Read this. All of it.

[WilliamPitt]

Tomas Young visits Ground Zero in the film Body of War.
(Photo: Ellen Spiro / Mobilus Media)

One of First Iraq Veterans to Publicly Oppose War Will Die for Our Sins
By Chris Hedges | Truthdig

I flew to Kansas City last week to see Tomas Young. Young was paralyzed in Iraq in 2004. He is now receiving hospice care at his home. I knew him by reputation and the movie documentary “Body of War.” He was one of the first veterans to publicly oppose the war in Iraq. He fought as long and as hard as he could against the war that crippled him, until his physical deterioration caught up with him.

“I had been toying with the idea of suicide for a long time because I had become helpless,” he told me in his small house on the Kansas City outskirts where he intends to die. “I couldn’t dress myself. People have to help me with the most rudimentary of things. I decided I did not want to go through life like that anymore. The pain, the frustration. …”

He stopped abruptly and called his wife. “Claudia, can I get some water?” She opened a bottle of water, took a swig so it would not spill when he sipped and handed it to him.

“I felt at the end of my rope,” the 33-year-old Army veteran went on. “I made the decision to go on hospice care, to stop feeding and fade away. This way, instead of committing the conventional suicide and I am out of the picture, people have a way to stop by or call and say their goodbyes. I felt this was a fairer way to treat people than to just go out with a note. After the anoxic brain injury in 2008 [a complication that Young suffered] I lost a lot of dexterity and strength in my upper body. So I wouldn’t be able to shoot myself or even open the pill bottle to give myself an overdose. The only way I could think of doing it was to have Claudia open the pill bottle for me, but I didn’t want her implicated.”

The rest: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/15045-one-of-the-first-iraq-veterans-to-publicly-oppose-war-will-die-for-our-sins

[hlthe2b]

1. i wish I knew what to say....

Last edited Mon Mar 11, 2013, 07:35 PM - Edit history (1)

[Lifelong Protester]

2. That puts life into perspective, doesn't it?

Wow. Powerful piece. We will be paying for this horrible war for a long, long, time. There are a lot of folks out there like him, I reckon.

[senseandsensibility]

70. It certainly does.

I live a charmed life. I can not bear to think about this young man, but I will, of course. I will think of him for a very long time. I wish his story would be told on the nightly news. Everyone needs to know about this. I don't know what else to say, but I liked your comment.

[riverwalker]

3. .

Young will die for our sins. He will die for a war that should never have been fought. He will die for the lies of politicians. He will die for war profiteers. He will die for the careers of generals. He will die for a cheerleader press. He will die for a complacent public that made war possible.

[JDPriestly]

89. Don't forget. He will die for George W. Bush. He will die for Dick Cheney.

He will die for Paul Wolfowitz. He will die for them and their friends.

[erronis]

104. Eloquent and simple

[cbrer]

4. Words are pitifully inadequate

To address the horrors of war that this mans suffering expose. His personal struggles, after the destructive force of the war that America illegally and ruinously waged on Iraq, will now be dealt with.

He can exert just so much will in his own life. His response, though sad and final, seems quite sane to me. In an environment of insanity, thrust upon him by the nation he chose to serve.

As a veteran of 3 wars now, I can sense the level of reasoning he's reached. As a human, it's with profound sadness that I witness the results of the horror that America has inflicted on the world.

[xtraxritical]

80. Did any of those 3 wars you're a veteran of have any purpose? Why did you enlist? Curious.

[cbrer]

83. "Purpose" is an entirely subjective term

That can mean anything from "Saving the world", to "Saving your buddies".

At 18, when I was a young badass desirous of tuition money and aware of the "babe-magnet" qualities (in some eyes) of the uniform, and lacking any cogent political awareness, I joined up.

A few (ahem) years later, the only "purpose" I'm aware of has been enforcing political decisions, whether true or false, and maintaining a healthy level of technical expertise in the MIC.

War never goes away for many people such as this young man. The loneliness, desperation, true terror, and psychological mind-fuck that occurs for that "purpose" transcends borders, races, or social strata.

To say that war is hell is to say that Adolf Hitler wasn't a nice person.

Tears welled while reading this young mans story, as they do now. I've left, loved, and lost much. And if it weren't for the sheer dumb luck of not being there when it happened, it could EASILY be me. The faces never leave me.

If it weren't for the true love of my family...

[xtraxritical]

99. So it was desperation and being ployed with girls, that's about the only way they get

anybody to enlist. How heroic.

