I met the Universal Soldier at an intersection tonight. "Homeless, Heart Hurt, God Bless."

[AlienGirl]

UncleSepp and I were on the way over to Sepp's place so I could do laundry and we could drink some beers and shoot the breeze. On the way up Capitol Hill, there is a three-way intersection where men hold up signs for money. Tonight, as we got to the intersection and started getting ready to give the man there a few bucks, Sepp noticed that the man seemed to be slumped in his wheelchair with his eyes closed. So we pulled into a convenient parking lot, and I ran over to make sure the man was okay.

I woke him up, but it took some shaking. I asked him if he was okay, and learned that he was diabetic. So Sepp and I took him out for a sandwich and to listen to what he had to say.

This man had been in Vietnam and Desert Shield. He tearfully confessed to having had to shoot child soldiers, and seeing the faces of his own children as he did. He had watched buddies die, one after another, and carried the pain of not having brought his best friend home alive to his family. In one particularly awful incident, he'd been at a checkpoint when a car with a man, a woman, and two kids in it exploded--a suicide car bomb--and he could not get the image of the kids in the back seat out of his dreams. "They were looking at me, and I just *knew*, and I started running," he said. "It threw me into the air, and next thing I was holding the man, the kids had been vaporized, and I was holding the father and choking him, trying to twist his head off for what he did to his own kids."

I asked why he was on the street. He and his wife had been living in an apartment with a roommate, paying rent with the meager disability payments every month, but there was a grease fire in the kitchen. "Our roommate, he was undocumented, and he just took off. Never did see him again," the Universal Soldier replied, "So it was on Emily and I to pay, and we couldn't. Emily's in the woman's shelter tonight, I'm trying to make enough here to get us a room together. I'd kill and die and come back and die again for her, a thousand times, swear I would." (I thought of Everythingsxen and his devotion to me, and silently blessed such love.)

I asked about the rest of his family. The kids and grandkids--how were they faring, and could they help him? He said he didn't want to be a problem for them. "My kids had such a hard time already," he said, "They're still, the grandkids are having trouble. Emily's Jewish, and it's not easy for them in school anymore. You wouldn't know how hard it is for Jewish kids in school these days." (I pulled out my Star of David necklace and told him I did know.) Eventually I realized he was just embarrassed to ask his kids for help...

After a couple hours of talking and listening, we parted ways. Sepp had sodas in the trunk, and we left a couple each for the Universal Soldier and his friend, another homeless veteran.

"You know," Sepp remarked, "If it wasn't for the stupidity over immigration, the roommate wouldn't have felt so scared, and might have stuck around and they could have had another apartment."

"So this guy gives his heart, literally, and his peace of mind for one Bush," I said, "and the immigration nastiness under another Bush costs him his home."

Meanwhile, SUVs drove by, burning the hearts and the arms and legs and minds of thousands more just like our friend. The only people who stopped to help the two homeless veterans, now each behind his sign, was a small older car with a dredlocked Rasta-looking guy in it.

(And that's why I'm behind on laundry tonight.)

Tucker

[The Straight Story]

1. A K&R for ya coming up (nt)

[area51]

2. k&r (n/t)

[Benhurst]

3. Recommended

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. bless you

:loveya:

[AlienGirl]

5. He was a Marine. I can't tell you how sad I am that this country has thrown him out.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

7. you don't need too

I feel the same. :(


:hug:

[RevolutionStartsNow]

6. Now multiply that story by tens of thousands

That's what we're going to have after the soldiers finally come home.

Heartbreaking. I bet some of those SUVs driving by had "Support the Troops" ribbons on the back...

I wish someone would write an expose on how soldiers are treated after they are used for some politician's greed, and returned to the US injured, traumatized, beaten down and released into a society that has no idea how to care for them.

[Fovea]

8. And the thousands of broken lives

yet to come from this war.
It just makes me weep.

[ewagner]

9. Didn't we have a bargain?

Didn't we promise in this fine land that if you went and fought your country's wars...did the unspeakable things that wars require...then, in the end your country would treat you with honor and tend to your needs. Your country would help heal your wounds, seen and unseen, and allow you to lead the rest of your life in quiet dignity.

Where's the bargain?

