"No Yellow Ribbons Here"

[hops_scout]

No yellow ribbons here

By Thomas Naughton, Collegian columnist

 

February 23, 2005

 

Guilt can only weigh on a person's mind for so long before they crave the act of purgation; to get the weighty feelings of shame and responsibility out of the mind - or at least the guilty parties attempt to find some kind of peace if they cannot rid themselves of a screaming conscience that implicates and indicts its possessor.

 

That said, perhaps some readers will understand why my friends and I rip yellow ribbon "support the troops" magnets off of cars or wherever people have affixed them. By ripping off these ribbons, we find a way to deal with our guilt, as though with each ribbon swiped we take back a life that was taken by this senseless war started by our senseless president and those who support him.

 

I will never say, "support the troops." I don't believe in the validity of that statement. People say, "I don't support the war, I support the troops" as though you can actually separate the two. You cannot; the troops are a part of the war, they have become the war and there is no valid dissection of the two. Other people shout with glaring eyes that we should give up our politics, give up our political affiliations in favor of "just supporting the troops." I wish everything were that easy.

 

What they really mean is that we should just give up our will, give up our identities, give up our voices to those in power. Perhaps that's just the way people aligned with the right wing choose to get rid of their guilt: blindness and ignorance.

 

I listen to talk radio very often. It's important to know who your enemies are. The pundits on the radio are the pinnacles of guiltless, shameless wonders, and I am jealous. It must feel good to believe without question, to benefit from the blind belief of young men and women who chose to join the armed forces, to sit in a radio studio in New York and admonish the public to give in like the troops, to just follow orders, to live as just a number that will soon be etched into a gravestone that no one will ever see.

 

I look into the cars of people with "support the troops" ribbons as I speed past, trying to find some trace of recognition on their face, recognition of their guilt and the fact that they have given up. I usually see nothing; just a mouth moving robotically, singing the pop hits of today or the contemporary country wine of fake cowboys who share a lot with George Bush: no shame.

 

We say, "support the troops" so that we won't feel guilty about saying "no" to war. We reason that if we say that we support the troops, somehow we aren't monsters for not saying a word when the death tolls of U.S. soldiers climbed above 1,000. Those ribbons are yellow for a reason, they are not the mark of armed forces support, they are the mark of cowards.

 

Pundits on the radio advise their cowardly listeners to approach men and women in army uniforms and say "thank you." I cannot do that. Every time I pass a person in uniform I look long and hard at them and all I can think inside to say is "I'm so sorry." I want to apologize to them, to their families and to their friends. I feel sorry that we, the people, couldn't control our own government at the outset of this conflict when most of us knew deep inside that it was a mistake.

 

Where are we now? Are we in a better place? Is the world safer for democracy? No, it is not safer and we are not in a better place. In this war that we are fighting to somehow avenge the deaths of the Sept. 11 tragedy, we have amassed a field of body bags, the number of which almost matches the number killed in the terrorist attacks four years ago. Now, we stare at yet another request for barrels of money for this war by President Bush, while people in our own country search fruitlessly for jobs to feed their starving families, while every public school gets left behind, while our elderly are ensured an uncertain future of unpaid medical bills.

 

I guess we shouldn't think about those things though, right? We should just buy a yellow magnet and slap it on the butt of our car so we can sleep at night and just let our government do whatever they want. That's supporting the troops, right?

 

Two years ago my friend Eric called me out of the blue after almost five years of silence between us. We were in a band together when we were teenagers and he had joined the army around the time I was graduating from high school. He had to join the army; he had a son to provide for in the grand tradition of many young members of the armed forces. He called me to tell me that he was going back to Iraq, against his will. He was so sad and angry and scared. He didn't say it, but I know he was calling to tell me that he might die. I didn't say it to him then, but I felt such overwhelming guilt that I couldn't do anything to keep him from going back.

 

I haven't heard from him since. I don't know if he's dead, and my guilt is alive and well. I hope that all of our family members in harm's way return alive. Until then, I can really honor their sacrifice by demanding that it finally comes to an end.

 

http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/23/421beb6d96af4#feedback

[frank10]

Hops,

Got to say I'm shocked you posted this. I had to leave the room for a while to collect my thoughts before replying. I'm glad I did. Gave me time to think of a few things that turned anger into simple disapointment.

First off, you didn't write the original you only reprinted it here. I can't tell if you were posting it in shock or if it tells how you feel.

