Pen Pal Soldiers
September 2, 2004 6:01 PM Subscribe
A group of pre-schoolers in Maryland got to meet their Army Reserve pen pal. Fourth graders in New York met their Army pen pal. Sixth graders in Mississippi mourn their National Guard pen pal.
"I know that some good can come of this, I do," McClellan said. "Maybe the children can realize what good they have, and how he did his part to help them keep it."
Or maybe, heaven forbid, they'll get the crazy notion that war kills people.
posted by iamck at 6:11 PM on September 2, 2004
Or maybe, heaven forbid, they'll get the crazy notion that war kills people.
posted by iamck at 6:11 PM on September 2, 2004
I suspect most of the kids are learning that the people who live in Iraq are Bad People, and that soldiers Need To Kill Them.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:18 PM on September 2, 2004
posted by five fresh fish at 6:18 PM on September 2, 2004
There are still many Americans that cherish and keep the Vietnam-era POW bracelets for men who never came home. Others have sought out surviving family members to give them their bracelet, a last memento of their loved one.
It is a bond that runs very deep, and cannot be compared with the shallow emotions that dominate most peoples lives.
These children will grow up to know that war isn't a game and that soldiers aren't toy soldiers. They will also remember that "their" soldier risked his life for something he believed in--that even life is not so precious that it's not worth risking it sometimes.
posted by kablam at 6:28 PM on September 2, 2004
It is a bond that runs very deep, and cannot be compared with the shallow emotions that dominate most peoples lives.
These children will grow up to know that war isn't a game and that soldiers aren't toy soldiers. They will also remember that "their" soldier risked his life for something he believed in--that even life is not so precious that it's not worth risking it sometimes.
posted by kablam at 6:28 PM on September 2, 2004
I suspect most of the kids are learning that the people who live in Iraq are Bad People, and that soldiers Need To Kill Them.
Right, any attempt to humanize people in the military must be nothing but propoganda. [/sarcasm]
posted by jonmc at 6:33 PM on September 2, 2004
Right, any attempt to humanize people in the military must be nothing but propoganda. [/sarcasm]
posted by jonmc at 6:33 PM on September 2, 2004
Right, any attempt to humanize people in the military must be nothing but propoganda.
No, but nobilizing the cause is.
posted by iamck at 6:44 PM on September 2, 2004
No, but nobilizing the cause is.
posted by iamck at 6:44 PM on September 2, 2004
What a great lesson! We should get lots more soldiers killed so that children can appreciate how sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country.
posted by rks404 at 6:53 PM on September 2, 2004
posted by rks404 at 6:53 PM on September 2, 2004
This was also the plot to an episode of 7th Heaven.
posted by euphorb at 7:30 PM on September 2, 2004
posted by euphorb at 7:30 PM on September 2, 2004
Sorry, but as against the war as I am, and as bloody as my heart is, I still think this is nice.
My sister's in the Navy. She doesn't agree with the war. Still, if her squadron got deployed she'd do her job. I like the idea that little kids might send her letters, and I like the idea that someone else's brother or sister is getting letters from little kids. It's no joke being that far away from home in a scary situation, and even less of a joke if you don't happen to fully support the cause you're fighting for.
And I think it's a lot easier to understand why we should be judicious about the fights we pick if the people fighting them aren't faceless uniforms. And that understanding needs to start early.
posted by padraigin at 7:56 PM on September 2, 2004
My sister's in the Navy. She doesn't agree with the war. Still, if her squadron got deployed she'd do her job. I like the idea that little kids might send her letters, and I like the idea that someone else's brother or sister is getting letters from little kids. It's no joke being that far away from home in a scary situation, and even less of a joke if you don't happen to fully support the cause you're fighting for.
And I think it's a lot easier to understand why we should be judicious about the fights we pick if the people fighting them aren't faceless uniforms. And that understanding needs to start early.
posted by padraigin at 7:56 PM on September 2, 2004
Right, any attempt to humanize people in the military must be nothing but propoganda.
