The other day, the nine year old son of a Gulf War Veteran wanted to know why we were at war, so he asked his father - a soldier.
The soldier thought for a few minutes and then told his son to go stand in front of the living room window.
He said “Son, stand there and tell me what you see.”
“I see trees and cars and our neighbor’s houses.” he replied.
“OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush.”
The boy giggled and said “OK.”
“Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country” the father said.
“OK Dad, I’m pretending.”
“Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He is beating her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father.
You see all of this son….what do you do?”
“Dad?”
“What do you do son?”
“I’d call the police, Dad.”
“OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations. They take your call. They listen to what you saw but they refuse to help.
What do you do then son?”
“Dad… the police are supposed to help!”
“They don’t want to son, and that means they won’t”.
“But Dad…he killed her!!” the boy exclaims.
“I know he did…. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you’re pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children.”
“Daddy…he kills them?”
“Yes son, he does. What do you do?”
“Well, if the police don’t want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him.” the boy says.
“Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to open the door and help you stop him”.
“But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can’t stop him by myself!!”
“WHAT DO YOU DO SON?” The boy starts to cry.
“OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?”
“What Daddy?”
“He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then…he attacks her. He turns around and sees you standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?”
“Daddy…”
“WHAT DO YOU DO?”
The boy is crying as he looks down and whispers, “I’d close the blinds, Daddy.”
Looking at his son with tears in his eyes, the father asks him, “Why?”
“Because Daddy…the police are supposed to help people who need them…and they won’t help… You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won’t help either… they won’t help me stop him…I’m afraid….I can’t do it by myself Daddy….I can’t look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and…and…..do nothing…
I’m just going to close the blinds….so I can’t see what he’s doing…and I’m going to pretend that it is not happening.”
The father looks at his nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and feels shame at his answers so he says…
“Son”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Open the blinds because that man…. he’s at your front door to attack you, your home, your family…”
“WHAT DO YOU DO?”
The boy looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: “I DEFEND MY HOME AND FAMILY, DAD!! I WON’T LET HIM HURT US!!!! I’M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I’M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!!”
A tear rolls down the father’s cheek and he grabs his son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says… “It’s too late to fight him, he’s too strong and he’s already at YOUR front door son… you should have stopped him BEFORE.
You have to do what’s right, even if you have to do it alone, before its too late.”
“THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen, son, THAT is the greatest evil.”
“NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT. EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE.”
If your blinds are closed, you, of course, will do nothing.
If you like peaking through the blinds and do nothing but call your neighbor to gossip, you’re a shameful coward.
If your blinds are open, no one needs to tell you what to do.
Written by:
Steven R Chandler, CMSgt
332 ELRS/Vehicle Management Flight
Balad Air Base, Iraq