1965
By Cindy Sheehan
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Thursday 13 October 2005
Going to the movies was something Casey and I enjoyed doing together.
Casey was a Theater Arts major in college, and he went with a critical eye.
Since I love sharing my children's passions with them, Casey and I would go
to the movie theater often.
We saw two movies the last time he was home at Christmas, 2003, before
he was deployed to Iraq ... We saw the last movie in the Lord of the Rings
trilogy and the live action movie Peter Pan. I still have the ticket stub
for that movie in my wallet. We got to the theater a little late, so we had
to sit up front with the moms and dads and their small children. I commented
to Casey that it looked like we were the only grown ups interested in the
movie. The small children were cute to watch as they enjoyed the movie, and
Casey and I got quite a few chuckles from them also.
On Ash Wednesday of 2004, a few days before Casey left for Iraq, his dad
and I went to see The Passion of the Christ. That was our Ash Wednesday
penance that year. Casey's dad fell asleep during the scourging scene while
I sat in my seat and quietly sobbed. I was especially touched by the actress
who played Jesus' mom, who followed her son along while he was being
violently tortured and killed by devious men with an evil agenda. Of course,
since I became a mom over 26 years ago, I have identified with Mary as she
sobbed at the foot of her son's cross and cradled his lifeless body in her
arms.
I am recounting all of this, because since Casey was killed in Iraq by
devious men with evil agendas, I find it extremely difficult to go to the
movies. Yesterday, I went to the same movie theater in Vacaville,
California, that Casey and I loved to attend. My sister and I saw the movie
Serenity. It was a good science fiction flick that was entertaining and
had many parallels with what is going on in our world today. But that is not
what affected me about yesterday's movie-going experience.
First of all, it breaks my heart to be in the theater where Casey and I
saw so many films together. While we were waiting for the movie to start,
the interminable previews started. About the 4th one in, a preview for the
movie Jarheads came on. My sister quickly said; Close your eyes. Well, I
already had them closed, but what I heard was tough enough. I heard a flight
attendant tell a plane load of Marines Good luck, now as they got off of
the plane, I am assuming in Kuwait. I wondered if a smiling flight attendant
said the same thing to Casey has he deplaned in Kuwait. I will never know. I
can't ask him and he didn't tell me in the one phone call I received from
him before he was killed 5 days after he arrived in Baghdad.
Well, that did it for me. I couldn't stop sobbing for 20 minutes after
that preview. I tried to do it quietly as to not disturb the other movie
goers. I wonder how many other theater patrons have been so affected by the
preview for Jarheads?
God forbid anyone get too disturbed over the devastation and needless
death and suffering in Iraq. God forbid that the media tell us that 32 of
our young people have been slaughtered in Iraq so far in October. God forbid
that we have to think about the hundreds of faceless and nameless Iraqis who
have been needlessly killed, too, just performing day-to-day tasks.
God forbid that anyone be held accountable for the mayhem in the Middle
East! God forbid that a broken-hearted and honest mother speak from her
heart about the lies and betrayals of George and gang that makes some war
supporters uncomfortable.
The War Department lists 1963 confirmed dead and 2 pending confirmation,
for a total of 1965. Thirty-five more of our children to go before the
grisly number of 2000 is reached. 2000 will be the wake-up call for some
Americans ... but whatever number Casey was, was a wake-up call for me: a
violent and tragic wake up call. Casey was not a number, and the 2000th will
not be a number to his or her family. Casey was a wonderful young man who
loved to go to the movies with his mom. What will number 2000 be like? What
will be his/her passion that will be snuffed out with the heartbeat? Which
mom in America will be the unfortunate one to fall on the floor screaming
for her baby next, for nothing?
No, most Americans probably did not sob when they saw the previews for
Jarhead, and most Americans probably didn't go straight to their son's
premature grave to place fresh flowers after their movie outing.
I did. God forbid that I am angry and God forbid that I want someone to
be held accountable for George's war of choice that has robbed so much from
almost 2000 families.
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