[cbrer]

101. No

I was neither desperate, nor ployed. It was simply my path. We all exist in American society. No one is living in a vacuum.

Teens like sex. I wanted school money.

Between enticements, and the MSM, lots of middle and lower class kids end up in the military.

There are some good reasons to fight. Some on the national level. Because of the last 4 debacles, many people view war as always wrong. That's not the case.

Although you're certainly correct to imply that many people in the military are falsely portrayed as heroes. The other side of that coin is that MANY Americans perform heroic acts that are never witnessed. They have a profound positive effect on how Americans are viewed by the locals of the nations we invade. It's impossible to compensate for the net negative effect of the MIC on our victims.

But there are many (really) Americans who are heroic in terms of going beyond expectations, and/or putting themselves unnecessarily at risk simply to have a positive impact on whatever operation they're a member of.

It's way more complicated than a discussion in a forum can cover the scope of.

[Cooley Hurd]

5. All because of that fucking UNNECESSARY war!!!!

If there's a hell, I hope the neocons rot there for this....

[donnasgirl]

58. Be Truthful

In the Senate, 37 of 49 Democrats voted on May 24 to support the measure to go to war,everybody wake up dam it they are all at fault.I sit here balling like a baby because of this kid,and the only thing i read is people pointing the finger at who's fault it is (it's the friggin politicians who did it (all of them).

[TwilightGardener]

64. First off, it's "bawling", not "balling". Secondly, there are different levels of guilt

in this debacle. There's voting for the IWR (some Dems), and then there's inventing the reasons for war to begin with (pretty much the entire Bush administration). And then there's prosecuting it badly (Bush administration) and then there's escalation in 2007 (yep, Bush again). I've had it up to my eyeballs with "both sides did it!" Democrats failed to exercise good judgment, but they weren't the murderous greedy fucks the Republicans were. Don't even try this shit here, sister.

[TwilightGardener]

66. LOL. I've seen ya on other threads.

[BeHereNow]

71. Truly remarkable... Where is MIRT? n/t

BHN

[TwilightGardener]

72. Don't know--but a particularly nasty one here.

[HangOnKids]

95. How sweet Donna is.....NOT

And served on a jury too. The requirements for jury duty need a big fucking alteration.

[Initech]

77. Oh I believe Satan has a special place in hell reserved for the BFEE.

[Autumn]

6. The one's he will die for? Those politicians, those war profiteers

those generals taking care of their careers, the lying cheerleader press. They will do it again and again. No one will ever hold them
accountable, they will retain power and the President and the Congress and the Senate will cover for them , praise them and pretend
that they did nothing wrong and appoint them to higher positions. Thousands more will die and be ignored by our government. But
that's okay, we won't hold Bush, and Obama accountable for the crimes and the cover up.

[October]

7. Don't let this thread sink

<snip>

"Young will die for our sins. He will die for a war that should never have been fought. He will die for the lies of politicians. He will die for war profiteers. He will die for the careers of generals. He will die for a cheerleader press. He will die for a complacent public that made war possible. He bore all this upon his body. He was crucified. And there are hundreds of thousands of other crucified bodies like his in Baghdad and Kandahar and Peshawar and Walter Reed medical center. Mangled bodies and corpses, broken dreams, unending grief, betrayal, corporate profit, these are the true products of war. Tomas Young is the face of war they do not want you to see."

[panader0]

8. This is why my number one issue is the war(s )"First do no harm"

Tomas Young deserves a lot more. And on top of all the innumerable harm done to our soldiers, there has been much more damage done to the Iraqis and the Afghanis. Oh my goodness, how can we, as a country, worry about our piddly-assed problems when the outrage of illegal and immoral wars continue?

[Solly Mack]

9. K/R

[11 Bravo]

10. Aaaah, shit.

Thanks for this, Will, even though it left me with equal parts simmering rage and boundless sorrow.

[glinda]

20. +1

[babylonsister]

31. Yes, what you said.

[Duval]

57. Yes! Thank you for

saying it for me. And thank you WRP.

[idwiyo]

11. K&R

[progressoid]

12. ...

What a waste.

Damn the chickenhawks that made this happen.

[OldDem2012]

13. He is one of the many victims of George Bush's War. May they all somehow rest in peace. nt.

[erronis]

105. and complicity from

The MIC, politicians of every ilk, MSM, and us plebes that don't know how to exercise rational thinking.

[brer cat]

14. There are no words.

[ljm2002]

15. Powerful piece...

...thanks for posting.