Second, I have to recall your age. And not just your age, but the exact years you have lived. You have been lucky until now. Until 9/11/01, war was just an item you read about in fiction or history books. So I'll try to explaine why I am so disapointed.

 

Yellow Ribbons -

The yellow ribbons are a show of support but they are also a promise to your fathers generation that our country will never again do to a service man what was done to those who returned from Vietnam. Most of them were drafted. Some supported the war, others didn't. But they all went just the same because they were citizens of the US and it was their duty. They had families, they had girl friends, they had dreams. All of which was put on hold while they went. The lucky ones returned, the others are listed on a wall.

For those who retuned home, they found they weren't welcome. You see, too many felt the way the author felt. They were unable to seperate those who sent them from those who were sent. They were spit on, had blood dumped on them and were accused of unspeakable crimes.

If you can't figure out what that would do to a man, take a trip down town in any city, stop by the green. You'll see a homelessman who looks over 60. he's not. He was born some time around 1955, he's just over 50, and he served with honor. He was scared, he cried, he prayed, he went where he was sent, did as he was ordered and some how he came "home"... and was treated as an animal. If only he could have returned to the heros welcome he earned things would have been diferent.

My advice is all you have left is a buck use it to buy a yellow ribbon to make sure this never happends again. Got ten bucks? Donate a phone card so they can call their son who in a scout back on base. But if you have neither and all you have is your freedom then you are still better off than most. If you treasure that freedom then take the time to say thanks to the men and women that protect that freedom.

You won't have to go far either, there are several right here on this BBS who serve and many more who have in the past. Can you really poist this here and not think of the impact it has on them?

[Proud Eagle]

How, exactly, does theft and vandalism help? I don't see how it can make this guy's "guilt" go away, rather it will just give him something else to feal guilty about. I also don't see how steeling magnets off of other people's cars will in any way help bring anyone home safely any sooner.

 

The author of this article sounds like he is suffering from depression. I hope he seeks some professional help. I have seen what depression can do to people when it goes unchecked, it is not pretty.

 

(This message has been edited by Proud Eagle)

[frank10]

Dang, I may be the only one here who still bothers clicking thumbs up/down button and some how I clicked the up when I meant to click the down. It's not often I use the down button. Sure wish the system whould let me undo it.

[DugNevius]

my issue with the ribbons is simple. They are being sold by stores like wal-mart. Wal-mart is making money off them. The troops arent seeing much from the millions sold. The ones sold by vet groups are just a small portion that actually send to proceeds oversees.

[Proud Eagle]

While in some cases the motive behind these things is profit, it should be noted that magnetic car ribons were created by some people hoping to give people a simple way of expressing support. Some have chosen to make money for themselves off of this idea, others to make money for worthy causes.

 

However, the people displaying these generally have only one motive, and that is to show, in some small way, that they support our men and women in the armed forces. Now, perhaps they would be better off giving the dollar to USO, or the VFW, or something like that.

 

I should note that lately I have seen at least as many of these magnets with unit names and numbers on them as the generic ones. Every time I see one of those I wounder if the person driving the vehicle has a friend, coworker, or family member serving.

 

[hops_scout]

I posted this in disbelief. I couldnt believe it when I found it.

 

I may have only lived 16 years so I may know very little about war, but I think I know a lot more than you would expect.

 

Anybody that knows me knows that I support the troops 100%. I may fall into what seems to be a minority, but I support Operation Iraqi Freedom as well. We used to have the yellow ribbons on the car. (I think it either fell off or was stolen) Most of my family wears a yellow bracelet "Until They all come Home" and I also have one from the Army National Guard that says "Honoring a Hero serving in the Army National Guard"

 

I intend to serve time as soon as possibly next year. We'll see.

 

"Until they All Come Home"

[frank10]

Sorry I ever doubted you. I should have known better.

 

But next time, give us a heads up. If you were shocked to read it from a stranger, imagin how it is to read it from one of our own.

[Prairie_Scouter]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I have great respect for our men in uniform while at the same time being disgusted by the government policies that have led to our actions in Iraq. I didn't serve in VietNam, although I'm in that age group. The VietNam troops were treated very badly coming home exactly because the American public couldn't separate the political motives of the government from the soldiers forced to take action in support of those motives.

