My brother is going back to Iraq. I am not angry. I am worried, but not angry. He leaves next month, which would be the one year anniversary of his homecoming from his first tour of that god foresaken sandbox. Iraq was not his first sandbox though, that title belongs to the nation of Afganistan. I am not a patriot. I do not believe in patriotism. But I love my brother.
If I ever have a son I am naming him after my brother. It would be the biggest compliment I could give him, since I am horrible at expressing to him how I really feel about him, and how much I treasure him being in my life. I'm his baby sister, he has defended me and been there for me through everything.
Needless to say my mother is a blubbering mess right now. I know he'll be fine. But it doesn't prevent me from worrying and being upset about it.
I just wish he was fighting for something more noble than fossil fuel.
I wish the people of Iraq knew that good people are over there, that they don't deserve to be hurt or killed in underhanded and sly fashions. If you are going to fight just come out and fucking fight. The worst form of passive aggression can now be found in the religious zealots of Iraq. Nameless carbombs do not lead to martyrdom.
So if you ask me then, yes, more troops need to be sent over to do what needs to be done. My brother has been saying that since he got back last year. I don't want to see a Saigon-esque evacuation of the country. This is my generation's Vietnam, but I don't want it to be verse for verse.
Baby, I'm an anarchist. But the love for my brother comes before any kind of philosphical or political belief.
Against me! seems to be a good soundtrack for this. As well the bottles of wine that accompany me now.
If I ever have a son I am naming him after my brother. It would be the biggest compliment I could give him, since I am horrible at expressing to him how I really feel about him, and how much I treasure him being in my life. I'm his baby sister, he has defended me and been there for me through everything.
Needless to say my mother is a blubbering mess right now. I know he'll be fine. But it doesn't prevent me from worrying and being upset about it.
I just wish he was fighting for something more noble than fossil fuel.
I wish the people of Iraq knew that good people are over there, that they don't deserve to be hurt or killed in underhanded and sly fashions. If you are going to fight just come out and fucking fight. The worst form of passive aggression can now be found in the religious zealots of Iraq. Nameless carbombs do not lead to martyrdom.
So if you ask me then, yes, more troops need to be sent over to do what needs to be done. My brother has been saying that since he got back last year. I don't want to see a Saigon-esque evacuation of the country. This is my generation's Vietnam, but I don't want it to be verse for verse.
Baby, I'm an anarchist. But the love for my brother comes before any kind of philosphical or political belief.
Against me! seems to be a good soundtrack for this. As well the bottles of wine that accompany me now.
VIEW 18 of 18 COMMENTS
failuretothrive:
As far as telling your brother how you feel about him, you seem to do a pretty good job here. If nothing else, keep it simple, but said - no matter how poorly - is always better than unsaid. Best of luck and safety for your brother and all of our troops and the Iraqi and Afghani people.
trocc:
feel free to use the phrase whenever it fits. unfortunately, my head feels even worse than that right now, since i'm hungover on top of everything else. 