K&R

[whatchamacallit]

16. Fuuuuuuuuuck!

[HangOnKids]

21. You Took The Words & Tears Out Of My Mouth

K&R.

[Milliesmom]

17. Another beautiful young man

we are losing thanks to Bush and Cheney...........................

[Victor_c3]

18. As a veteran of the war in Iraq, this war is deeply personal to me

Unfortunately I don't have the time or energy to devote to reading the entire article at the moment. Reading and subsequently writing about my feelings of the war completely wear me out.

I say this a lot, but at some point I need to get over myself and the war. However, that being said, the pain that some of us who have served over there have endured should bear on the minds of those who ever supported that war.

I joined the Army in 1997 to be a part of an organization that bettered humanity. Perhaps I fell for too much of the propaganda as a child, but I joined with the purest of intentions. Instead, I found myself with blood all over my hands for a war that had nothing to do with what I was brought up and told to believe were the values of our country and our military. Looking back at my service and my actions, I feel mostly shame for what I did in our country's name.

Again, I can't read that entire article right now and reply to it meaningfully. However, I will when after I sober up a little bit and my kids and wife are asleep.

[Hekate]

26. No need to go there, Victor. You witness to your own experience; that is enough.

I hope you are at least peer-counseling with a vets' group.

For what it's worth, during the Bush years I hung out with the local chapter of Vets for Peace -- I'm a lifelong civilian, but after being with them at peace marches they invited me in. I did a lot of liaison work between them and other groups. Long story short, they are the finest bunch of people I was ever blessed to work with. All ages and all wars from WW II on were represented. They served, they did their job, they survived, and they knew they would be there to welcome you and your cohort in when you are ready.

Think it over. Just find someone. My generation lost too many in the Vietnam War and afterwards....

Take care of yourself,

Hekate

[Victor_c3]

90. Thanks to you and everyone who replied to me

I get myself wrapped up unnecessarily in negative thoughts sometimes. I know better, but sometimes I can't resist.

I've actually almost joined Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against War several times. I completed the online application, but I just couldn't bring myself to click the "submit" button for whatever reason.

I have two daughters aged 2 and 4. I don't think that she has any idea or concept that people could kill each other or what war is. I want her to keep that part of her innocence as long as possible. However, when they both get old enough and start to get exposed to such things, I want to bring them into the fold. I want to ensure that neither of them grow up with the misconception that there is glory to be had in war and that armies are a tool of good.

As far as the counseling thing, I'm thoroughly integrated into my local VA hospital. I go to regular appointments and I've received a lot of help from them over the last couple of years.

The DU community has been very welcoming and supportive of me. When reading the replies of people like you and others to my various ramblings, I feel grateful. It is probably part of my PTSD issues, but the sense of alienation and isolation that I've felt since leaving the Army almost 6 years ago isn't something I feel on this online community.

I often don't know what to say and I feel uncomfortable showing my emotions, but thank you to you and everyone else for reading my posts and taking the time to write thoughtful replies!

There are some great people on here!

[Evoman]

33. Dude, we understand if it's too hard for you. Go have a bath, relax....you don't have to respond.

If it's too rough for you, don't do it. We understand how shitty the war was. Just rest.

[babylonsister]

37. You joined for the right reasons:

please don't beat yourself up about that. Don't feel shame, either. You served your country honorably, and now you can tell the truth as you see it. That would be cathartic maybe.

But the fault lies with politicians, not with you.

[Skittles]

45. Victor

you'll never truly "get over yourself and the war"; you can only deal with it the best way you know how and you sound like someone who has great insight and self-reflection, which is always the best start.......stay with us and when you write, post on DU please

[Swede Atlanta]

19. I only wish the Chickenhawks had to feel the same pain....

I could only wish the Shrub, Darth Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, McInsane and the whole GOP crew could feel 1/10 of the pain this young man has.

They couldn't handle it, even McInsane. They are cowards who hide behind "daddy's coattails" to avoid any meaningful service.

Fuck them, fuck them all. This young man didn't need to have this kind of life.

[olddots]

23. Yup

The war merchants are the true parasites .What makes it worse is they feel nothing and believe they are gods .

