Quote Of The Day
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Military, War
“Deanna. Evan. I’m so sorry. I can’t leave this fight. This is what I am. A warrior. It is my blood oath. If I turn my back on that again, I will be nothing and I can’t face that.”
These were the thoughts of Staff Sergeant David Bellavia during a firefight in Fallujah. He recounts them in a book entitled House to House: An Epic Memoir of War.
I found some excerpts over at Michael Totten’s blog, and it’s riveting.
Take a look.
This entry was posted on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 and is filed under Military, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 17th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Justin, I thought it would be interesting to juxtapose this American soldier’s sentiments with perhaps the sentiments of what could be any of the 10 or 12 million Iraqi men faced with a war thrust upon them not because they chose that path but because we America chose that reality for them.
“[insert Arabic female name]. [insert any male Arabic name]. I’m so sorry. I can’t leave this fight. Our country is being occupied. I’m a warrior by necessity, not by choice. It is my blood oath to my God, my country and you my family. If I turn my back on this, I will be nothing and I can’t face that.”
Riveting? or Inhuman? When are soldiers express these sentiments are they honorable? heroic? And the enemy? When he expresses these same rationals for killing Americans? Is he an animal? or just a faceless terrorist?
Or as our most omni-intelligent president would say: enemy combatants. Digest that!
July 18th, 2008 at 6:32 am
The difference between a typical American soldier or Marine, and your typical Islamist insurgent like Bellavia & co. faced in Fallujah, is that the American is fighting to promote peace and democracy and bring stability to a chaotic place. The insurgent is fighting to wipe out their enemy by any means necessary, including the gratuitous mass rape and murder of their own people and countrymen, with the goal of establishing an Islamic theocratic state.
Or, to put it in simpler terms, the American (and the ‘pro-gov’t’ Iraqis) fight because they love what is behind them, whereas the insurgent fights because he hates what is in front of him. Hence why you see Americans playing soccer with Iraqi children, and why you see insurgents brutally torturing and murdering unarmed civilians to make a political statement.
Generally-speaking, of course.