FROM GODS TO GHOSTS by Salin Ebrahamian
11/11/2007
They ride in the humvees or walk patrolling the streets in Iraq or Afghanistan. They have less than a second to determine if the man, the woman, the child standing in their path is a civilian or a human bomb. They have less than a second to decide between life or death… if they are wrong then they either kill an innocent civilian or their own fellow soldier. Having the power to hold the life of an individual in your hands is not a human quality, it is playing God. These soldiers, however, are not playing. This power over life and death does not come without its own heavy burden; they know all too well they are not Gods. They have to live with that decision for the rest of their mortal lives. These young men and women of our military, when in Iraq or Afghanistan, are given a mission, and they do what is necessary to complete the mission. They fight, some die to complete their mission. They kill to live; they kill so they won't bury another brother or sister. In the battlefield, when bullets and bombs are ripping through the air, there is no politics, there is no right or wrong- there is only one truth, for one to live another must die. They carry the power of life and death over there.
But what happens when they come home? What happens to the soldier when he takes off his uniform? When he is no longer in the battlefield, but in a lawful society? When nothing distinguishes the guard dog from the sheep and the wolves in our society? Nothing. Nothing happens. We, civilians, don't see them. When they come home, when they take off their uniform, we treat them like they don't exist. You don't want to see it; you don't want to admit it, because you don't want to feel the shame. It is the truth nonetheless. Ask any veteran or wounded soldier or any soldier who has just returned from battle, but taken the uniform off-ask them if they feel like they have been treated like second class citizens. Why can't they get access to proper mental health treatment to deal with battle stress? We go to therapy to deal with road rage. Why can't they get even a minimum wage employment easily so they won't have to sign up again to pay the bills? What was your last job? Theirs was protecting the Constitution of the US with their own blood or the blood of their brethren. Why do they have to pay for education? While we have only the stress of midterms to worry about they may have PTSD, survivor's guilt, friends still serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, injuries and more. Besides it is the military of our past that has allowed us the freedom to have a choice to go to school, to think, to be innovative, to dream. Their reality which was a living nightmare has allowed us to dream and pursue our goals. Why can't we at least provide shelter and housing for our veterans? They are homeless today- the men who fought in the jungles of Vietnam and the desert of Iraq, but we complain about the rent.
We only acknowledge them when they are in uniform. Support the troops is lip service, because the real support they need is when they come home, when they become veterans. We can't help those we don't know exist. Open your eyes and honor and respect the veterans, as they deserve to be treated. Say thank you to a veteran. Fight for them when they come home, don't allow this second class treatment to continue. You would not be doing more than what you owe them…. You see they are in this position because they fought for you whilst in the military. They were Gods once, when in uniform. They are ghosts now, when dressed like you or I. The truth is they are neither. They are simply men and women, with the courage to face their fears, to fight for a cause bigger than themselves, to sacrifice all that we take for granted for the sake of honor. They are our humble heroes, the pillars of our nation. They should be treated no less. Respect the veterans… by acknowledging them.
http://www.nvf.org/gods-ghost
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