I rarely delve into current events in my weekly rants, yet, it seems callous and disrespectful to write about anything this week other than the tragic and ignominious end to the United States of America’s little adventure in Afghanistan. As someone old enough to remember both the war in Viet Nam and to have idolized folk singer and protest leader, Pete Seeger, the refrain, “When will they ever learn?” is a non-stop song fragment running through my head with each headline I read this week. The loss of American and Afghani life, the veterans and victims who will suffer a lifetime of physical and psychological damage, the irreparable harm to what is left of American moral authority, and the trillions of dollars of debt that my children and yours will inherit are its lasting legacy. But endless debate over which president from Biden to Bush is most to blame for this debacle does nothing to address any of the harm. I don’t believe that anything was or ever will be learned about war and its futility. In addition, we seem to have forgotten that though today’s headlines focus on Afghanistan, the American legacy in Iraq is a similar story with even larger casualties on both sides.
As hard as it is to accept, the “they” who will never learn is you and me. Regardless of whether you supported or opposed the war at any point, your tax dollars helped fund and prosecute it year after year and it is the obligation of us all to try to mitigate the harm we caused in whatever way we are able. What, if anything, can you do?
When I lived in Rochester, I did some volunteer work with an organization now called “Keeping Our Promise.” The organization assists individuals who actively supported the U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and who have received special visas to immigrate to the U.S. The organization helps them resettle in places all over the country including Rochester, N.Y. Often they come because their lives are in jeopardy at home.
My contributions were exceedingly modest and barely worthy of note. I drove a man to a doctor’s appointment. I helped a family with food shopping. I took another to open a bank account and to apply for a Social Security number. Another to pick up a car seat for his 3-year-old daughter and to the fire station to learn how to use it properly. (The family didn’t have a car but they needed a car seat for when they traveled in the cars of others.)
My mom worked with a family here in Maryland volunteering with Lutheran Social Services doing similar sorts of tasks. Volunteers all over the U.S. are trying to help in a thousand tiny ways to make life in a strange city in a strange country just a little easier. To let them know that someone is glad they are here. These are not just refugees, though they would be just as deserving of assistance if they were. These are people who risked their lives to assist the U.S. Army.
Of all the devastating consequences of the “never ending war” the thought of the fates of those who will be left behind are the most heart-breaking. A handful of those considered ‘deserving’ of a visa will make it to the US and we have an obligation to see that they get the chance to have a decent life here, a place to live, clothes, food, and the opportunity to work and educate their children.
Consider volunteering with an organization that is helping to resettle refugees. Even if you can only help occasionally it makes a difference and it is rewarding work. Keeping Our Promise is based in Rochester but there are organizations doing similar work all over the US. If you are not able to volunteer right now, consider a gift, large or small. I can personally vouch that KOP is doing great work. You can donate online at: https://www.keepingourpromise.org/donate.html.
By coincidence, I am just finishing Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar, a writer born in the U.S. of parents originally from Pakistan. Though a work of fiction, it reads like a memoir and one suspects that much of the story may be true though it is impossible to discern the line between fact and fiction. The quote on the inside cover attributed to Alison Bechdel may give a clue: “I can only make up things about things that have already happened.”
Beautifully written, I feel it has given me a deeper understanding into the experience of being other in America and although the story is told from the perspective of a Muslim living in the U.S. in wake of September 11, 2001, I recognized my own ‘other’ experiences in the narrative. The book helped me understand better the last 20 years of politics in America. If anything may be called a must-read book, this is one.
What are you reading and thinking about? Drop me a line. I love hearing from you.