Not at all. But I do note this particular explanation from the first link: ...sometimes bad people don’t want to talk about their problems with us and start shooting.
These soldiers aren't telling these schoolkids an accurate story by any means. They humanize themselves by dehumanizing the Iraqis. They must, for simple preservation of sanity, popularize themselves as the "good guys" and define the Iraqis as "bad guys."
This is far from truthful, especially in this time of post-war occupation where the "bad" (shooting/shot) Iraqis are not infrequently upset, stressed-out, or desperate citizens and not the Iraqi military force or organized guerilla group.
And consequently we risk raising a generation of kids who hate "sand-niggers" and want to nuke the mid-East to glass. Great, just great.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:34 PM on September 2, 2004
Not at all. But I do note this particular explanation from the first link: ...sometimes bad people don’t want to talk about their problems with us and start shooting.
These soldiers aren't telling these schoolkids an accurate story by any means. They humanize themselves by dehumanizing the Iraqis. They must, for simple preservation of sanity, popularize themselves as the "good guys" and define the Iraqis as "bad guys."
This is far from truthful, especially in this time of post-war occupation where the "bad" (shooting/shot) Iraqis are not infrequently upset, stressed-out, or desperate citizens and not the Iraqi military force or organized guerilla group.
And consequently we risk raising a generation of kids who hate "sand-niggers" and want to nuke the mid-East to glass. Great, just great.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:34 PM on September 2, 2004
""I learned that the soldiers are trying to make it better for Iraqis and give them rights," said Jens Sannerud, one of Barrett's pen pals."
Sand niggers ahoy!
posted by kavasa at 2:16 AM on September 3, 2004
Sand niggers ahoy!
posted by kavasa at 2:16 AM on September 3, 2004
Let me be clear I'm not dissin' individual soldiers. As pen-pals, I should hope the kids are learning about the realities of war and become staunchly opposed to war except as a defensive action. It's the latter that I worry is not being learned: it is all too likely they are being taught that war with Iraq was necessary, just, and righteous.
This is not so.
This Iraq war is a solid grey. The aggressor nation is the USA. The defending nation is pitifully ill-equipped to defend itself. A substantial part of the world community has condemned this war, and any number of long-standing international agreements have been broken in the execution of this war. It is, in short, a mess.
Compare this to WWII, in which an aggressor nation attacked its neighbours, intent on continental, if not global, domination; and the defending nations were a co-operative effort to protect themselves. A substantial part of the world community pulled together in agreement on the need for war.
Are these children not learning that it is A-OK for the USA to invade countries, ignore the Geneva convention, tell the world community to go screw itself, and then -- if current rumours are true -- just walk away from the mess, leaving someone else to pick up the pieces?
That's a dangerous sort of lesson.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:20 AM on September 3, 2004
This is not so.
This Iraq war is a solid grey. The aggressor nation is the USA. The defending nation is pitifully ill-equipped to defend itself. A substantial part of the world community has condemned this war, and any number of long-standing international agreements have been broken in the execution of this war. It is, in short, a mess.
Compare this to WWII, in which an aggressor nation attacked its neighbours, intent on continental, if not global, domination; and the defending nations were a co-operative effort to protect themselves. A substantial part of the world community pulled together in agreement on the need for war.
Are these children not learning that it is A-OK for the USA to invade countries, ignore the Geneva convention, tell the world community to go screw itself, and then -- if current rumours are true -- just walk away from the mess, leaving someone else to pick up the pieces?
That's a dangerous sort of lesson.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:20 AM on September 3, 2004
five fresh fish: far from hating Iraqis, most servicemen and women are busting their ass to make the lives of Iraqis better. 90% are not near any kind of active hostility, and are "working wonders and eating cucumbers" in making Iraq not just restored, but a LOT better than it ever has been.