 

We can argue all day whether Bush was justified in invading Iraq when he did. My disgust with him centers on the fact, well documented, that he and his secretary of defense ignored the advice of his military commanders as to what level of troop deployment would be needed to insure a swift end to the conflict, and instead deployed what has been demonstrated to be inadequate troop levels, with inadequate equipment, resulting hundreds, if not thousands, of needless deaths both on the U.S. side, and the Iraqi side. That is something that cannot, and should not, be forgiven.

 

And this president, in the last election, sold himself as the "more moral alternative".

 

So, yes, I'll continue to pledge my support to our troops at every opportunity, while at the same time holding this Administration accountable for the almost unimaginable damage they have done to our country's integrity, credibility and prestige both at home and abroad. Our Scouts will be paying the financial cost of this Administration's failings for decades to come.

[DugNevius]

I agree with yu, PrairieScouter. One can seperate Supporting the Troops and supporting the war.

[SemperParatus]

Sounds like Mr. Naughton needs to grow up. Stealing personal property of others is such a mature manner of protest. Perhaps a couple of months in a foxhole rather than lounging in a college dormitory would help him to understand the world a little better. I especially enjoyed all of his constructive ideas for dealing with terrorists that would seek to kill innocent people and destroy our way of life.

[Hunt]

I guess the yellow ribbons do send a somewhat ambiguous message--do they mean that you just support the troops, or do you support the war, too? But stealing them is a cowardly act--I can imagine the author's outrage if somebody defaced his anti-war bumper sticker.

What does it mean to support the troops if you oppose the war? I think it means, at least, that you respect their willingness to serve their country, and that you wish that they not suffer harm. In the case of the Iraq war, I think that many people (including me) who think that it was a mistake to get into the war nevertheless want our troops to defeat the enemy (I can imagine a war so unjust that I might not feel that way, but this isn't it).

[acco40]

Unfortunately in this red vs. blue state that our nation has become, even something that should be apolitical has become politicized. The author, if you read closely, does support the troops (I hope that all of our family members in harm's way return alive). He may misinterpret what the "yellow ribbon" symbolizes or maybe I do. For me, I have no bumper stickers, bracelets, etc. I choose to support in other ways - give $$ to AmVets, support BSA, vote, etc. Once again mankind has discovered that war is hell.

[torribug]

Not all of the yellow ribbon magnets are purchased at Walmart, Walgreen's, etc. As a matter of fact, I purposely chose to not fall into that trap of emotional spending because it is despicable that retailers are making a profit off of young men and women's blood. Maybe I shouldn't have bought one at all, but I bought mine from a soldier in my Texas Guard unit who got them donated from a manufacturer. She sold them to individuals, with 100% of the sale price going to buy phone cards and AAFES cards for the soldiers and Marines in Iraq. So I guess even if mine gets stolen, it already served its purpose. There are, sadly enough, places in town where I know that I need to take it off of the back of my car for fear of theft of the magnet or vandalism to my car!

 

And as the parent of a Marine, I think it's not just possible, but essential, to separate the ideologies behind supporting our troops vs. advocating the war.

[red feather]

As a father, with my son serving int he Army as a Medic at Camp Navistar on the Kuwait/ Iraq border, I understand with sadness, Mr. Naughtons very youthful lack of knowledge. I have to put his actions into the category of 'knucklehead' with a great need of some real life experiences.

 

My son is third generation military. And is serving his country in a way that is outside of Mr. Naughton.

 

When Mr. Naughton speaks of ripping off a yellow ribbon, "we take back a life that was taken...", he indicates that he has no real concept of what he is talking about and has no concept of what our troops are putting forth in service to our country. If he really wants to take back a life, volunteer and serve as a Medic, or if he has the training a Dr..

 

My dad, myself, and my son have/and are protecting Mr. Naughtons right to speak his mind. To me it is sad that he is not willing to allow others to speak their minds either by serving or with a simple 'yellow ribbon'. I hope that he will someday wakeup/growup and understand what freedoms he enjoys and what it may take to keep these freedoms.

 

Personally I am on my third "support the troops" ribbon. This one has lasted the longest possibly since I wrote my sons name on it.

 

His last paragraph is probably the clearest of the bunch.

 

"..haven't heard from him since. I don't know if he's dead, and my guilt is alive and well. I hope that all of our family members in harm's way return alive. Until then, I can really honor their sacrifice by demanding that it finally comes to an end."

 

If he feels as strongly as the paper published then he should campaign against the war.

 

But leave the supporters of the troops and the Blue Star families alone.

 

Sorry,

 

soap box is now put away, back to the campfire

 

yis

 

yis