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 Problems remain for the wounded and their families who survive beyond the war
On Sunday I caught the end of the ABC Morning News program, in time to catch what the pundits had to say about the latest political gossip, including the recent John Edwards affair. But what followed the pundits were some devastating harsh facts: The military released the names of 16 service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past week. As I looked at the names of the deceased soldiers, their young ages, the cities and states they had called home, tears welled up in my eyes and I began to sob. As the mother of five, including three sons, I am relieved that there is no draft anymore like there was during my husband's time. And believe me, I drummed into my kids from the time they were toddling that I did NOT want to be the mother of a soldier. As a matter of fact, I hoped that no mothers would want their children to become soldiers, so no wars would be possible, neither for the aggressors nor for the defenders. (My children granted my wishes, and none of them even married a person serving in the military. I don't consider any of us as cowards or selfish. I have volunteered to serve in the Peace Corps; a daughter and I have served in the Americorps; a daughter and son have served the hungry through Food Not Bombs. I have taught my children to work for peace through peaceful means, which is consistent with what we are aiming for.) But enough about my family and me. My heart nevertheless identifies with other mothers who lost their children through war. I will never (I hope) understand the misery they must feel. I sometimes wonder how the 4,100-plus mothers and fathers carry on day after day with the huge voids in their lives where their wonderful children used to be. Looking at the soldiers' pictures on television, I noticed how strong and healthy each soldier looked. They seemed to be the cream of the crop among our young people. Most of these young people were not allowed to reproduce and bring up healthy children. No, they were sacrificed to the War God, who always demands too much from common ordinary people with extraordinary children. And now while we have more than 8,000 parents and 32,000 grandparents without their children and grandchildren, we also have some 60,000 parents and 120,000 grandparents who are trying to help returning soldiers who were seriously wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. Tonight on C-Span the station introduced Michael Oreskovic from Creswell, OR, who lost his arm in a battle in Iraq just a couple weeks before he was to come home. According to his father, also Michael Oreskovic, parents of the wounded have it rough while their children are recuperating. Father and son were at Walter Reed Hospital on the East Coast for six months before returning to Oregon. And parents are needed to be with their wounded children while they are recuperating. During that time they are signing many documents under the influence of painkillers. The younger Oreskovic almost signed one document that claimed that his injury was non-service related. Nevertheless, parents of single soldiers don't seem to be appreciated by the military while at their children's bedsides. "Moms and dads are non-entities," the senior Oreskovic related in the interview. While he was at Walter Reed with his son, he lost income, his job and financial security. "There is nothing for moms and dads of single soldiers," he said, noting that if the son had a spouse, she would have been assisted, but not parents. And while dad was with son, his mother "took it hardest of anyone" while she suffered alone with MS, depression and fibromyalgia in Creswell, OR. When the younger Michael was able to return to Eugene, he found that he was among 200,000 veterans in the state who had to share two VA Medical Centers. He admits to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His father claims that he also suffers from extreme stress in his life following his son's injury, but the family receives no support. He deals with his stress by smoking more than he used to. Both father and son for awhile also increased their use of alcohol. Meanwhile the US continues its occupation of Iraq, where deaths and casualties among the people there are estimated to be many many times higher than those counted among our soldiers. And costs continue to mount, as well. According to ProPublica, the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined this year surpassed (in 2008 dollars) the amount spent on Vietnam ($819 billion vs. $648 billion). And the wars continue. When the interviewer asked the younger Oreskovic what he tired of having people say to him, he replied: "I don't like thank yous. Knowing about some of the things that went on over there, it's a hard thing for some of us to swallow." Asked about his opinion on the job that President Bush is doing, he said, "I think he could do a better job.....on everything." He added that at least 25 percent of the returning veterans have turned against the war in Iraq, even though they feel that they did a number of good things there.
 Rachael Bliss, after working for 10 years in creative services and community affairs at a local broadcasting station, moved into the nonprofit world with her first job with the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, AL. From there she advocated for the hungry, children and the environment as an organizer and director. Articles by Rachael Bliss at MWC News http://mwcnews.net/RachaelBliss |
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