Area Studies

On Thursday I discovered that the younger brother of a colleague, who I’ll call “John,” lost both legs (one above and one below the knee) and the sight of one eye to an Iraqi IED early in 2005. He was a passenger of a vehicle with improvised “hill billy” armor, and also some serious damage to an arm, although repaired, and some facial scarring on the same side. I’ve known John for about a year, but did not know this about his brother, who was Marine in his early 20s on his second tour in Iraq when the incident occurred.

While I know more than a dozen soldiers who have seen combat in Iraq, particularly Army officers who were there for the invasion, I didn’t know anyone who had been grievously injured, or anyone with a close family member who had been, until Thursday. And while I don’t know John’s brother, hearing about what happened to his brother still had an effect on me; I also have a younger brother and it’s easy to imagine what it might be like.

At this point I should say that John’s brother is relatively upbeat and has not slid into depression. He has prosthetic legs that help him maintain a good level of mobility, and after being around paralyzed soldiers and those in a burn unit, notes that it could have been far worse. I can’t say for sure, but guess that he may feel somewhat lucky. He has a fair disability income and university will be taken care of, so he has some good options for his future. He is apparently a survivor in more ways than one.

Some questions immediately came to mind. What did John’s brother think of the war before the accident? After? Was it worth it? As I understand it, the brother was for the war and proud of his participation in the invasion of Iraq. The second tour was a bit more negative due to being a target of “insurgents,” the loss of comrades, etc. And then there was the IED. John’s brother believes we should not pull out and leave a mess as that would be a waste, but should eventually leave. I think this is the general sentiment among most Americans, and many if not most Iraqis.

I relate the war in Iraq to freedom, but obviously this is a “big picture” view as Iraq would not have directly affected the freedoms of the vast majority of those in America. But indirectly, funding terrorism (including those in Palestine), proliferation, and through general actions that lead to or help maintain regional security destabilization, yes. Removing Saddam has resulted in a democratic republic form of government in Iraq, even if in its infancy and debates on freedoms that were unthinkable in that part of the world just a few years ago. As it relates to the War on Terror, this is something that will have benefits decades, not years, down the road.

John hasn’t asked his brother if it “was worth it.” His brother paid a very high price for what is a difficult, seemingly abstract, concept of freedom for many to grasp. It’s not like WWII, or even the Cold War struggle of Vietnam, but an aspect of freedom decades down the road that can still be threatened on many levels.

I can’t speak for John’s brother or the others who have paid that price on if it was worth it or not, but I can say I truly appreciate their effort and what they have done, and that I think what is being done in Iraq will indeed affect the security and freedom of Americans in the future. It’s almost cliché to say “freedom isn’t free,” but a growing number realize what this means. Perhaps each generation can’t fully understand unless somehow touched by these sorts of issues more directly.
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