[renate]

24. I know. They caused So. Much. Pain

And it was all unnecessary. Hundreds of thousands of people dead and suffering terribly and it didn't have to happen. It was just something they wanted to do. All those lives destroyed, all those families mourning, all that agony and fear and misery, all orchestrated by people in suits in their clean offices in Washington a million miles away from the pain they caused.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

22. Kick. :/

[southernyankeebelle]

25. As long as the is a hell I hope that Bush, Cheney and Romney all end up there for sending

our innocent soldiers to their deaths in Iraq. They are nothing more then murders just like OBL was to the innocent Iraq civilian citizens. It will be a stain on our country. It's time we start sending P. Bush and the age of group of politicans kids off to war before they send ours.

[sulphurdunn]

32. There is probably no hell

to send them to later. We should create one for them in the here and now.

[babylonsister]

38. Ooh, yes!

I do wish.

[southernyankeebelle]

42. I wish we could. Believe me if it were Obama they would have sent them already.

[npk]

54. Bush Jr and his Father should be forced to live in a 8 by 10 prison cell

They should each be placed in the cell together, and when one of them dies, remove the body and let the other one remain until the other one is dead. Let them be consumed by their thoughts for the rest of their days. They should never be heard from or spoken to ever again. Let them die alone and with no help or aid, and only then would it be a start in the Justice process both of them so terribly deserve.

[LuckyLib]

27. This is a brave man. His story is so sad, and Hedges has told it so well.

"Mangled bodies and corpses, broken dreams, unending grief, betrayal, corporate profit, these are the true products of war."

[Curmudgeoness]

28. This is so damned overwhelming.

I feel so much right now. I am sorry for his suffering. I am angry that he had to go through this. I wish we could have stopped this from happening.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. There has been a great outpouring of support for Tomas here in Kansas City but we are now at a loss

We don't know what to do.

Our hearts are breaking.

[myrna minx]

30. .

[undeterred]

34. kick!

[cp]

35. Bless Tomas

People you don't even know love you. I'm one.
LOVE,
Catherine

[Auntie Bush]

60. Welcome to DU cp

[kelliekat44]

36. You may want DUers to read all of this and I agree. But they should LISTEN to all of this NK

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2&prgDate=03-11-2013

Trying to get the discussion part that lays out why the NK think and act the way they do and how if the US wants other nations to stop the nukes and claims to the right of preemptive strikes than the US and its allies must do the same. The US really needs to play by the same rules they others to follow. It was an interesting and thoughtful conversation. If the leader of NK is treated like a head of state then the thinking is (by the guest journalist) he will act like one. If he is treated as a rogue than he will like one.

[Frustratedlady]

39. What a wasted life. My heart goes out to him and his family.

Our military brags about all the powerful machinery/weaponry we have, but the Iraqi's probably did more or as much damage with their darned suicide bombers and IEDs.

I weep for those vets who came home missing limbs, sight, minds...unbelievable conditions. We go on with our lives, but they fight for survival the rest of their lives.

All for money in the pockets of many who never served. Surely, we can learn to set our priorities...one being the end of wars forever more.

[malaise]

40. Too sad

Thanks Bush and Cheney

[babylonsister]

41. proud2BlibKansan knows this young man;

This is from 2008, and she posted a lot about this man, who I know a lot of us came to know and love.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3635360

And this is from February of this year:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022401221

[Duval]

56. Thank you babylonsister. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

75. ...

[HughBeaumont]

43. I would love to toss the entire "cast" of "Fahrenheit 9/11" in a warzone with no ammo or armor.

"YOU made this mess, YOU clean it up!"



We're going to be paying for this occupation for the rest of our lives, and all they got was away with it.

[cantbeserious]

44. Would That Curses And Incantations Could Visit The Most Vile Evil On The Bush Administration

Still, it would not be enough evil for W and his minions to suffer.

[sheshe2]

46. I can not stop crying, for Tomas Young

and for all the men and women that fought in this stupid senseless war!

[MannyGoldstein]

47. Powerful. So sad.

It's a sickness we visit upon ourselves. And there are thousands more in the same predicament.

Awful.

[Honeycombe8]

48. So very sad. It's heart breaking. nt

[midnight]

49. This video is for all those hurt by this war:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017103875

[alfredo]

50. Kick

[Paper Roses]

51. Tears in my eyes. n/t

[smirkymonkey]

52. +1000

This is so tragic. The poor man, his life was destroyed by people who will never know the pain of war and just continue to send more people into senseless wars, seeing them as nothing more than cannon fodder.

I wish there could be justice.

[TwilightGardener]

53. I remember reading about him previously. Sad how it's ending up for him.

I wish him peace and comfort.

