DUCKPOND

James Carroll writing in The Boston Globe describes the situation of the soldiers, disproportionately from lower socio-economic levels of society who have been sent to do the master’s bidding in Iraq and Afghanistan. Suicide is a very great, although mostly hidden, problem. In fact there is likely to be more suicides and psychological disorders (such as addictions) in these wars than combat death. The war of terror is destroying the American Army, which when understood will be as good a reason as any to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.

The suicide rate is paradoxical, or at least anomalous. Paradoxical in the sense that during wartime based on past experience military suicides have gone down. This time they have gone up. James Carroll touches on some reasons – the repeated redeployments, the use of National Guards for the war, and the social isolation of the reintroduction to an individualized society. Although James Carroll does not mention it there is the dehumanization that soldiers have been subject to, and the sudden and unexpected consequences of experiencing at first hand the consequences on other human beings of the weapons of war. These anomalies call into question in a disturbing and disorientating way the conditioned assumptions of the cultural paradigm.

But James Carroll points to other factors, which I think were eloquently expressed by Jean Sara Rohe at the New University, New York graduation, specifically recalling a song she learnt as a child by Jay Mankiata , Living Planet. James Carrol writes:

These particular problems exist within a larger context of collapsing sources of meaning. The myths on which the military ethos depend have been broken.

Whatever ethnic fevers grip Iraqis, for example, American soldiers know, if only unconsciously, that the passion for nationhood on which 19th- and 20th-century wars depended is being undercut by the global citizenship of the 21st century. Not since Earth was seen whole from the moon is nationalism what it was . Even more transforming, faith in technological violence as an instrument of justice is being undercut by the catastrophic planetary outcome that can already be anticipated if technological violence is not curbed. The human naiveté that uses violence in the name of ending violence can no longer be sustained. For Americans plunged into the heart of this contradiction, the unbridled violence of their own nation points to the suicide of the very species.

Then there is the contradiction between the contrived collectivist ideal of the army, and the barren individualism of the politics of domination and violence that they are expected to easily fit into on returning home:

But for American soldiers, it is more personal even than that. For meaning’s sake, their purpose has been defined around loyalty. Unit cohesion is the absolute virtue. Thus our soldiers prepare to die not for Iraq, nor even for America, but for one another. “I’ve got your back,” they promise. In combat, such commitment is often heroically fulfilled, but, alas, once the bureaucracy replaces the buddy, loyalty, too, is found to be a lie. Harsh to say, but the American military cares nothing for the individuals who comprise it, only for the mission those individuals, in formation, can accomplish. Hence the shameful exploitation of troops in disabling redeployments, and the resulting abuse of their families. Hence the nation’s abandonment of those, who, upon discharge, find no unit, no cohesion, and their backs against the wall. Support the troops? On your bumper.

In recognition that truth matters, and perhaps matters most of all, James Carroll begins his article: “‘SUPPORT THE troops” is an American lie.”

ELSEWHERE:

Thank you to Abbey (Random Thoughts on Life) for drawing my attention to the Crooks and Liars posts that deals with soldier self harm.

The automatically generated links below are good point to other sources:

Chris Hedges and Laila Al-Arian article in The Nation, “The Other War: Iraq Vets Bear Witness” via Kenyon Farrow.

Joe Skousen at rense.com, “Why we are losing in Iraq”.

Edward G Roberts deals with the suicides of US soldiers when they return home (also automatically generated below.)