Some Soldiers Are Heroes (Inspired by Jack Gilbert's "The Abnormal Is Not Courage"

Amy K. Genova

The boys roll out to Iraq. Most anxious, ready to get it over.
They wear their dress uniforms and white gloves to church,
inspire awe, admiration, and say goodbye. Little girls in pink
Sunday dresses and patent leather shoes, cross their hearts
and promise to grow-up by the time they come home. Old
women with the same helmets of hair commit to memory
grandsons' faces with their worn fingers. Veterans of all the
antecedent wars sit in pews, uniformly silent, wearing
the same invisible hats. The boys’ beauty stuns, like
March roses with imprudent blossoms. Blooms to pour
from planes in Baghdad’s bunkered streets. Red against
black. Say they are not heroes. Say they are falling stars.
Soldiers weep. Soldiers laugh. Some are heroes, some are
cowards, and others simply die under the white sky. Heroism
is not enlisting or the number of kills from Audie Murphy’s
gun. Heroism in not a Hiroshima bomb, that swaps a million
deaths for a million lives. Heroism resides in individuals, but
rarely nations. Heroism is the genius of saving lives, without
spilling blood. Heroism lies between the skinny ribs of doctors,
diplomats, teachers, mothers, and wise young girls who know
death, yet fast for others. Sip watery tea, instead of gorging on
the ends of soldier boys.

Movies and Abortion?

What better way to start an upstart blog, than by not being an upstart. I have found that a great conversation starter is to ask people about their favorite movies. If I listen and am truly interested, I gain some friendly ground with almost anyone. Sometimes, I will rent a movie based on these conversations. While I’m not always thrilled about these movies, for example: Black Snake Moan, Requiem for a Dream, and Weatherman, if I go back to the person who recommended that particular film, they are usually flattered, quite animated and eager for conversation. If the relationship is new, I probably will veer away from criticism and focus on the good elements of the film. Even though I thought Black Snake Moan contradicted its attempt to proselytize against sexual exploitation of women by sexually exploiting the female main character as well as the actress, I praised the film for the strong performances by Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and even Justin Timberlake. Usually if someone really likes a film, there is something of value in it. As the bonds of relationships grow in stability and mutual respect, a deeper more honest exchange of ideas and respectful disagreement can take place. I reminded of a story I heard once about some pro-choice and pro-life women who came together on neutral ground on an issue both groups cared deeply about, children. Instead of first entering a debate where the lines were clearly drawn, they cooperated on a project each side could endorse. I cannot recall if it was a community playground or funding for a daycare center for unwed mothers, but it was something along those lines. The point is the two sides came together for children first, instead of against each other. Then, a dialogue was opened on the more difficult issues.