Usuku Lomakadebona Akulona olwamaVeteran

NguDavid Swanson, ngoba telesur

UJohn Ketwig wabuthelwa eButhweni Lezempi LaseMelika ngo-1966 futhi wathunyelwa eVietnam unyaka. Ngihlale naye phansi kuleli sonto saxoxa ngayo.

“Ukufunda kwami ​​kuyo yonke le nto,” esho, “uma ukhuluma nabafana abake baya e-Iraq nase-Afghanistan futhi ubheka okwenzeka ngempela eVietnam, ungena kulokho engikubiza ngokuthi indlela yaseMelika yokulwa impi. Umfana osemncane uya enkonzweni enombono wokuthi uzosiza abantu base-Vietnamese noma base-Afghan noma base-Iraqi. Wehla endizeni nasebhasini, futhi into yokuqala oyibonayo izintambo zocingo emafasiteleni ukuze amabhomu angangeni. Ngokushesha ugijimela ku-MGR (mere gook rule). Abantu ababali. Babulaleni bonke, yekani izinja zibahlukanise.* Awukho lapho ukuze usize abantu abampofu nganoma iyiphi indlela. Awunaso isiqiniseko sokuthi ufunani, kodwa akukhona lokho.”

U-Ketwig ukhulume ngomakadebona ababuya e-Iraq begibelise izingane ngeloli, belandela imiyalo yokuthi bangami ngenxa yokwesaba ama-IED (iziqhumane ezithuthukisiwe). Wathi: “Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, uzoba nesikhathi sokuphumula, futhi uzoqala ukungabaza ukuthi wenzani lapho.

U-Ketwig akazange agxile ekukhulumeni noma ekubhikisheni lapho ebuya eVietnam. Wathula cishe iminyaka eyishumi. Kwabe sekufika isikhathi, futhi phakathi kwezinye izinto, washicilela ukulandisa okunamandla kokuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe okubizwa ngokuthi Futhi Kwana Imvula Enzima: Indaba Yeqiniso Ye-GI Yempi YaseVietnam. “Ngangizibonile izikhwama zomzimba,” ebhala, “futhi amabhokisi apakishwe njengokhuni, ngibone abafana baseMelika belenga ocingweni oluhlabayo bengaphili, bechithekela ezinhlangothini zamaloli alahlwayo, behudula i-APC njengamathini ngemuva kobhampa wephathi yomshado. Ngake ngabona igazi lendoda engenamlenze liconsa ngohlaka lize lishone phansi esibhedlela namehlo engane enamaphapheme ekhala.”

Amasosha ayekanye no-Ketwig, ahlala ematendeni agcwele amagundane azungezwe udaka nokuqhuma, cishe emhlabeni wonke azibona zingekho izaba zalokho ayekwenza futhi afuna ukubuyela ekhaya ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka. “I-FTA” (f— Ibutho Lezempi) yayibhalwe emishinini yonke indawo, futhi ukuhlakazeka (amasosha abulala izikhulu) kwakusabalala.

Abenzi benqubomgomo ye-air-conditioner emuva eWashington, DC, bathola impi ingathandeki noma ingathandeki, kodwa ngendlela ejabulisa kakhulu. Ngokusho kwezazi-mlando zePentagon, ngoJuni 26, 1966, "isu laqedwa," kweVietnam, "futhi inkulumo-mpikiswano kusukela ngaleso sikhathi igxile ekutheni mangakanani amandla nokuthi kuze kube nini." Ngasiphi isiphetho? Umbuzo omuhle kakhulu. Lokhu kwakuyi- inkulumo-mpikiswano yangaphakathi ababecabanga ukuthi impi izoqhubekela phambili futhi eyayifuna ukulungisa isizathu sokuthi kungani. Ukuthatha isizathu sokutshela umphakathi kwakuyisinyathelo esihlukile ngale kwalesi. NgoMashi, 1965, imemo kaNobhala Womsizi Wezokuvikela uJohn McNaughton wayesephethe ngokuthi i-70% yesisusa sase-US ngemuva kwempi "kwakuwukugwema ukunqotshwa okuhlazisayo kwe-US."

