A Son Returns from War
By Rich Moniak
Nov. 30, 2006
Ft. Wainwright, Alaska
I stood on a folding chair, holding a sign over my head,
looking for Michael as 300 or so soldiers of the 1-17
INF, 172nd Stryker Brigade marched in a relatively rigid
formation across the large hangar. Many of them couldn’t
help but turn their heads to the crowd and look for
their wives and children, parents, and friends. Then
they stopped, turned and faced a commander who began
reciting words that disappeared before registering any
meaningful message. When he dismissed them, a different
thunder and commotion ensued as long awaited reunions
rushed to begin.
I got down off the chair and scanned the building, then
turned to find Michael right next to me. A small band
played music but for that one minute all the outer
sounds seemed compressed into a different dimension. All
I heard was the patting of our hands on each other’s
shoulders as we shared a great big hug. Then, standing
apart at arms distance, I looked into his eyes and saw a
strong and healthy young man, a soldier smiling like a
teenager who just graduated from high school.
Later in the evening we went out for dinner. The
restaurant was nearly vacant. He ordered a Corona and
grilled salmon. In the quiet fitting the cold and dark
shade of an Alaskan winter night, our voices were low
and the conversation wandered without purpose.
How do you talk to a soldier who’s been overseas in a
war that you believe shouldn’t have happened and should
have already closed the book of failure on itself? I
listened to a few stories of firefights in the night and
improvised explosive devices. He patiently listened to a
few of mine.
“I can’t fathom what you’ve been through,” I began
telling him as we got ready to leave. “But I believe
that every soldier would prefer there were no wars to
fight.”
“We all hate it,” Michael replied.
I was reminded of a quote by President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the allied forces
in Europe during World War II. “I hate war as only a
soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen
its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”
Michael isn’t a general and isn't running for president.
But his simply declared truth comes with experience that
commands respect. I imagined him as a student in
Eisenhower’s class, then in a class with our former
president that our current one will never attain.
I’m thrilled that Michael is home. They all deserve to
come home. His battles are over, but our pursuit for
peace isn’t.
 Go
to the essay on the Voices in Wartime web site
http://voicesinwartime.org/Home/Article/DisplayArticle.aspx?AuthorID=109673&TypeofContent=Article&ArticleType=3#369798
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