I'm going to think about a few books I've read recently; therefore, the next glob of posts might be a bit saturated--in books.
Afghanistan. Photo Credit.
Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman -Jon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer is one of my favorite authors. Mainly because the topics of his books strike my interests. He has a very fluid matter-of-fact writing style that has made it hard for me to put--almost all--his books down.
--Summary--
Pat Tillman, in Where Men Win Glory, is drawn out as an individual with unpresidented charisma. He was the type of person to take control of his life, do what he felt most passionate about, and endlessly seek knowledge to better understand himself and the universe. He also happened to be a good football player and at some point decided, with great confidence, that he would become a professional. He did so successfully after overcoming unlikely odds.
While Tillman's career was just getting started, the worst attack to ever occur on American soil happened. Though he wasn't your stereotypical meat-headed football player, Tillman did have a strong urge to use physical force as a means to solve some problems. After the September 11th attacks, his priorities became reshuffled and he soon began considering his moral obligation to protect his country. Tillman couldn't help but feel compelled to enlist and help in the search for the people responsible, and so he did. Unfortunately, between the time he enlisted and the time became a soldier, the US was engaged in a completely different conflict outside Afghanistan, and Iraq is where Tillman was called to duty. In the book, this is where cognitive dissonance begins it's fight with Tillman.
Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire. The true events leading up to this tradgedy are still debatable, but immediately after his death, the US government tried to make Pat Tillman into a war hero by hiding the biggest detail of the situation--fratricide. People in power lied, and in the end not only was Tillman's death was terribly tragic, it exhibited horrible abuses of power within the US government.
--Thoughts--
As long as I've thought about war, it has always been from the perspective of American history. I was taught in high school about the battles--past and present--which America engaged in, of which almost all were on foreign soil. History has proven some of these military actions to be just and valid, and some not.
Considering the human cost of war, how can a country take military action without the absolute certainty and necessity of a just cause? In an event in which a country takes questionable military action, are the armed servicewomen and men of that country morally obligated to participate? Where is the line of patriotism superseded by the line of anthropocentric duty?
The turmoil in the Middle East today poses a threat to the safety of inside and outside the region. How does an individual combat the threats to a peaceful world by violent extremists and fundamentalists? How should a country combat these threats? Considering the corrupt nations where terrorists are bred and harbored, what responsibility does my government, other governments, or the UN have to neutralize the threats?
With the exception of a very catastrophic incident, America is rarely the scene of an international attack. Over the history of the USA, very few wars have been fought on our turf. In fact, almost every war the US has engaged in has been overseas. With these statistics, it's no wonder so many US lead military actions find such resistance at home. It's easy to object a war in a far off land, not directly associated with keeping invaders off your lawn.
I make these points because Krakauer's account of Pat Tillman's story is more than a story about an ambitious patriot. It questions the individual's and the nation's responsibility for world peace.
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