The Taste of Blood

[wnylib]

33. i met some young people like that

in the run up to the US invasion of Iraq. My thoughts were the same as you expressed about them not knowing what a war would involve.

I remember one young man in particular. I rode on a bus that was part of a caravan of protesters going from Buffalo to DC for a huge anti war rally in January of '03. Our bus stopped at a large suburban rest stop near Philly. A young man about 18 at the cash register told me, very politely, that he understood our right to protest but said he would be proud to serve in defense of the nation. He said he planned to enlist as soon as he graduated in the spring. He only hoped the war wasn't over before then. I said I hoped it never got started.

The kid said he knew how people of my age and his parents' age felt about Vietnam, but said, "I'm not like that. I'm not afraid to serve." He had a full, soft-looking face and seemed like someone who might have been targeted by bullies at school. I got the impression that he saw being trained and armed to fight as a chance to be tough and prove himself.

I said opposition to war is not a matter if cowardice, but of knowing when a fight is worthwhile or necessary. He just shook his head and gave me the look of a teen who pities the ignorance of adults.

I often wondered whether he did enlist and what happened to him. He had no clue what to expect. My brothers served during Vietnam. One was there for 2 years (career military).. He came back disillusioned about too many things to cover here, but remained in the service until retirement. The other one had permanent PTSD disability afterward and passed away at age 65.