[Vision2020] When Sacrifices are No Longer Front-Page News

[Tom Hansen]

>From this coming week's (week of August 8, 2005) Army Times
(www.armytimies.com) -

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When sacrifices are no longer front-page news

By David R. Welling

It seems that as the war on terrorism drags on, we are entering an
especially dangerous period.
The bullets and the bombs are still killing and maiming. What seems
different today, compared with three years ago, is that the American public
is getting a case of battle fatigue. And as we tire, we begin to show
evidence of a chink in the armor that the enemy might well exploit.

Remember all those homes in your neighborhood flying our flag right after
the terrorist attacks in September 2001? How many flags do you see today? 

Remember all those patriotic speeches, from both major political parties?
Today many of those politicians are asking about exit strategies and
deadlines and dates of departure.

Americans have the attention span of a gnat. We like 20-second sound bites.
We go through rock stars and fashions and TV heroes as if everything is
consumable, knowing that there is a fresh batch of rock stars and fashions
and TV heroes waiting in the wings as we tire of the old ones.

We do not focus for long on anything, even if it is in our vital national
interest to stay focused.

In my work, I have the privilege of visiting Walter Reed Army Medical Center
and Bethesda National Naval Medical Center on a regular basis. Both
hospitals have served the injured troops with distinction. It always gives
me the feeling that I am in the presence of greatness as I walk those halls.


It is common to see amputees trying to learn to walk again, or learning to
use a wheelchair, coming down the hall. Many of the injured troops face huge
challenges and uncertainties.

Most still have a great sense of team, of family, of pride in their service.


They often tell you that they would like to go back, to get back into the
fray, to stay on active duty. 

I was serving in Landstuhl, Germany, when the war on terrorism kicked off
back in 2001. The very first casualty from this war came back to our
hospital the night I was on call, and I was involved on a personal basis
with his care.

This is what I remember most about that night: It took me about an hour to
get to my patient?s bed because of all the phone calls I was receiving. I
had calls from his congressman; from Fort McPherson, Ga.; from Scott Air
Force Base, Ill.; from the press; from his commander, etc.

It was amazing to see the amount of interest generated by the first
casualty. I finally declared that I would not talk to another soul until I
could go and assess my patient.

I sometimes reflect on that first casualty and wonder how things have
changed from that first night. No longer is a wound a big news item. In the
papers now, it is routine to see articles about improvised explosive devices
taking out vehicles, with soldiers killed and others wounded. Just a few
words on a back page.

To me, it is not nearly enough. It does not honor the sacrifice. It does not
explain the pain. It does not describe the anguish of worried relatives or
the difficulty of rehabilitation or the fear of an uncertain future. 

And despite the lack of publicity, the wounded continue to come in, day
after day.

We need to remember and honor and sustain these brave warriors, and never,
ever forget. 

The writer is a retired colonel who was a surgeon in the Air Force for 30
years. His e-mail address is wellinglindydave at yahoo.com.

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Take care, Moscow.

Pro patria,

Tom Hansen

"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil
and steady dedication of a lifetime." 
 
--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.