Talk Nation Radio for June 18, 2009 Camillo âMacâ Bica of Veterans for Peace on US Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq
TRT: 29:38 Produced by Dori Smith, Storrs, CT Talk Nation Radio studios Download at Pacificaâs Audioport or at Archive.org and Radio4all.net
We discuss the March 22, 2007 open letter to fellow veterans by Camillo âMacâ Bica published by Foreign Policy in Focus, www.fpif.org. We must support U.S. soldiers by bringing them home now, says our guest. We can also help Veterans of the Afghan and Iraq Wars by supporting Vets4Vets and other organizations that help to bring veterans together to share their common experiences.
At Cairo University June 4th, President Obama told reporters that there is a schizophrenic view in the MidEast about America. He said, âOn the one hand, everybody wants America to stop meddling, donât interfere, donât be imperialist. And then, on the other hand, when is America going to solve the Palestinian crisis? Why havenât they done this? Why havenât they created democracy and human rights in â throughout the Muslim world? Well, you canât have it both ways, right?â
According to Camillo âMacâ Bica, this assumption is false. He says America is viewed in more realistic terms abroad. Ha also says we should prosecute the war and seek justice for wrong doing, but we can still support the troops while doing so.
While it is painful to look at the truth about what war is, soldiers should be encouraged to face the truths they know in their hearts. Flag waving and âcelebrating the warriorâ is not going to help US soldiers, but we must âcelebrate the human beingâ who comes home.
In fact, when Camillo 'Mac' Bica greets a fellow veteran of the Vietnam War he fought in as a US Marine Corps officer he still says the words âwelcome homeâ. That greeting reflects the understanding veterans have that what went on in terrible war zones may still be as fresh to them years later as if it were yesterday.
That doesnât mean soldiers canât get over their suffering about the wars they served in though. US veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan can heal from the impact of war by talking with one another and developing strong bonds.
Camillo 'Mac' Bica is a professor of philosophy at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and a contributor to Foreign Policy in Focus as well as numerous other magazines about news and politics as well as philosophy. He is a founding member of the Long Island Chapter of Veterans for Peace.
Part one of a two part program. Each stands alone.
Special thanks to Veterans for Peace, the Long Island Chapter www.veteransforpeace.org/Chapter_websites.vp.html
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