Publisher’s Page Soliloquy on Soldiers in the Surge
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urge. This rather innocuous sounding word has come to signify many things to different people. Despite its most conspicuous definition—a sudden or strong increase—it also carries the connotation of something that undulates; much in the manner of an ocean wave. Recently however, it has been employed to describe, what could possibly turn out to be, a last ditch effort by the Bush administration to quell the constant and insistent unrest in Iraq’s capital city Baghdad. The announcement that the US would be committing an additional 23,000 troops in Iraq to bolster the already 140,000 personnel in theater has been warmly embraced by some and greeted with a considerable amount of consternation and skepticism by others. In the case of the former, there is the genuine belief that the additional troops will allow the US to create a greater presence in Baghdad’s most notorious neighborhoods known for fierce gun battles, deadly IEDs, snipers and suicide bombers and as a consequence, precipitate greater stability, infrastructure renewal and expedite the return of American military servicepersons. The latter contend that the troop surge is indicative of a failed strategy that has been beseeched by numerous problems—principal among them poor planning—which has culminated in a desperate attempt to bring stability to a chaotic war torn Baghdad that, for all intents and purposes, is on the brink of an all out civil war. It may be noted that the usage of the word surge to describe the troop increase in Iraq is rather unctuous in nature since even the most obtuse individuals should be able to surmise that it is nothing more than euphemistic parlance for more coarse sounding and less flattering terms such as military buildup, escalation and expansionism. It would also appear that emphasis has invariably been placed on a myopic view of the word surge; principally as it relates to the augmentation of troops. However, it’s worth mentioning that there are a number of “other surges” also worthy of our attention. A certain tangential by product of the troop surge will undoubtedly be the surge in single parent mothers forced to leave their children behind while serving tours in hostile environments, like Sgt’s. Tanisha Hill and Sharon McBride stationed in Kuwait (p. 4). There will also be sizable surges in the number of single and double amputees, like Staff Sgt. Jake Kessler and private first class Amy Strock who lost limbs in IED explosions during a routine convoy in Iraq (p.12). The surge in war fatalities, already in excess of 3,500 and wounded— 25,000 and counting—will invariably insure a significant surge in the number of military dependents who will lose a parent or loved one in combat. The question remains; are the costs associated with the troop surge worth it? The answer, no doubt, is inextricably predicated upon one’s perspective. However, viewing the situation holistically in Iraq leaves me with one lingering and vexing question. How many young men and women must perish before there is a dramatic surge in reason?
Shawn Lindsey Publisher ctt3navy@aol.com
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