[another_liberal]

55. Tax the very wealthy . . .

Tax the very wealthy and fund cutting edge medical research which could still save many of these young men. Only the government can or will do it, and the money should be paid by those who profited most from Bush's wars.

[kelliekat44]

59. We may be heading for the same kind of needless conflict with NK or Iran if the President allows the

chicken hawks to continue with the PNAC agenda. i know I am on this kick, but my friend was on this kick in 2003 and everyone was against her for even mentioning such a thing. And you all know the rest of the rest of the sorry story.... It ends in many stories like this and we all feel badly. But now is the time to let our voices be heard. not after the fact.

[existentialist]

61. OK, I read it. All of it.

It didn't change my mind about much.

It informed only in the sense of filling in details--I was aware that there are young men like Tomas Young.

But I am glad I read it.

It's kind of like it is the least I can do.

[pinboy3niner]

62. Kick

[reteachinwi]

63. I hope Tomas finds the peace he is seeking.

I opposed the Iraq War in the ways I knew how. Protested, spoke with colleagues, family, friends, even my students when they would ask. Some of my former students were killed in the war, a daughter of a high school friend was killed in the war. When I reflect on this I hear Martin Luther King Jr.:
"But it seems that I can hear the God of the universe saying, "even though you've done all of that, I was hungry and you fed me not. I was naked and ye clothed me not. The children of my sons and daughters were in need of economic security, and you didn't provide for them. So you cannot enter the kingdom of greatness." This may well be the indictment on America that says in Memphis to the mayor, to the power structure, "If you do it unto the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me."…"

[radiclib]

68. Remember---look forward, not back (eye roll)

I feel sick with grief.

[loudsue]

69. God Damn the Neocons and the war profiteers.

Every last one of them.

[SunSeeker]

73. K&R

[BeHereNow]

74. Will, you really should have added a 5 tissue box alert.

Can't stop crying.
BHN

[Permanut]

76. Lost two friends in Vietnam..

and a third one later to PTSD. And I thought at the time that maybe "we" had learned how pointless, futile and cruel it was to invade a third world country. I was wrong.

[Paul E Ester]

78. This is incredibly sad. The dead, the wounded, the mentally destroyed.

A great nation investing in empire and war, will reaps dividends of misery and death.

[Martin Eden]

79. Multiply Tomas Young's pain & grief times thousands

It made me angry enough to compose this nasty poem for GW Bush when he left office:


I’d tell you to go fuck yourself
But that is much too kind
Because if you could perform that feat
You’d take pleasure in your behind

I’d like to say eat shit and die
But you deserve much more
You should suffer all the grief and pain
Of your misbegotten war

Though I can never make you feel
Or think, or understand
I’ll take solace when you hear your name
Cursed throughout the land

From inside a lonely prison cell
Dark and bare and cold
Where every day you pay for your crimes
Till you’re sick, heartbroken, and old

And when you finally leave the earth
You fucked over oh so well
If there is a God and afterlife
You’re going straight to hell.

[Duppers]

88. ....

It helped reading that.

I curse Bush et al and wish there were a hell.

[Plucketeer]

81. I'm gonna sound pretty callous here

And frankly, I make NO apologies if I sound hard-hearted or uncaring enough. That I seem unable to be sympathetic to some is a result of the non-stop barrage of stories like this young fella's. How much DEEPER can we pound ourselves? How much more grief can we squeeze from our gut? How many boxes of tissues before we start threatening old growth forests? When do we say: That's it! I simply can not digest any more accounts like this without doing myself in!

I could tell you about my time in Vietnam - and some of the unbelievable things I saw there - and I wasn't even wading, chest deep thru rice paddies or leading patrols thru humid, foreboding jungles. War is hell, and then you get to buy stuff made in the country you went to bat for. I now wear denim shorts made in Vietnam, and drive a car made in Korea. I'd buy American if I could afford it - but I can also remind myself how many innocent American kids DIED trying to give those two nations a chance to practice the supposed "freedom" we have here. Which it's not - really.
Unless and until a lowly little dweeb like me has a fair shot at running for public office, we're going to be JUST PAWNS. That's all. Just pawns.
We nod our heads in unison regarding our mutual notion that ALL elections need to be publicly funded - but it never ever even gets out of the starting gate. And I seriously doubt it ever will - at least, not in my lifetime.

I'm worn thin at grieving for those wounded and eliminated on foreign battlegrounds. Sure - they're worthy of being held up as "heros", but what about the thousands of simple citizens blasted away on domestic streets? What about the literal SEIGE we're under, right here in the good ol' USA??? WHEN, I ask, do we recognize the terrorism we live under here? Yet for whatever reason - no one in power will call our situation a terrorist seige. I suspect they're worried at how BAD they'd look if they conceded they can't even keep usw safe here at home.

