Thanksgiving in Iraq
A somber Thanksgiving for U.S. troops
Twenty-two-year old Sgt. George Servino, Jr. of the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion 23rd infantry, didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving last year.
A dinner was prepared for the troops, Servino said, but he didn’t feel like celebrating.
“Thanksgiving was just another day. I didn’t go to the feast. … I wasn’t in the mood,”
As the holiday season begins, and friends and family come together to celebrate, troops overseas say being away from loved ones becomes even harder.
Servino’s family “is all about Thanksgiving,” he said, with over 50 members of extended family and friends filling the Servino household every year to celebrate the holiday.
“The thing that got to me (was) when I talked to my mom a couple of days after Thanksgiving; they told me that they spent Thanksgiving at my uncle’s house because they didn’t even want to have it at my house without me there,” Servino said.
When Christmas arrived in Iraq, Servino said he still did not feel like celebrating. But unlike Thanksgiving, his mother tried to celebrate the day like they always did.
Still, Servino says it was difficult for his family to cope with his absence during the important time for the them.
“They celebrated Christmas because of what I told her before,” Servino said, but added it was difficult for his mom to take family pictures without him. His mom would also often wear pieces of his clothing just to be able to smell him, he said.
“She told me that a piece of (her) was missing,” Servino said.
This story is from last year. One year and thousands of deaths and maimings later…how many more families suffer this holiday season? This Thanksgiving, as Americans enjoy the comfort of their homes and families, it might be nice to think about the troops still stuck in Iraq because of our National Apathy. It is time for Americans to finally face the truth about the war in Iraq. I know that denial is a powerful thing. I know it doesn’t feel good when you find your trust has been abused, that you have been misled by an insane madman. But the truth will set us free.
To whomever feels that the troops want to stay and ‘finish the job’- It is time to explore the basic tenet of Christianity “Do unto others…”
How would you feel if you found out all your sacrifice for the last several years was for profit and corporate greed? How would you feel if you found out you lost your leg, your best friend, your spirit…all for money? How would you feel if you were forced to kill another human being, and you found out it was for Halliburton? You see, the facts aren’t going to change, whether we face it now or later. It is never going to get easier on these brave men and women to find out the war is based on lies, that their trust has been abused.
These brave soldiers signed up to protect our country, they put their lives on the line for US- how many more years will we let them rot in Iraq because people in denial can’t handle the truth? We owe the troops the truth, and to bring them home to safety. It is the least we can do!
