Hitler’s German army invaded and occupied Poland. Many soldiers were killed. The Japanese invaded and occupied Nanking and Shanghai. They had many soldiers killed. The same for the British when they occupied India and Palestine. The local populations did not wish to be occupied by foreigners, especially ones with loaded guns pointed at their faces.
The Indians of the plains did not take well to our cavalry and forts. Many of our young troops were slaughtered at Little Big Horn, because they were seen as invaders. The people of Germany, Japan, Britain, and America mourned those soldiers killed while occupying foreign soil, and rightly so.
Yet, to honor them does an injustice to the victims of their occupation. Why? Well, in all the above instances, those nations illegally occupied the countries mentioned. So, to honor a soldier that is used for such heinous acts is an injustice to both the memory of him and the memory of the victims of such assaults.
I find it strange that in 2010, my town (and countless others) decided to construct a Veterans Memorial in our city center. This was done to take those who fought for defense of our nation in WW2 and bundle them with those who were used to extend our empire in Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. All those brave young men (and women) were shipped to those places to fight not for our defense or liberation, rather to keep our Military Industrial Empire churning. We now have close to 900 military bases in over 100 countries. I ask how you would like it if the Chinese had a military base in your town? How would you like to see Chinese troops, tanks, weapons, all staring in the faces of your family, friends and businesses? You know you wouldn’t like it . . . And you shouldn’t want it. So, when a town decides, during the height of not one, but two major US illegal occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq, to build such a memorial, I question it.
Over 4,000 of our troops have been killed in Iraq. Now the focus shifts to Afghanistan, where they are dying as well. Not to mention how many of our soldiers lose legs, arms, eyes, genitals, and their minds (check out the skyrocketing suicide rates) during these occupations. Then, those of you out there who still maintain some sort of humanity, turn your attention to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians destroyed by our army and air force! The drinking water supplies ruined, electrical grids not functioning, hospitals underequipped and understaffed. . . . Food shortages. . . . Crops and arable land destroyed . . . Depleted uranium slowly sucking the life out of tens of thousands. Need I go on? All for. . . . . . lies and empire!
So I say, you wish to put up memorials? Great idea. How about a memorial for all the victims of aggression and oppression, which includes our soldiers? You see, to simply wave that flag, or wear it on your lapel or car, is not enough. To read the names of the dead soldiers is not enough. There needs to be a shift in consciousness by our neighbors and our community. People need to understand that our towns and cities are broke because over 50 percent of our federal taxes go to pay for war spending, a.k.a. defense spending. As long as our fellow Americans accept that and say nothing, this empire continues to eat up the world and itself!
Philip A Farruggio is son and grandson of Brooklyn, NYC longshoremen. He is a free lance columnist (found on Intrepid Report, TheSleuthJournal.com, Information Clearing House, OpEd News, Dandelion Salad, Activist Post, Dissident Voice and many other sites worldwide). Philip works as an environmental products sales rep and has been an activist leader since 2000. In 2010 he became a local spokesperson for the 25% Solution Movement to Save Our Cities by cutting military spending 25%. Philip can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net.
We fought WW2 for empire too. Remember that the Japanese didn’t attack us until we’d embargoed them and given them an ultimatum to get out of territory we considered “ours.” Truth is the first casualty of any war.