It's not that I can't feel for young Thomas. It's maybe partly that I envy him bravely exiting the lunacy of our supposed civilizded society on his own terms.

[ismnotwasm]

82. Damn

This hurts to read. A lot. And it should

[mountain grammy]

84. Tomas Young was a trained soldier. He voluntarily enlisted to save his country. I have no doubt

he enlisted with pride and patriotism. Soldiers are always at risk, they know this going in, so why do they go in?
During the Vietnam war, not enough men volunteered, so the military drafted what they needed. Few soldiers had to do more than one year in combat, the draft constantly supplied fresh blood.
Currently, our all volunteer soldiers are deployed to combat over and over. No fresh blood. Oh, the draft could be reinstated, but that pesky draft has a way of really firing people up against unnecessary wars. I went to a Mother's Day march for peace in DC in 2005, and there were, maybe, 300 people there. At least a dozen were Iraqi and Vietnam vets.
It's different when it's a professional military. People go to sleep.
My heart aches for young Tomas, and all those dead and broken in this debacle. And we can't even begin to atone for the suffering and terror of the innocent citizens, men, women and children, of the countries we've invaded.
Yeah, we're pro life, all right.

[ReRe]

85. I read it. All of it.

K&R

And now there's a big boulder-sized heaviness in my chest where my heart is supposed to be. Because I know that there are untold thousands who have suffered and who are now suffering from horrendous war wounds, physically and mentally. How can we call ourselves civilized when we perpetrate needless wars of invasion upon the world? How is it civilized to kill others and ourselves in the process? WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars, and what it actually turned out to be was the war that started endless war. I'm lighting a candle tonight for Thomas Young and all the other Thomas Youngs in the world.

[grahamhgreen]

86. Enough is enough. Cut the big war budget by 50%

[Duppers]

87. tears are falling.

Why are we still doing this to our young men?

[WilliamPitt]

91. Up

[Plucketeer]

92. Kick

[Fantastic Anarchist]

93. Incredible. :-(

[CrispyQ]

94. So tragic.

I am rarely happy. Maybe it is because when I am alone all I have with me are my thoughts, and my mind is a very hazardous place to go. When I am around people I feel as if I have to put on a facade of being the happy little soldier.”

How many shattered lives so a few people could make a ton of money on a war based on lies? And all we do about it is look forward.

[duhneece]

96. Human costs of war were never considered by Bush admin

They didn't do so well on assessing the financial costs either, but the lives lost is what breaks my heart, keeps me active.

[Smilo]

97. To many war = death

they do not realize how many are like this lovely young man - hurt, broken and left to die.

I have no words for Tomas because they would sound trite - but I hope he and his family know that many, many people love them and wishing for them only the best as they travel this road. I am glad Tomas chose hospice, because the values that hospice has are true and wonderful and he can die with dignity and with love around him.


Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld - you rotten scum - I don't like the world evil, but in this case it applies to them - they brought ruination to America, to our men like Tomas and his family, to Iraq and the thousands there who are discarded and disregarded. Yes these three and those who aided and abetted are truly evil. These war criminals should be brought to justice and not protected and allowed to speak to America as if they are still in power and running an empire.

[Initech]

98. He sacrificed his life for the $3 trillion war for profit.

Every single of the BFEE should be facing jail for war crimes, not playing golf, painting, or attending pricey functions.

[snagglepuss]

100. "$5.00 says there be no outrageous "Terry Shivo" BS about this. Damn farkin' shame. Shame on us,

shame, shame, shame." - QUOTING comment on Truthdig that nails my sentiments

[Worried senior]

102. This is just so sad for him

and his family.

I do hope there is a place for that administration and those that supported it.

[Ninga]

103. My heart is broken reading about each and every challenge this young man has had to endure.

Phil Donahue received the Ohio Citizen's Action, Howard Metzenbaum award for his participation in getting this story to film.

I attended the ceremony, and listened as Donahue told of door, after door, being closed to Tomas Young's story.

HBO along with others, didn't see any appeal in the visuals of wheel chairs and bathroom accidents. Soon the documentary just disappeared.

Donahue pleaded and choked up and inspired the audience to spread the story of Tomas and the true price of war.

Now this. How much torture does one human have to endure over and over and over.....

I am so sad.