Kunzima ukusho ukuthi yikuphi okungenangqondo kakhulu, izwe lalabo empeleni abalwa impi, noma ukucabanga kwalabo abadala futhi bandise impi. UMongameli Bush Senior uthi wayenesithukuthezi ngemva kokuqeda iMpi YaseGulf kangangokuthi wacabanga ukuyiyeka. UMongameli uFranklin Roosevelt wachazwa ngundunankulu wase-Australia njengomona uWinston Churchill kwaze kwaba sePearl Harbor. UMongameli uKennedy utshele uGore Vidal ukuthi ngaphandle kweMpi Yombango yase-US, uMongameli uLincoln ngabe ungomunye ummeli wesitimela. Umbhali wempilo kaGeorge W. Bush, kanye nokuphawula kukaBush esidlangalaleni engxoxweni eyinhloko, kukwenza kucace ukuthi wayefuna impi, hhayi nje ngaphambi kuka-9/11, kodwa ngaphambi kokuba akhethelwe iNdlu Emhlophe yiNkantolo Ephakeme. U-Teddy Roosevelt wafingqa umoya wobumongameli, umoya walabo abakhonza uSuku Lomakadebona ngempela, lapho ethi, "Kufanele ngamukele cishe noma iyiphi impi, ngoba ngicabanga ukuthi leli zwe liyayidinga."

Kulandela Impi YaseKorea, uhulumeni wase-US washintsha uSuku Lwezikhali, osalwaziwa ngoSuku Lokukhumbula kwamanye amazwe, lwaba uSuku Lwama-Veterans, futhi lwashintsha kusukela osukwini ukukhuthaza ukuphela kwempi kwaba usuku lokudumisa ukuhlanganyela empini. “Ekuqaleni kwakuwusuku lokugubha ukuthula,” kusho uKetwig. “Akusekho lokho. Ukwakhiwa kwezempi kweMelika yingakho ngithukuthele futhi nginomunyu.” UKetwig uthi intukuthelo yakhe iyakhula, ayinciphi.

Encwadini yakhe, uKetwig ucubungule ukuthi inhlolokhono ingahamba kanjani uma esephumile eButhweni: “Yebo, mnumzane, singayinqoba impi. Abantu baseVietnam abalweli imibono noma imibono yezombangazwe; balwela ukudla, ukuze baphile. Uma silayisha wonke lawo mabhomu ngerayisi, nesinkwa, nembewu, namathuluzi okutshala, futhi sipende 'Okuvela kubangani bakho e-United States' kulowo nalowo, bazophendukela kithi. I-Viet Cong ayikwazi ukufana nalokho. "

Futhi i-ISIS ayikwazi.

Kodwa uMongameli Barack Obama unezinye izinto ezibalulekile. Uyenzile ukuziqhenya ukuthi yena, ehhovisi lakhe elimiswe kahle, “umuhle ngempela ekubulaleni abantu.” Usanda kuthumela “abeluleki” abangama-50 eSyria, njengoba nje uMongameli u-Eisenhower enza eVietnam.

Umsizi kaNobhala Wezwe u-Anne Patterson wabuzwa kuleli sonto nguKhongolose uKaren Bass: “Uyini umgomo wamalungu akhethekile angama-50 athunyelwa eSyria? Futhi ingabe lo msebenzi uzoholela ekuhlanganyeleni okukhulu kwe-US?"

UPatterson waphendula: “Impendulo eqondile ihlukaniswa.”

*Qaphela: Ngenkathi ngizwa uKetwig ethi “izinja” futhi ngicabanga ukuthi wayeqonde lokho, wangitshela ukuthi wayesho futhi eqonde “uNkulunkulu” wendabuko.