Freed from those conventions — from the demands of plot, from the typically false dichotomy between good guys and bad guys, and unburdened of ambiguity, of bravado, of cant, there is only one thing in sight, and that is consequence.
That’s taken from a review of the book, War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003–2007 edited by Shawn Christian Nessen, Dave Edmond Lounsbury, and Stephen P. Hetz, with a foreword by Bob Woodruff. The review, The War We Don’t Want to See, by Sue M. Halpern, covers five movies and books about current wars. Here is the full bit from which the above quote was taken:
“This 28-year-old male sustained an injury to his right leg from a high-energy blast,” begins the chapter on below-the-knee amputation. “His clothing was saturated with blood. Removal of his combat boots revealed a significant, grossly contaminated, soft-tissue injury and a poorly perfused foot.” On subsequent pages, interspersed with teaching points, clinical implications, and suggested reading, are full-color photos of legs that have been pulverized and feet that have been pulped, of flesh that no longer resembles flesh, of bone that hangs off the trunk like snapped branches.
These pictures, which were taken by doctors in the field with personal digital cameras, were not intended for publication. Though in most instances they are gruesome, they are not prurient. Nor are they editorial. Unfiltered, they are instructive, not only to those who may someday find themselves working in a MASH unit, but also to those of us who, like it or not, send them there to do that work. The photos show wounds — “Figure 4. Fragment of human rib removed from right scrotum”; “Figure 1. Wound showing evisceration of the small intestine” — that have never been seen in this way before.
… Flipping through the coffee-table-size pages and reading the accounts of how a twenty-two-year-old soldier sitting in a Humvee had a hole drilled through his forehead by IED shrapnel, or “a 23-year-old male suffered severe burns during munitions disposal activities [and was] found on fire after extricating himself from his burning vehicle,” what you get is the war without the war story. Freed from those conventions — from the demands of plot, from the typically false dichotomy between good guys and bad guys, and unburdened of ambiguity, of bravado, of cant, there is only one thing in sight, and that is consequence. Here is what we’re really talking about when we talk about RPGs and AK-47s and TBIs and the rest of the alphabet soup tepidly served up in the press. Here is “collateral damage.”
Though the above is about the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, today, I am thinking about the violence in Gaza. I don’t think that I’m qualified to say anything meaningful about what is going on there. I feel extreme sorrow — and outrage and dismay. Below are links to posts by other people that reflect my opinion on the matter, and say it better than I can:
Robert Fisk; Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignored in The Independent (Dec 29, 2008)
Jim Johnson; Israelis & Palestinians in his (Notes on) Politics, Theory & Photography blog
Dr. C; Gaza; Gaza Day 2, Gaza Day 4 in his blog
Felix Grant; Peace and goodwill on earth (1) in his The Growlery blog
Peace.
-Julie
Thanks Julie. Peace back. Jim
Comment by JJ — December 31, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
You are right, Julie. It is impossible to say anything meaningful. It is now trite to say that this is Obama’s first big test, but we can say it anyway. The American People believe that they have elected a president who cares about people. I surely hope so.
Comment by Dr. C. — January 4, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
Thanks for stopping by Jim.
Dr. C.,
I think the Gaza conflict will be Obama’s most revealing test. I too hope he cares about people and has the boldness to do (or attempt to do) something to put a stop to the violence.
Comment by unrealnature — January 4, 2009 @ 2:53 pm