There are two
kinds of anonymous battle casualties to me. There is one whose whereabouts are
known at the time of his death, but the means of his sudden departure from this
world removes all trace of remains, whether to the wind, to the ground or to
the sea. Then there is the more typical idea of an unidentified body placed in
an unmarked grave. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also called the Tomb of
the Unknowns. It represents all military branches, women as well as men.
We could ask,
however these souls lost their identity, what might be their legacy? How can
those whose “floating” tanks sank beneath the English Channel on June 6, 1944
because the swells were too high, sending them to imminent death without hope
of rescue who never fired a shot in battle; how can they leave a legacy, as
badly as we all would want that for them, i.e. to not die in vain? What might
these unknowns say about their legacy to us standing at the Tomb?
I
AM NOT HERE IN THIS TOMB STOP MY FLESH MOULDERS IN A MEKONG RICE PADDY STOP
MY BONES SWAY IN IRONBOTTOM SOUND
STOP MY RIFLE ENTANGLES THE ROOTS
OF BELLEAU WOOD STOP MY CANTEEN WATERS VIRGINIAS BLOODY SOIL STOP
MY POWDER HORN HIDES WITHIN THE ROCKY HEIGHTS OF GUAN STOP
MY EMPTY MEDIC SATCHEL DECAYS IN A DITCH NEAR OSAN STOP
ONE BLASTED BOOT OCCUPIES THE RUBBLE PILE OUTSIDE FALLUJAH THE OTHER IS
STILL SCATTERED OVER THE GRAVELS OF KANDAHAR
STOP I AM NOT HERE IN THIS
TOMB STOP
O
GOD MAY PEACE BLOOM WHEREVER AMERICAN BLOOD SOAKED THE SOIL IN EACH ENDEAVOR TO
FREE A PEOPLE FROM OPPRESSION AND TERROR
STOP MAY THOSE WHO STILL BREATHE
GUARD MY LEGACY AND BRING IT TO LIFE
STOP THIS TOMB IS NICE BUT PEACE
AND LIBERTY ARE OUR WORTHY MEMORIALS
STOP
YOURS
TRULY,
THE
UNKNOWN SOLDIER
MAY
26 2013
For the
curious, some notes on the references above:
Mekong of
course refers to the Mekong River Delta, the location of intense combat for
years during the Vietnam War. This starts with Vietnam because it was my
generation’s war. Sadly every generation gets one.
Ironbottom
Sound is what the Allies renamed the Savo Sound north of Guadalcanal because
about twenty five of our ships were sunk there in terrific WWII naval battles.
Belleau Wood
is one of the first major battles fought in WWI by American troops alongside
our Allies.
Virginia’s
Bloody Soil is the name of a Civil War song, used here in recognition that
about half of all casualties from both sides occurred in that state.
From
Wikipedia, “The Heights of Guan was the New York colonial era name given to a
series of hills which extend in a ridge along the northern portion of Long
Island.” These were used as a natural defensive line against the British in the
Revolutionary War. The Battle of Long Island was the biggest battle of that
war.
Osan is the
name of a small town in the northern part of South Korea. From Wikipedia, “On
June 5, 1950 a U.S. task force of 400 infantry supported by an artillery
battery was moved to Osan, south of the South Korean capital Seoul, and ordered
to fight as a rearguard to delay advancing North Korean forces while additional
U.S. troops arrived in the country to form a stronger defensive line to the
south.” Highly recommend their article
on the Battle of Osan to understand a little of the terror our troops incurred
there. These 400 with no tanks faced about 5000 with 36 tanks. The article
continues later to tell of our retreat, “2nd Platoon, B Company, however, did
not receive the withdrawal order. When the platoon discovered that it was
alone, it was too late for an orderly withdrawal and it could not move its
wounded quickly enough. Most of the survivors were able to escape captivity but
a number of wounded litter-borne U.S. soldiers were left behind along with an
attending medic. The American wounded were later found shot to death in their
litters; the medic was never seen again.”
Dexter Filkin
was an embedded reporter in Iraq and Afghanistan. His book The Forever War
opens with the Second Battle of Fallujah, according to some our bloodiest battle in Iraq.
Kandahar is in
Afghanistan which breaks our hearts day after day after day.
With much thanks to my late friend Mr. Mark Bowden for setting this up in the telegram image. A sweet man who departed far too early.
