Ngu-Alan Knight, Mashi 15, 2019
Kusukela ngo-1899 kuya ku-1902, u-Ellen La Motte waqeqeshwa njengomhlengikazi eJohns Hopkins eBaltimore. Kusukela ngo-1914 kuya ku-1916, wanakekela amasosha aseFrance alimele futhi ayefa, okokuqala esibhedlela eParis futhi esibhedlela sasendle esingamakhilomitha angu-10 ukusuka e-Ypres kanye nemisele enegazi ye-WWI. Ngo-1916 wanyathelisa I-Backwash ye-War, imidwebo eyishumi nantathu yokuphila phakathi kwabalimele nabafayo lokho yakhipha indwangu yokushisekela izwe kulesi sidumbu sempi esinonya nesibi.
Ama-mandarin empi ayengenayo. Lo mshini ubufuna kugcinwe isimilo futhi kunyuswe nokuqashwa kwabantu. Ngakho-ke le ncwadi yavinjelwa ngokushesha eFrance naseNgilandi. Kwathi ngo-1918, ngemva kokuba i-US ijoyine impi, Backwash futhi yavinjelwa e-States, isisulu soMthetho Wobunhloli wango-1917, owaklanywa, phakathi kwezinye izinjongo, ukuvimbela ukugxambukela ekubuthweni kwezempi.
Kwaze kwaba ngo-1919, unyaka ngemva kokuphela kwempi yokuqeda zonke izimpi, lapho le ncwadi yaphinde yanyatheliswa futhi yenziwa yatholakala mahhala. Kodwa yathola izethameli ezimbalwa. Isikhathi sayo sase sidlulile. Umhlaba wawunokuthula. Impi yanqotshwa. Kwase kuyisikhathi sokucabanga ngekusasa hhayi ukuthi sesifike kanjani kulesi sikhathi samanje.
Uhlelo lukaCynthia Wachtell olusanda kuhlelwa lwaphinde lwashicilelwa I-Backwash ye-War, ukuza njengoba kwenzeka eminyakeni eyikhulu ngemva kohlelo luka-100, kuyisikhumbuzo esamukelekayo, kulesi sikhathi sempi engapheli, ukuthi kudingeka sicabange ngendlela esifike ngayo esikhathini samanje, namaqiniso esiwafihlayo futhi esingawanaki lapho sisula tape futhi ubheke phambili ngokushesha esikhathini esizayo.
Lolu hlelo olusha lwengeza isingeniso esiwusizo kanye ne-biography emfushane emidwebo yokuqala engu-13, kanye nezindatshana ezi-3 ezikhuluma ngempi ezabhalwa ngesikhathi esifanayo kanye nomdwebo owengeziwe obhalwe kamuva. Ukwengeza lo mongo owengeziwe kwandisa ububanzi bokwazisa kwethu i-La Motte, kusukela ekubukeni kwengilazi ebabazayo yamathumbu achithekile kanye neziphunzi ezinqunywe phakathi ngesikhathi sempi, kuya egciwaneni elisabalalayo lesizukulwane esilahlekile esasilandela.
U-Ellen La Motte wayengaphezu nje kokuba umhlengikazi owabhekana neMpi Yezwe Yokuqala. Ngemva kokuqeqeshwa e-Johns Hopkins, waba ummeli nomqondisi wezempilo yomphakathi futhi wakhuphukela ezingeni likaMqondisi woPhiko Lwesifo Sofuba eMnyangweni Wezempilo wase-Baltimore. Ubeyi-suffragist evelele ebambe iqhaza emizameni yomibili e-US nase-UK. Futhi ubeyintatheli nombhali owayebhale izindatshana eziningi ngobuhlengikazi kanye nencwadi yokufunda yobuhlengikazi.
Eminyakeni yokuqala yekhulu lamashumi amabili wayeke wahlala futhi wasebenza e-Italy, eFrance nase-UK. EFrance wayesebe umngane oseduze womlobi wocwaningo uGertrude Stein. UStein uphinde waya eJohns Hopkins (1897 - 1901), nakuba njengodokotela (washiya ngaphambi kokuthatha iziqu zakhe), hhayi umhlengikazi. U-Wachtell ukhomba ithonya likaStein ekubhaleni kukaLa Motte. Futhi nakuba bengababhali abahluke kakhulu, kungenzeka ukubona ithonya lika-Stein ezwini lika-La Motte eliqondene nawe, elingashintshiwe futhi elingenalo ukuxolisa. Buyela emuva, kanye nangesitayela sakhe esiqondile nesisele.
Omunye umlobi owathonywa uStein ngesikhathi esifanayo kwakungu-Ernest Hemingway, owathi, ngaphambi kokuba i-US ingene empini, wachitha isikhathi engaphambili lase-Italy njengomshayeli we-ambulensi wokuzithandela. Naye wabhala ngempi nemiphumela yayo ngendlela eqondile. Futhi encwadini yakhe ye-1926 I Ilanga liyaphuma, uvala umbuthano lapho esebenzisa i-epigraph ethi "nonke niyisizukulwane esilahlekile," inkulumo ethi uGertrude Stein.
