O’Connor: Remember the bones in Afghanistan, ‘graveyard of empires’

Remembering the bones.

That is what the lead character, in a book of the same title, does after driving her car into a ditch-in the middle of nowhere.

She was on her way to achieving a lifelong dream of meeting the Queen of England.

However, in a defiant act of independence, the character refused her daughter’s offer of a ride to the airport, and instead swerves, to miss a bird, and drives into a ditch on a remote Canadian road.

Alone, in the ditch, the elderly woman remains semi-conscious, in great pain and unable to move. Trapped, and hoping for a rescue, she distracts herself from the numbing cold, and possible death-by remembering the names of all her bones; something her father taught her.

Each named bone prompts a memory. Each memory a small history lesson; some pleasant, some wrenching.

And every honestly confronted, bone-deep memory, provides her with the ability to accept both her possible rescue or death.

Count the Bones

Before any decision is made on committing additional troops into the Afghanistan war, everyone involved in that decision, should count the bones in American and Afghan history.

Each bone, each body, each memory and each lesson learned screams one thing: Afghanistan is “the graveyard of empires.” Get out.

The current ambassador, and former top military commander in Afhganistan, Karl W. Eikenberry, argues against sending more troops because of the corruption; and Vice President Joe Biden is counseling President Barack Obama against any big increase.

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The conservative, and usually hawkish columnist, George Will now admits the U.S. should get out. The liberal, Richard Reeves, agrees. As do most Americans.

We are in the ditch. No one is coming to rescue us. How do we get out?

The cost is huge. And I’m not talking about the fiscal cost of $1 million per soldier per year; or even how to find 40,000 to 80,000 additional troops.

I’m talking about the inestimable physical and emotional cost to our soldiers, their families and friends.

No one making, or counseling, a decision on additional troops to Afghanistan should be allowed to speak, or vote, without first visiting the vets in our hospitals, clinics, and homeless shelters.

A visit, in private, without cameras, the press corps, an entourage of aides, or press releases.

Do what Eleanor Roosevelt did during World War II. Sit by the bedsides of these soldiers. Listen to their stories, and write the letters home that they can’t pen themselves. Make the phone calls; listen to the crushing silences, the suppressed fear, and breaking sobs.

Look into the vets’ eyes and ask why we sent their bodies into this war. Then count the bones. And remember how we got here.

Rush to war and mission creep

The U.S. first rushed into Iraq — in a fit of independence — by then President George W. Bush. The “coalition of the willing” soon became very unwilling.

Once in that ditch, more troops, money, prestige, corruption, and what appears to be a permanent occupation, followed.

Then came “mission creep” into neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan. President Obama has since followed Bush’s lead.

Obama has already sent an additional 17,000 troops into Afghanistan this year; ostensibly to protect a “democratic election” (which turned out to be corrupt).

Think about those soldiers, Mr. President! Think about their families and friends. Don’t look for a compromise. Get us out of the ditch.

Don’t act big. Be big.

Stop dreaming of nation building abroad when our nation is crumbling at home.

Instead, ponder William Butler Yeats’ poem, “The Circus Animals’ Desertion”:

“Those masterful images because complete
Grew in pure mind, but out of what began?
…I must lie down where all the ladders start
In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.”

Remember the bones. Listen to the heart.

Leave the graveyard for empires.

Bring the troops home.

Colleen O’Connor is an SDNN columnist.

Tags: Afghanistan troops, Afghanistan war, barack obama and military, eleanor roosevelt, george w. bush and war, george will, iraq, Joe Biden, joe biden and military, karl eikenberry, military in middle east, Pakistan, richard reeves, SDNN, U.S. troops, war on terror, World War II

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 7:36 am and is filed under Columns, Politics Opinion . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.