Their letters aren't going to curse Iraqis, they are going to praise the heck out of them for trying to lead their lives in harsh and poor conditions, and, importantly, for being very optimistic about their own future, willing to work to make their lives better, and helping the soldiers do their job.
The US is NOT acting like Russia in Chechnya. We are converting hearts and minds by persuasion, not coercion, and only a damn fool can say otherwise.
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005543
People do not hate you when you do things like this.
posted by kablam at 11:22 AM on September 3, 2004
Their letters aren't going to curse Iraqis, they are going to praise the heck out of them for trying to lead their lives in harsh and poor conditions, and, importantly, for being very optimistic about their own future, willing to work to make their lives better, and helping the soldiers do their job.
The US is NOT acting like Russia in Chechnya. We are converting hearts and minds by persuasion, not coercion, and only a damn fool can say otherwise.
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005543
People do not hate you when you do things like this.
posted by kablam at 11:22 AM on September 3, 2004
Again, I'm not saying bad things about individual soldiers.
I am saying bad things about the overall rationale and theme of this war. By teaching children that the soldiers are engaged in a "good" war -- and that must be the overall theme -- we are teaching them that it is okay to unilaterally invade and occupy a non-aggressing nation.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:45 AM on September 3, 2004
I am saying bad things about the overall rationale and theme of this war. By teaching children that the soldiers are engaged in a "good" war -- and that must be the overall theme -- we are teaching them that it is okay to unilaterally invade and occupy a non-aggressing nation.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:45 AM on September 3, 2004
Examples of overall themes: "I know that some good can come of this, I do. Maybe the children can realize what good they have, and how he [the dead soldier] did his part to help them [the children] keep it."
Help them keep it? The children were never in threat of losing the good they have in America: Iraq was not a threat to America.
...sometimes bad people don’t want to talk about their problems with us [America] and start shooting.
Bad Iraqi people started shooting at the USA? Since when?
This is the lesson being taught: that Iraq was a threat to the safety and lifestyle of the United States, that Iraq started the war, and that the US was forced to defend itself and put Iraq back in its place.
That's a lesson based on lies, and it's a lesson that will not make it easier for those children to make informed decisions as adults, due to the early childhood programming that taught them to distrust and dislike those aggressive, hateful, war-mongering Iraqis.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:53 AM on September 3, 2004
Help them keep it? The children were never in threat of losing the good they have in America: Iraq was not a threat to America.
...sometimes bad people don’t want to talk about their problems with us [America] and start shooting.
Bad Iraqi people started shooting at the USA? Since when?
This is the lesson being taught: that Iraq was a threat to the safety and lifestyle of the United States, that Iraq started the war, and that the US was forced to defend itself and put Iraq back in its place.
That's a lesson based on lies, and it's a lesson that will not make it easier for those children to make informed decisions as adults, due to the early childhood programming that taught them to distrust and dislike those aggressive, hateful, war-mongering Iraqis.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:53 AM on September 3, 2004
...and he gave each child a now-obsolete Iraqi 250-dinar bill with deposed president Saddam Hussein's face on it
Dang, I'm envious -- I'd like to get some obsolete Iraqi currency to look at.
Any time US service personnel get to correspond with school kids like this, I say it's a good thing, not propaganda at all. Now, when recruiters show up at high schools, I still don't think it's propaganda -- just evangelism.
posted by alumshubby at 6:43 AM on September 4, 2004
Dang, I'm envious -- I'd like to get some obsolete Iraqi currency to look at.
Any time US service personnel get to correspond with school kids like this, I say it's a good thing, not propaganda at all. Now, when recruiters show up at high schools, I still don't think it's propaganda -- just evangelism.
posted by alumshubby at 6:43 AM on September 4, 2004
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From the Maryland story:
“The teachers at the preschool all discussed the idea, and we decided it was a good way to put a human face on the war for the children,” Morris said. “As the situation continues in Iraq, more and more families will be touched by it and more children will have questions. And, it really was a great experience for the children and all of us.”
posted by whatever at 6:04 PM on September 2, 2004