Art La Flamme

But they’re not.

The NY Times has a piece today, talking about whether the new Obama administration will change the policy on photos of the caskets of dead soldiers coming home from the war front.

After all, the caskets really do show the human cost of this long, long war. And they’re just photos. The photos are what they are.

But they’re not just photos. I am unsure if I can really capture in words just how I feel about this. Those aren’t photos, those are men and women making one last journey.

In the summer of 2003, when my First Sergeant and I were taking home two of our platoons, we were set for a night flight. We staged at the airport in Kuwait City, and when it was time, we loaded everyone onto a big bus and headed out for our airplane. The bus had curtains on the windows, which were drawn closed as it was the middle of the night. No one thought to open them, as everyone was just too excited to be going home.

The bus was full. 1SG and I were, literally, standing next to the bus driver, probably the only two who could see out to the side of the bus, through the front door we were all to use. We drove to our airplane, pulled up alongside it, and stopped. The doors open. And 1SG and I just stood there, waiting.

Our soldiers were anxious, I’m sure. They wanted to honker down into the seat that would take them home to their families, their loved ones.

But all that 1SG and I could see was the sight of the flag-draped caskets being loaded into the cargo hold. There was no way we were going to have our soldiers come bouncing out of that bus, so full of so and glee, and right into this most solemn of scenes. 1SG and I stood there, in quiet unison, and just watched, delaying the magic of getting home, he and I having a quiet moment today in solemn honor of those who would be going home with us, our most honored passengers.

So, this debate over photos hits a nerve with me. I understand that for so many, they’re just photos. But they aren’t. Maybe I’m overly sensitive, maybe I’m not. It’s just how I feel, even if it makes no sense.

I was interviewed today by a reporter from the Chronicle. Yes, they are going to do a story, and yes, it’s tied into both my blog and the magazine version of it.

Whoa.

It’ll run on 02 October. I’ll try and get a link for it.

I really hope it comes across well. In getting ready for the interview, I tried to hammer out things I wanted to get across.

Like how it wasn’t me. It was the soldiers, and NCO’s and Warrant Officers who made it happen. I happened to be the token figurehead, thrilled to have the opportunity, humbled to have been chosen to command that unit at that time.

Like how we would have done the same for any POW, or to get the remains back of any soldier. Or for anyone who needed our help. I tried to convey that really, it’s just another fine example of the soldiers living the value of selfless service.

So, we’ll see. More to follow, I guess.

I mentioned awhile ago that I had to blog for this course. After some anguish, I ended up writing this — a piece about what I did during the ground war. Really, what we did during the ground war.

I chose that subject ultimately because, after reading everything I could about why they wanted us to blog during this course, I realized that what the Army wanted was a story like this. They think America needs to hear these things. And I think they’re right.

For the folks who are in the year-long version of this course, not only do they have to blog, but they have to do two other things: submit something for publication, and speak to a group (outside the military).

I sent the link for my piece, to the lady here at Ft Gordon why runs the on-post magazine. We went back and forth some on email, and they opted to print it. September has Patriot Day, and it fits well into that theme. I sent along a couple of photos I had with me — to include one with my dad, which I thought was super cool. I also asked for and got her agreement to include the copyright notice – that the piece is protected under the Creative Commons license, and that it was being published with permission. Viva Creative Commons.

When I got back from lunch today, there was a copy of the magazine on my doorstep. Sure enough, page 27 has the article. I think it came out pretty well.

The PDF for the magazine isn’t online yet. I’ll throw up the link when it’s online.

Now, the question is: Who in my school’s administration reads the post magazine? I’m not going to say anything to the school about this being published; I want to wait and see if they notice. If nothing else, I’ll tell them when I’m about to leave.

Yeah, it runs opposite a whole page of awesome ads. Hey, nothing says “Patriotism!” like self-storage, world poker leagues, and real estate agents!