From the Other Side of the Edge…..
Sgt. Cory Remsburg,...Cruel Joke,…or the Cruelest Irony?
By Joe Facinoli

He did his job. Clearly.

With passion, determination,….and dignity.

They did not. Clearly.

They threw money and words, at a faraway conflict, then turned their backs.

They said we must chase down terrorism to the ends of the Earth,…then told those they sent, not to fight too hard, nor be too impolite, during their search for it.

And nearly 20,000 American men and women paid the price, for this insanity.

Sgt. 1st Class, and Army Ranger, Cory Remsburg served this country for over three years in Iraq and Afghanistan, doing ten 3 month tours there. During the last one, near Kandahar, he was severely injured when a 500 pound roadside bomb detonated next to his unit, as they returned from a mission in which nine “insurgents” were killed. 

This horrific explosion left him in a coma for months, with multiple brain injuries that even today, almost four and a half years later, make it difficult for him to talk, walk, and even to stand. It also blinded him, in his right eye, and paralyzed his left arm and side.

On Tuesday night, January 28, President Obama chose to honor Sgt. Remsburg, during the 2014 State of the Union address, given before a joint session of Congress, most of the Supreme Court, almost all high ranking government officials, many specially invited guests, and the rest of the nation, by way of TV, radio, and the internet.

It was indeed a touching moment, and a well-deserved one, for this “beyond the call of duty”, Special Ops Ranger, and Bronze Star recipient.

It was, in fact, the highlight of the evening, and the high point finish to an otherwise rather pedestrian deliverance, by Sgt. Remsburg’s Commander-in-Chief.

Mr. Obama made reference to Cory’s incredible courage, and perseverance, and spoke of how he personified the American spirit, which never quits, and always finds a way to adjust, and to come back stronger than ever, to fight once again.

And he said all of this with a straight face.

He never once showed on it, even a hint of guilt, nor any possible personal responsibility, for the current condition of this special man, nor that of the over 17,000 other wounded military in Afghanistan alone, nor the over 2,200 souls who never came back, from that God forsaken place.

If not for how tearfully sad these circumstances truly were, and how brazenly and unconscionably this wholly concocted scenario was used, it could have been considered a cruel joke.

But instead,…it is actually the cruelest irony that one can ever imagine.

Here they were, all these puffed up, self-important fools and hypocrites, and continuing perpetrators of one of the coldest, most heartless scams any Congress or U.S. government has been a part of, ….since perhaps Vietnam, ….from the President on down to the lowest back-bencher Congressman.

These same ones, who, with all their impeccable military backgrounds, and sharply honed skills in theater of war strategies, decided it was such a great idea to continue sending our young men and women to do battle in an area of the world where Satan, his ownself, wouldn’t go to fight.

To a place which is completely tribal, with over 2,500 fractious sects, and in which no true government has been possible, nor present, for centuries.

A place given up on by the rest of the world, as somewhere never to tread, unless you have a unquenchable death wish. Russia, Alexander the Great, and even Genghis Khan, all left there with their tails between their legs.

The people there fight with anything they have on hand, from their punishing and nearly impenetrable terrain.

Obviously skilled in the modern “art” of making I.E.D.s (Improvised Explosive Devices), they are nothing more than guerillas, fighting in any way possible, to rid themselves of the hated Americans, and any other “outsiders” who have tried to conquer them, throughout their history.

They stop at nothing, including giving up their own lives, freely, for the cause.

Into this “gunfight”, we, …or more accurately, …the so-called American leaders and thinkers described above, …sent the world’s most highly trained and proficient troops and personnel, the mighty American military, on a “fool’s errand” of a hide and go seek game with the Taliban and Al Qaeda, in their own backyards, armed only with the equivalent of a Swiss Army knife.

They sent these fine, brave, and devoted young people, into a battle with “Rules of Engagement” which never allowed them to take any offensive nor pre-emptive actions, and which would not allow them to finish off any firefights in any way sufficient to prevent another.

This was, and still is, ….a War of Political Convenience.

For the President, for Congress, and for all the falsely patriotic chest thumpers who wanted revenge for 9/11, and who either didn’t know how to get it, or didn’t care who died or was hurt in the effort.

Just as long as we were doing something, and we had heroes to pay homage to, and to bury, all in the name of “justice” for America, and so that we would not have to endure the incredible embarrassment which our incredible unpreparedness had reigned down upon us, back in 2001.

Sgt. Cory Remsburg, and 20,000 of his brothers and sisters, have borne the brunt of this foolish attempt at false bravado, and they will never, ever, recover from it.

Yet here we were, on Tuesday night, watching the most ironic sight of all.

Witnessing the men and women who caused this great catastrophe, through their misguided, self-serving, and near sinful actions, ….give thanks and adoration to those they forced to suffer from these very actions and dictates, while telling everyone else who would listen, what a mistake it was to be there in the first place, and that we were getting out of there,…pronto!

What ??? Huh ??? Am I the only one who sees this as the ultimate in craziness ???

I think not.

This would be like accidently dropping your car keys from the roof of a 20 story building, then thinking that the only way to retrieve them would be to throw your young assistant off the same roof, to go after them,….then visiting him in the hospital, and pinning a medal on his chest for bravery and gallantry in the face of unbearable odds, while telling him and his family what a stupid idea it was for him to “jump” off that roof !!

Aye, yi yi !!!! My head is spinning !!!

This is the “Catch 22” of all times!

We have to keep fighting, because we have to get revenge on the terrorists, but we have to bring our troops home, because too many are dying, and we can’t beat those guys anyway, but if we don’t fight, we’ll lose face to the world, but if we fight, our people get hurt, so we’ll just tell them to play nice, and hope too many don’t come home without arms and legs,….and eyes.

The simultaneous definition of callousness, ….and of insanity.

Not to mention that this “War”, or police action, or whatever it’s called, is costing billions and billions of dollars, in addition to the thousands of lives, and untold emotional horrors for those close to these victims of our national stupidity.

So yeah, let’s thump our chests, and do two minute standing ovations, on national television. That always takes the sting out of something stupid, that we wish we’d never done.

Unless that “sting” includes not seeing out of your right eye, or not being able to move your lifeless left arm.


Bless you Sgt. Remsburg. And all like you. I’m so very sorry.

Joe Facinoli

--Joe can be reached at: joefacinoli@gmail.com
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