Topic: Military

Fuel the flame; honor our soldiers

By Christine Anne Piesyk | November 13, 2007 |

World war I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the Armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.

Saturday, November 10, was a day of parades, ceremonies, and memorials, flags, uniforms and speeches honoring the veterans of American wars, including the current conflict in Iraq. Sunday, November 11, was the actual holiday, the Holy Day of Days for veterans across the country. So what happened in Clarksville on this Veteran’s Day?

The light went out. An unheralded extinguishing of eternal flame in downtown Clarksville, a flame that is supposed to be a blaze of fire in the night sky over the city. This darkening should be considered an insult to every person serving in the military today, and to every citizen of this country. The darkening of the flame (which has happened before with no fanfare) is also a slap in the face to the vets of Vietnam, Korea, both world wars, and every other war in our history. The fact that it happened on Veteran’s Day and as Christmas lights are being illuminated citywide just magnifies the force of that slap. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, News, Politics | 1 Comment »

Alternatives to Violence Program: Releasing the anger

By Christine Anne Piesyk | October 8, 2007 |

“I would not volunteer my time for such a long weekend if I were not convinced of the efficacy of the program.” — Polly Coe

With those words, Coe said it is not too late to register for the next offering of the Alternatives to Violence Program, a transformative weekend program designed to break down the barriers of suppressed emotions and thus learn new strategies to break the cycle of anger and violence.

Coe, a licensed therapist, is once again offering this three-day workshop October 12-14 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 3035 Highway 41A South. The $30 fee includes food and facilities costs. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Issues, News | No Comments

One Soldier’s Wife: Stoic stance serves to hide a breaking heart

By Debbie Boen | October 1, 2007 |

“Soldiers do change during war, because how they cope tends to be individualist, isolating, not reaching out to others … I think that this war also damages the souls of many soldiers … Real men, soldiers, are evidently supposed to suck it up and kill on demand without a conscience, without feelings … – Polly Coe, Licensed Therapist

While our troops are overseas, scattered across the deserts of Iraq and spread over the mountainous terrain of Aghanistan, soldier’s wives juggle a variety of roles, stepping into and out of them based on deployments. It’s hard to keep all the balls in the air, and sometimes they all come tumbling down, rolling across the floor in every direction. As a representative of Clarksville Online, I spoke with one such wife, Shelly, who is reeling from the impact of life as a military spouse during war. I give you her story, followed by the complete text of Therapist Polly Coe’s comments on the impact of the Iraq War on our troops and their families.

The following is a transcript of my questions (CO) and Shelly’s answers:

CO: How’s the war been to you?

Shelly: When it broke out, we had just arrived in Clarksville (Jan 2003); we bought a house and a month later he was gone. When he’s in Iraq I don’t listen to the news. I can’t. And I keep it away from the kids. Things that happen in the war are too close to home; it upsets the kids. There’s a mechanical problem with aircraft and everyone is asking me if he’s OK. I honestly don’t know and I don’t want to hear or talk about it.

CO: How does the war upset the kids?

Shelly: Dad’s gone all the time. They idealize Dad, especially when he’s not here. A picture gets built up in their heads of the perfect Dad. They miss him and they ask, “why can’t he call, why can’t he come home?” It’s especially hard on birthdays and Christmas. We’ve had the “missed” Christmas, the early and late Christmas; the Christmas where Dad came to our hotel. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Politics | No Comments

Irate reader, soldier chastises as “un-American” the voice of opposition

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 14, 2007 |

I received an irate e-mail for my views on September 11, the war in Iraq and Bush’s America as a whole. I was called unpatriotic for not flag-waving Bush’s war. I was told to “grow up.” Sorry, but I did that the first time I buried a friend killed in Vietnam. He was 19.

But Iraq is not about Vietnam, and not really about September 11th; that was just the excuse that triggered a rush to war in oil-rich country.

Here’s the letter:

“Wow, did you really write that in the Clarksville Voice? If so, you really should be ashamed of yourself, and consider renouncing your American Citizenship (since you seem to be so angry and ashamed of the actions we have taken to prevent another attack) and go live among those “innocents being slaughtered” you so fondly speak of.

