and anyone else on TNB who writes about 9/11 on the radio…will keep you posted.
woot!
Nick, I totally guessed you were a Republican. ( :
Meghan, just wanted to say that I appreciate your perspective of that day - and leave it at that. I thought the Roosevelt quote at the beginning was well-chosen.
Oh boy, now the world can misinterpret what I was saying…
Good luck with the radio thing - give me a great psuedonym…something like Pollyanna Turtlebottom or Penelope Lovecraft.
I fell asleep trying to read my own comment.
It was a long one, but I understood it (even without coffee and at this ungodly early hour) and thank you for it. This article was a good lesson in why I’m not a reporter or a magazine writer…it’s hard not to take it personally when something I wrote incited such a ‘riot’ on the comment board.
But that’s the greatest thing about America - you can say what you want to, can comment about anything, and can offer up any opinion without worrying the government may come knocking.
Of course, now that I’ve said that, the FBI will come barreling through the front door…any minute now…
Funny you said that. I’m working on a magazine article where I’m mentioning this article.
Glad you survived my sudden lapse into a professor coma. I think I could have said all that in three sentences. Sorry about that.
I liked your comment - a Republican perspective amongst many Democratic and Independent perspectives. I appreciated it.
Oh god…I’m soooo not ready for my closeup, Mr. Demille.
I think it is always interesting to hear peoples recollections of 9-11. It’s fascinating to know what people thought, what their reactions were, and how they remember exactly what they were doing at that moment. I happened to be in 1987 vintage Volvo wagon on my way to the office when the first plane hit. I was on Light street when the second one hit, and I remember screaming “IT’S A FUCKING TERRORIST ATTACK!! IT’S A FUCKING TERRORIST ATTACK!!” I got to the office, wheeled the TV into the library, and saw my first glimpse of what an ugly place the world had suddenly become.
The most interesting 9-11 story I’ve heard yet though came from an ex of mine, who was in a subway UNDERNEATH the 1st tower when it was hit. The driver of the train was given a red light, and told not to pull out of the station, but he disobeyed the order and got the train out of there anyway. She said there was a rain of paper and debris coming out of the sky as she crossed the bridge out of Manhattan that night.
-Tim
Meg, you riot causer.
Having grown up in the same world as you, I think, too, some of those feelings you express here about the military are more than just being at Norwich. There’s this strange co-existence between opposing opinions in a lot of small towns in New England. I always have a difficult time explaining it to people. I’m not sure I’ve entirely figured it out.
Anyhow, amazing comment board here.
This is definitely one of those occasions where I wish I hadn’t written anything at all. Even with the great debate that’s gone on, I still kind of feel like I was backed into a corner I didn’t belong in and the whole point - the perspective of a different situation than possibly anyone in the US had at that time - went completely unnoticed by a few people.
Whatever. I have a beer. I am happy.
Next time, a post about ninja training and the pros and cons of form fitting outfits whilst raiding a compound in rural Bulgaria.
I had bruises in places no ninja should have bruises….
And you’re absolutely right about New England…we are our own little world up there, liberals mixed in with conservatives mixed in with socialists and independents and a whole host of people who couldn’t give a damn. It’s a social experiment of it’s own - one that I absolutely love and miss.
I’m glad you wrote it. But I understand your feelings. Have an extra beer on me!
Eat more bugs!
An extra beer on you? Can do!
Bugs are tasty, especially chocolate covered grasshoppers - they taste a lot like chocolate covered rice krispies. They’re good in cookies, believe it or not.
heh. Mmmmm…!!
I’m glad you wrote it, too. If anything, I think the reactions here on the comment board are a great study of our times, of how those events, the aftermath, affected individuals and how their own beliefs, experiences, and activism gets tied into that.
It’s dialogue. And in the end, I think it creates a greater understanding.
yeah, i’m super glad you wrote this.
i think it’s a wonderful post about respect for those who keep us safe.
like i said before, RIGHT ON.
and drama on the comment board is great stuff. more drama = more readership. own it girl.
“But most of all, I think of what this world would be like if peace were possible.”
That’s what we need more of… people thinking about peace and how it could be possible.
I really think that kind of focus will make all the difference.
Keep thinking on it, doll. And if you come up with something…. let us know, will ya!
xo