Thousands gathered in Berlin celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the "Berlin Wall." Former Soviet leader Mikhal Gorbachev and current German Chancellor Angela Merkel fell over themselves patting each other on the back for saving Germany from communism. The crowds cheered "Gorby! Gorby!" Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton put in their two cents. President Barak Obama sang praises via video. The story was told over and over in the last couple days. The elite evening news pundits congratulated themselves ad nauseam for being there in 1989.
For a now old dude (then enlisted Army Engineer) that spent time in old West Germany in the heart of the Viet Nam and Cold War era, something hit me between the eyes again and again while reading about and watching the story being retold. The Berlin Wall (the albatross that divided Berlin between freedom and communism for 30 years) was the focus - fine enough. But no or little, however, mention of the militarized fence - "Iron Curtain," - that divided Germany and all of Europe for 45 years. Try to cross it to our side, and you would be shot, electrocuted, killed by guard dogs, or step on a land mine...worse yet, you might be caught. All the aforementioned pleasantries compliments of the guys on the other side of the wall. You see folks, that wall came down too.
Now, for that odious final but...but finally good readers, not a hint in these stories, not a nod, for millions of American, thousands of British, and countless West German military personnel that gave up some years of their lives, from 1945 until 1990 being stationed in then West Germany. In most of those days if you were American, once you were there you usually stayed your whole enlistment obligation. This new mobile culture being what it is, even in this economy, military personnel get home now and then these days.
I think it is poetic at best, ironic at least, and tragic at worst, that this American military chapter of the "saved Germany" drama is being conveniently ignored. Fate puts this event during our own Veterans' Week year after year. In this economy, America is on the precipice of allowing the collapse of its own middle class - a "new norm." The middle class of people by the way, communist Europe never allowed to exist, a class in our culture that propped up the Cold War military for decades. It is a disturbing and nuanced juxtaposing of an old Soviet-esque "Second World" (void of a middle class and replete with mono-media) construct into this "new" American culture we are being conditioned to live in. It should not surprise me then I suppose, to see this obfuscated version by omission, of history.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
This week's Wisconsin military service person to remember is Army Staff Sergeant Todd Cornell, age 38, who died Tuesday, November 9, 2004. CNN.com lists Cornell was assigned to Detachment 9, 1st Battalion, 339th Infantry Regiment, Army Reserve, based in Fraser, Michigan. Cornell died while he was serving in an advisory role with an Iraqi unit which came under attack in Fallujah, Iraq. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that at the time of his death, Todd was survived by his mom and dad Renee and Robert Cornell, a daughter, Catlin, 10, and a son, Jake, 8, and a brother and a sister. Staff Sergeant Cornell had been in the military 16 years. He arrived in Iraq in February of 2004. The Journal Sentinel went on to mention Todd Cornell joined the military after graduating from high school in Menomonee Falls. He lived in West Bend when home from duty. Sergeant Cornell was the 26th military service person from Wisconsin killed in Iraq.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
94,008 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,308 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,365 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
911 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
317 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
594 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
31,557 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,434 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
101 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
16 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
139 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
17 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; and, icasualties.org.