“I personally remember everything about that awful Tuesday morning six years ago. I was awake, but still in bed in my apartment in Nashville, TN; when one of my friends and my Dad called nearly simultaneously to alert me about this terrible “accident” at the World Trade Center. I immediately turned on Fox News and within seconds, the second plane hit the other tower, then news of the Pentagon being attacked, and then ANOTHER plane going down en route to the White House.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion, Politics | 6 Comments

Military wife speaks out against the war

By Debbie Boen | August 18, 2007 |

“My husband doesn’t have the ability to voice his opinion. He’s controlled. I am controlled in that I don’t want to get him in trouble, so I am nervous about what I say to people.” — Leslie

I recently spoke with the woman who made this statement, a military wife, Leslie (her name changed to protect the innocent), at a local restaurant, and asked her what she feels about the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I’m very upset about the war,” Leslie said. “The more I read the more I know it was a big screw up from the start. I never supported it when Bush wanted to go. Bush knew what he was going to do and did it and he didn’t care about facts.”

The following is a transcript of my questions (CO) and Leslie’s answers:

CO: Where do you get your facts?

Leslie: “I’m always looking on the internet for what’s going on. And I read a lot of books.”

CO: Do you trust mainstream media?

Leslie: “No, not at all. There’s so much information out there, but the media doesn’t want to look for it, and doesn’t want to tell it.” «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | No Comments

Underwater Warriors: Healing, mind, body, spirit

By Debbie Boen | August 4, 2007 |

Soldier Sunday will be held for the first time on Sunday, August 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Monell’s Restaurant in Franklin, Tennessee, with proceeds benefiting the Underwater Warriors program at Fort Campbell.

Underwater Warriors Foundation Inc. provides scuba diving as mind, body, spirit therapy for severely injured soldiers. Underwater Warriors is part of a feature article, Fighting back, in the August issue of Scuba Diving magazine.

“Our warriors, every single one of them, are coming home injured”, says Nancy MacPherson, founder of Underwater Warriors, a Fort Campbell-based scuba diving program that has an optional therapeutic component soldiers can apply for. McPherson created Under Water Warriors a year ago as a non-profit organization.

Michael King, owner of Monell’s Restaurant (located just off the town square in Franklin) plans to host Soldier Sunday on the first Sunday of every month to benefit this unique program. Some program participants will be on hand to meet with guest, including Bryan Price, a Fort Campbell soldier, who is featured in the Scuba magazine article. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, News | No Comments

Caging: Did It, Could It Happen In Tennessee?

By Turner McCullough Jr. | June 11, 2007 |

Republican election trickery exposed as Rove Protege Resigns

Arkansas US Attorney Tim Griffin, the controversial US Attorney in Arkansas, has resigned his position. Griffin is a protege of Karl Rove and former research director of the Republic National Committee.

The BBC reported in 2004 that Griffin led a “caging” scheme to suppress the votes of African American servicemembers in Florida. As a result, 1,886 U. S. servicemembers were denied their right to vote because they lived in predominantly black and traditionally Democratic  areas of Jacksonville, FL. These servicemembers were stationed overseas at the time. This tactic was a deliberate assault upon our military forces engaged in defending our freedom and liberties.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | No Comments

A soldier in Iraq asks in despair: Why are we here?

May 29, 2007 |

After watching his roommate fatally wounded in a roadside bombing, an Army Specialist wonders why the lives of good men are being lost when the Iraqis pose no threat to us and don’t want us there.

BAGHDAD, May 12 — My name is Donald Hudson Jr. I have been serving our country’s military actively for the last three years. I am currently deployed to Baghdad on Forward Operating Base Loyalty, where I have been for the last four and a half months.

I came here as part of the first wave of this so called “troop surge”, but so far it has effectively done nothing to quell insurgent violence. I have seen the rise in violence between the Sunni and Shiite. This country is in the middle of a civil war that has been on going since the seventh century.

Why are we here when this country still to date does not want us here? Why does our president’s personal agenda consume him so much, that he can not pay attention to what is really going on here? «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Opinion, Politics | 17 Comments