Post Scripts: Strange war

As this is written we are being told by our government that the war in Iraq is historic because our laying of bombs on Baghdad has been exceptionally precise but extremely fierce. Maybe it is also historic because it may be the first “politically correct” invasion of an enemy’s homeland in our history. Along with the “shock and awe” bombings, there is also effort being made to insure that our offensive there does not cause offense. The talk is that our guys must show respect and honor Iraq’s cultural heritage.

Our troops have been told: “Iraq is steeped in history and cultural heritage. It is the site of the Garden of Eden and the birthplace of Abraham. Tread lightly there. Tread lightly there? Good gosh, tread lightly in Army boots….. while invading a treacherous nation and fighting a barbaric regime?

As if that wasn’t silliness, commanders of Operation Iraq Freedom have warned troops not to fly the American flag in Iraq. “We will not fly the American (or British) flag while in this country” was the order sent to our troops. So the only flag to be shown in that ancient land will be theirs. I can’t imagine. U.S. Marines, after a heavy battle a few days back, removed an Iraqi flag from a pole in Umm Qasr and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes—but were later told to remove it because “it gave the wrong impression.”

One ranking officer who heard about the flag incident in Umm Qasr told a newspaper reporter, “Hey, wait a minute. This is not what this war is all about.” The problem appears to be the result of President Bush’s specially crafted speech that America is there to liberate, not conquer. Troops have allegedly been told to avoid not only flag-waving but to also avoid other such “displays of triumphalism.”

The U.S. Navy is also keeping a close watch on the messages scrawled on bombs and missiles before they are launched. This resulted from a sex message written on a bomb destined for Afghanistan which offended gay rights groups. The Air Force has also been warned after a vulgar slur about the French was found on a bomb aimed at Afghanistan rebels. Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli has warned his sailors that the Navy must keep their ammunition “positive.”

Maybe I don’t see this situation in the right light. No American flags, no American “triumphalism,” no offensive messages on bombs despite all this talk that this war is America’s effort to remake the world in its own image. Somebody along the chain of command wants our war effort to appear as non-USA as possible.

What I can’t figure out is – How can or troops tread so politely when they are sent to Iraq to fight and kill? How can messages, maybe even the gross ones, hurt anything or anybody, when they ultimately explode and disappear? Then, too, if our nation respects Iraqi’s historic sites and treasures so much, why are we fighting a war there?

Oh well! War never has made such sense. One has to wonder about our own mission in this day and age.