Militancy : War Stories
War impacts all of our lives. Whether we fight in it or know of people who serve our country, we hear of the experience of war, the dangers, trauma, fear, courage, hope and disillusionment. These war stories, once told, take on a life of their own, through the re-retelling. It's how we make sense of our experiences. We need to keep on spreading our knowledge, suffering and pain. We need to learn from these painfully gained experiences. We are forever changed by them. We are more human because we feel.
Iraq War Stories
Katie Couric asks some of the over 100 correspondents working for CBS to share their war stories from Iraq. One journalist, Byron Pitts, talks about the importance of gas masks and their role in saving lives. Elizabeth Palmer talks about a sergeant who adopted an Iraqi family. Harry Smith depicts the constant anxiety and fear that the American soldiers face daily. Each journalist has their unique perspective on the war. Another journalist points out that it's the American who get blamed for the chaos and destruction in Iraq.
To Our Americans Serving in Iraq
One man who served in U.S.S. Midway, nickname U.S.S. Never Dock, talks about feeling disgusted with the media's portrayal and American citizens' attitude and anti-war sentiments, "the cowards who devalue your efforts". What is considered losing? Why do we just focus on the body counts of American soldiers? What about all the damage we are causing for our enemy? It's about people's choice to serve their country. He supports the men and women in the armed forces. He brings up important issues in this video. It's definitely worth watching. He's a veteran who wants the men and women serving to win the war in Iraq and come home.
TIMZ - Iraq
Iraqi-American rapper TIMZ released a politically and emotionally charged music video written from the perspective of an Iraqi American whose parents are from Iraq. Singing from the open space of the desert mixed with war footage of death and destruction, he sings about how alive he feels with the war going on outside. He relates to both sides of the war, both the Iraqi and American perspective. His pride, attitude and fighting spirit comes through in his music. There is a war going outside and inside too.
James Yee on Guantanamo and his solitary confinement
James Yee, the Chinese American Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo, talks about his experience with the prisons there. He relates the ways Islam was used against the prisoners. Females take part in the interrogations. They exploit the conservative Muslim tradition. They would strip naked in front of the men, rub their bodies against them, and give them free lap dances, grab the genitals of the male prisoners. They degrade themselves and the male prisoners. They portray themselves as a sex object. He expresses his outrage at the desecration of the Koran.
Iraq Troops
U.S. troops in Iraq talk about their frustration with Americans back home not believing in the world. They are out there fighting, surviving and dying. They need our support and our complete support for what who they are and what they are fighting and dying for. It's easy to criticize when we are safe in our homes. They are fighting abroad so that we can have freedom and safety at home. Let's support our troops all the way.