Chapter Three: War, No! Soldiers, Yes!

This chapter is about coming together for a common goal.

I went upstairs to the bedroom where my boxes filled with my some of my belongings were stored. I opened them up and examined their contents. Many of the things in the box hadn't been touched since the day I moved in with Grandma Feldman and Aunt Doris. I came across a photo album that contained photos of me posing with some of my friends from my college days. I flipped through the pages of the album and examined the photos from the protest march against the Dessert Storm War in January of 1991. The first group of photos I examined from that event were ones that were taken outside of the Bernhard Center. It was a rather peaceful march. I along with three of my friends gathered with the other participants at the Bernhard Center. Snow covered the sidewalks. Students, faculty and others walked down the cold streets of Kalamazoo singing hymns of praise to the Lord. A memorial service was held in the auditorium of the Berhard Center in honor of the soldiers of previous wars who fought for their country, particularly those who never returned.

Due to the large quantity of people, consequently, my friends and I found no place to sit. We found that to be a consolation rather than a disappointment. We figured the more people that gathered in the auditorium, the more good we could do to help.

Near the end of the chanting, the candles were placed on the podiums and everyone held hands, singing hyums for soldiers who fought bravely overseas heading toward a scorned path where they may never return. In a sense, they do return if they come back alive, but a part of them shall forever remain where the site of the war took place, because the war becomes a part of them and they in turn become a part of the war as if they shared one body. The forsaken become imbedded in the scorched minds of those who remained and lived to tell the story. No matter how much thought is erased or a wound from a gun or what have you is mended physically, there are simply no bandages in the world that can fix a shattered heart. For these scars are forever lasting and the soul is stained with bloody tears of time left behind. Severing ties with the past would mean severing ties with one's self, and that simply just isn't done. For without balance, one can never be complete; thus, he can never thrive. His heart and mind must work in conjunction with one another as they must coincide with the physical aspects of life. For if either is out of order, then inner turmoil builds first within the mind and then within the soul; thus, driving the individual crazy with euphoria. A sensation that can only be cured by mending physical scars imposed upon him by the outside world. Of course, he doesn't take away the pain completely and have it disappear for good. It just doesn't work that way. However, perhaps healing can begin by correcting whatever is wrong in the outside world by using one's mind to fix it and using instinctive abilities for guidance.

I felt positive vibes in the air. Perhaps it was the chill in the air that absorbed my soul, or perhaps it was the fact that everyone came together for a common goal. A goal that occured more than twenty years earlier. Although I have seen such things in various movies, I never really understood the meaning behind the nineteen sixties. To me, it was perhaps a form of rebellion. For it was a time for celebration of youth, or what it really meant to be alive. For it was a celebration of life itself, a time to live for the moment, a time to live for the past and most of all it was a time to live for the future, a time for bringing forth new ideas, new beliefs, a new philosophy to share with the rest of the world, for it was a time left up to the youth to step forward and take a stand for what they believed to be morally and ethically right. It was time for making changes. Changes which involved altering political reform to make it stronger, updating new trends they would bring forth; thus, bringing about a stronger and healthier nation all together. The thing that went through my mind the most was the question of whether or not my high school friends would return home alive or dead. Who was to say what the outcome was to be when there was a fifty-fifty chance either way depending on how well planned the counterattack was to be. But even so, there were no guarantees.

Students, faculty and war vetrans assembled on West Main Street to protest the Dessert Storm War. We huddled around the statue of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Some protesters carried signs that said, "War, No!; Soldiers, Yes!" Others carried lighted candles. A sergeant who fought in World War Two stood in the center of the crowd to carry out the protest against the Dessert Storm War. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Sergeant Witherspoon. I'd like to thank you all for lending your support on this chilly night. Yes, it's cold. But we're here for equity. The ideal of not only doing what's right, but the notion of doing what's logical. Many people passed by us with their cars and honked their horns as we marched in the slush. Some said some things that weren't very kind, but that's okay, because we know in our hearts that we are doing the right thing. Although we strongly oppose the war going on in Kuiwait, we definitely support the brave men and women who are over there right now fighting for the United States of America. I served in World War Two. I can remember the bullets flying over my head. I've seen men lose their limbs before my eyes. I've seen bloodshed. So I can fully appreciate what the men and women of our armed forces are going through over there in Kuwait as we speak. Fighting for bringing about freedom to other countries or fighting to protect our country is certainly a cause worth dying for. But to have a war over which country is worthy of getting oil in a particular region of the world is preposterous. Particularly when there are other means for obtaining fuel, should we ever run out of oil. Sure, our gasoline prices have increased due to the gasoline shortage, but it forced us all to become more resourceful with our resources. Many people have started carpooling all over the United States of America. As a result, we have protected the environment. It's as if this gasoline war has been predestined due to the depletion of the ozone layer, because the high gas prices forced everyone to cut back. The ozone has lasted longer than it otherwise would have. Let's bring them home!" he shouted while waving his fists in the air.

"Bring them home! Bring them home! Bring them home!" the crowd shouted back in response to Sergeant Witherspoon.

Sergeant Witherspoon then introduced Vietnam vetran Lieutenant Joseph Masterson, who stepped forward to speak. "You know, back in seventy-five when the last units came home from Nam, we had no parades. We had no honor before us. Only the humiliation brought upon us by our own country. But like Sergeant Witherspoon said earlier, we at least fought for freedom, to protect our own country from harms way. With all the harrassment many of us received when we returned home from the war, there's certainly no way I'd be a part of this protest if it is with the notion of going against the men and women of the armed forces. They deserve all the support we can possibly give them. It is shameful for them to have to die for a materialistic cause. When in reality, it's not a cause at all. Why it's nothing but a deathtrap. We need to bring them home! And let's get them all back in one piece." He shouted while waving his fists in the air just as Sergeant Witherspoon did moments earlier.

Sergeant Witherspoon then introduced Reverend Thomas Jackson, who walked up to the podium to speak. "If you please. Let's all bow our heads in prayer. May they return as they left. Whole in spirit and thought. However, one is changed by war. For once he steps onto the battlefield, he enters the adult world. What was once a child's game, now becomes a grim reality. The reality of one's strength being put to the test, in addition to his sanity. For it is not necessarily physical strength, but strength of the mind and most importantly strength of the soul that is tested out. Sparks fly and bombs are dropped in all directions. For time awakens the essence of the earth. Beauty be not lead afar. For life is a dream. And when you die you are in the awakened state. Once the soldier hits the battlefield, something inside him dies. And that my friends is the loss of the child within. The innocence shattered by a tormenting vision. Therefore, we must move forth and shield these heroes and heroines from a war over a materialistic thing such as oil. For life must be sacrificed only when necessary. But no blood need arise from the fight for oil. Let us hope for their safe return."

The crowd went wild, and those with signs waved them up and down. Sergeant witherspoon stepped forward once more to speak. "Louder! We want the world to know how serious we are! Let's go! Bring them home! Bring them home! Bring them home! Bring them home!" he shouted while leading the crowd in the chanting.

Author's Note

What do you think of the dialogue?