Memos on the First 30 Casualties
#1 – Recover the body at all costs. Fold flags, write letters, honor the family. Put him in a good oak box. Six o’clock special. Be sure to spin it. “He shall not die in vain.” Experts project victory.
#2 – Not nearly as much fuss, despite the fact that he died in the same firefight as #1. Same box, same flag, lay his corpse on the coattails of original spin. “Your son is not forgotten.”
#3, 4, 5 – Journalists decapitated by insurgents. Don’t scream about it. Emphasize the savagery of the opposition. This might scare off the press. Saves us the trouble
#6 – Hum-Vee peppered with machinegun fire. Inadequate armor means perforated soldiers. He hung on for 32 hours, then gave out. Shot less than three blocks from base.
#7 – Dog-headed moguls are surveying future markets. Can we secure the road to the airport? Make it a reality, soldier. Crossfire is a bitch. Are they giving my corpse a job?
#8 – Raghead, camel jockey, sand nigger, dune coon. Our man goes home without a face.
#9 – Arab-American soldier killed in action. Spin this one like a washing machine reaching lightspeed. Play taps while shooting the sunset for CBS. Praise assimilation.
#10, 11, 12, 13, 14 – A simple snatch and grab turns into a total snafu. Somebody. Somewhere. Fucked. Up. Don’t check the brass, there’s a turban you can blame.
#15 – Praise the nobility of sacrifice. Count how much you saved on the G.I. Bill.
#16, 17 – Private tries to save best friend. Friend bleeds out, Private takes one to the chest. Objective met. Lieutenant promoted.
#18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 – Don’t broadcast names, faces. Don’t bring the war home. Blame anti-war protestors. Drag out the stars and stripes. Hang them next to James Byrd and Matthew Shepard. “Why do you hate freedom?”
#26, 27 – “God is with us. We shall not fail.”
#28, 29 – “Bring ‘em on.”
#30 – Nineteen, two brothers, one sister, divorced parents, dreamed of becoming an architect. Shot in the face. Closed casket funeral.
12/14/05
#1 – Recover the body at all costs. Fold flags, write letters, honor the family. Put him in a good oak box. Six o’clock special. Be sure to spin it. “He shall not die in vain.” Experts project victory.
#2 – Not nearly as much fuss, despite the fact that he died in the same firefight as #1. Same box, same flag, lay his corpse on the coattails of original spin. “Your son is not forgotten.”
#3, 4, 5 – Journalists decapitated by insurgents. Don’t scream about it. Emphasize the savagery of the opposition. This might scare off the press. Saves us the trouble
#6 – Hum-Vee peppered with machinegun fire. Inadequate armor means perforated soldiers. He hung on for 32 hours, then gave out. Shot less than three blocks from base.
#7 – Dog-headed moguls are surveying future markets. Can we secure the road to the airport? Make it a reality, soldier. Crossfire is a bitch. Are they giving my corpse a job?
#8 – Raghead, camel jockey, sand nigger, dune coon. Our man goes home without a face.
#9 – Arab-American soldier killed in action. Spin this one like a washing machine reaching lightspeed. Play taps while shooting the sunset for CBS. Praise assimilation.
#10, 11, 12, 13, 14 – A simple snatch and grab turns into a total snafu. Somebody. Somewhere. Fucked. Up. Don’t check the brass, there’s a turban you can blame.
#15 – Praise the nobility of sacrifice. Count how much you saved on the G.I. Bill.
#16, 17 – Private tries to save best friend. Friend bleeds out, Private takes one to the chest. Objective met. Lieutenant promoted.
#18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 – Don’t broadcast names, faces. Don’t bring the war home. Blame anti-war protestors. Drag out the stars and stripes. Hang them next to James Byrd and Matthew Shepard. “Why do you hate freedom?”
#26, 27 – “God is with us. We shall not fail.”
#28, 29 – “Bring ‘em on.”
#30 – Nineteen, two brothers, one sister, divorced parents, dreamed of becoming an architect. Shot in the face. Closed casket funeral.
12/14/05