Isizukulwane esilahlekile kwakuyisizukulwane esakhula futhi saphila phakathi nempi. Babebone ukufa okungenanjongo ngezinga elikhulu. Babedidekile, bedidekile, bezulazula, bengenandlela. Base bephelelwe ukholo ezimisweni zendabuko ezifana nesibindi nokushisekela izwe. Babedumele, bengenanjongo, futhi begxile engcebweni yezinto ezibonakalayo - isizukulwane sikaFitzgerald's Gatsby.
Le yindawo ka La Motte I-Backwash ye-War ibonisa ukuthi imbewu yalokhu kudumazeka yahlwanyelwa kuphi futhi kanjani. Njengoba u-Wachtell ebonisa, uLa Motte wayengakholelwa ukuthi iWWI yayiyimpi yokuqeda zonke izimpi. Wayazi ukuthi kuzoba nenye impi nenye impi. Isizukulwane esilahlekile sasiyozala esinye isizukulwane esilahlekile, nesinye.
Wayengenaphutha. Lesi isimo esikuso manje, umjikelezo wempi engapheli. Ukufunda iLa Motte kungenza ngicabange ngeminyaka eyishumi nesikhombisa edlule. Ungenza ngicabange ngo-Major Danny Sjursen, isikhulu Sezempi Sase-US esisanda kuthatha umhlalaphansi futhi owayengumqeqeshi wezomlando e-West Point, osebenze izinkambo ngamayunithi okuhlola e-Iraq nase-Afghanistan. Uyingxenye yesizukulwane samanje esilahlekile. Ungomunye wabambalwa abazama ukunqamula umjikelezo. Kodwa akulula.
UDanny Sjursen wabuya ezimpini zakhe nge-post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Wabuya, njengoba echaza ngo isihloko sakamuva ku-Truthdig, “emphakathini [owayengasasilungele] kunalokho ebesiwulungele.” Uyaqhubeka:
“Amasosha athatha lezi zingane, aziqeqeshe izinyanga ezimbalwa, bese aziyisa empini engenakunqotshwa . . . . [T]hey kwesinye isikhathi bayabulawa noma bacwiywe izitho, kodwa ezikhathini eziningi baba ne-PTSD kanye nokulimala kokuziphatha okuvela kwabakubonile nabakwenzile. Bese bebuyela ekhaya, bakhululwe ehlane edolobheni elithile lamasosha.”
Isizukulwane samanje nesizayo esilahlekile asazi ukuthi kufanele sisebenze kanjani ngokuthula. Baqeqeshelwe impi. Ukuze abhekane nalokhu kudideka, “udokotela wezilwane uqala ukuzelapha; utshwala buvame kakhulu, kodwa ama-opiates, futhi ekugcineni ngisho ne-heroin, nawo adlangile” kuqhuba uSjursen. Ngesikhathi u-Sjursen elashelwa i-PTSD, amaphesenti angama-25 omakadebona ababethola ukwelashwa naye aye azama noma acabangisisa ngokuzibulala. Omakadebona abangamashumi amabili nambili ngosuku bayazibulala.
Lapho u-Ellen La Motte ebhala Buyela emuva ngo-1916, wacabanga ukuthi kwakuzoba neminye iminyaka eyikhulu yempi bese kuba nokuthula okude. Iminyaka yakhe eyikhulu isidlulile. Impi isekhona kithi. Ngokusho kwe-Veterans Administration, okwamanje kukhona omakadebona bezempi baseMelika abayizigidi ezingama-100 abasaphila, abacishe babe yizigidi ezi-20 kubo abakhubazekile. Futhi nakuba omakadebona bempi abalimele nabakhubazekile u-Ellen La Motte ayibona ingase ingabi nathi, njengoba uDanny Sjursen ebhala, “ngisho noma izimpi ziphela kusasa (ngeke, ngendlela), umphakathi waseMelika unenye ingxenye- Ikhulu leminyaka ngaphambi kwalo, elithwele kanzima lab' omakadebona abakhubazekile abangadingekile. Akunakubalekelwa.”
Lo mthwalo wezizukulwane ezilahlekile uzohlala nathi isikhathi eside. Uma sizoqeda impi kumele sithole izindlela zokuvuselela lezi zizukulwane ezilahlekile. Amaqiniso ashiwo ngu-Ellen La Motte, njengezindaba ezixoxwa namuhla ngamalungu e-Veterans for Peace, ayisiqalo.
U-Alan Knight, owake waba yizifundiswa, i-VP yemboni ezimele, uMqondisi Wezwe we-NGO yezokuthuthukiswa kanye nozakwabo omkhulu esikhungweni socwaningo, ungumbhali ozimele kanye nevolontiya le- World BEYOND War.