[AlienGirl]

26. We were supposed to...how do you sue a government for breach of social contract?

[TomInTib]

10. The Universal Soldier....

Universal Soldier

He is five foot two,
And he's six feet four,
He fights with missiles and with spears,
He is all of thirty-one,
And he's only a seventeen,
's been a soldier for thousands years.

He's a Catholic, a Hindy,
An atheist, A Jain,
A Buddhist, a Baptist and a Jew,
And he knows, he shouldn't kill,
And he knows, he always will,
Care for me, my friend, and I will care for you.

And he's fighting for Canada,
He's fighting for France,
He's fighting for the USA
And he's fighting for the Russains,
He's fihgting for Japan,
And he thinks we put an end to war this way.

And he's fighting for democrazy,
He's fighting for the Reds,
He says it's for the peace of all,
He's the one who must decide,
Who's to live and who's to die,
And he never sees the writing on the wall.

And without him, how would Hitler
Kill the people at Dachau,
Without him Cesar would have stood alone,
He's the one, who gives his body
As a weapon of the war,
And without him always killing cant gho on.

He's the universal soldier,
And he really is to blame,
His orders came from far away, no more,
They came from here and there,
And you and me ain't brothers,
Can't you see,

[AlienGirl]

11. The reason I thought of that song was how many different cultural identities he lived

He's black, was born in Scotland, mostly raised in America, and had a Jewish family. Not only that, he was conversant with northern-European tribal traditions to recognize a specific and unusual piece of jewelry. He served in two wars and was forced to do things that still haunt him. And he said, "I shall fight no more forever" at one point, and the song Universal Soldier just seemed to fit him so well...

Tucker

[UncleSepp]

16. I'm the one who thought of "Universal Soldier"

But it wasn't from the song Universal Soldier, it was from the Motorhead song "Death or Glory" - the number of conflicts this man had seen, the way he drew connections between one place and time and another in both peace and war, and the moment when he said he would die a thousand times to protect his wife and family and then get up to do it again - that's what made me think of this:


I saw the millions, the naked and the dead
I saw the city streets running bloody red
I saw a thousand bombers circle in the sky
I saw the firestorm fifty stories high

I saw a hundred thousand scream and burn
I saw the armored wheels grind and turn
Universal soldier, doomed to live in hell
Fight and die forever, burn in bloody hell

Death or Glory, Death or Glory
March forever in the sound and fury
Death or Glory, Death or Glory
Blood and iron it's the same old story

I held the Iron Cross, first class with the swords
I marched with Hitler down the bloody road to war
I was at Jutland loading 'till the gun was hot,
Killed at Trafalgar without firing a shot

I was at Moscow, burning in my tank
I was at Shiloh, marching in the ranks
I was a Sturmbannfuhrer fighting in Berlin
I was a Russian hero dying for Stalin

Death or Glory, Death or Glory
March forever in the sound and fury
Death or Glory, Death or Glory
Blood and iron it's the same old story

I swung a saber and I was a young Hussar
I was a Cossack, fighting for the Czar
I was a Viking, Berserker from the North
A Roman Gladiator murdered just for sport

I was with Bonaparte I died at Waterloo
I was a Frankish Knight, a Polish Jew
I was a Spartan in the Trojan Wars
I was a warrior for Crazy Horse

Death or Glory, Death or Glory
March forever in the sound and fury
Death or Glory, Death or Glory
The Lone Survivor but no comfort for me
Death or Glory, Death or Glory
Executioner, Judge and Jury
Death or Glory, Death or Glory
Blood and Iron it´s the same old story

Aufstehen!!!


BTW, I don't care for the song that's actually called 'Universal Soldier', the one the lyrics of which you have posted. I do not like the sentiments: frankly, I think it's a snotty song of privilege. I notice the lack of a verse in there saying 'and he's at Valley Forge', or 'and he's liberating Dachau', and the end conclusion of blaming the soldiers turns me off to it completely. AlienGirl's standing behind me here saying that she always heard the line at the end as "...and he really ain't to blame' in the version recorded by Phil Ochs, and that changes the song considerably. As she puts it, the (misheard?) lyric changes the point of the song to be that "the responsibility rests with the citizens to keep the government from sending the poor kid to war."

[everythingsxen]

12. How very sad

I am glad you guys could help him a little.

[AlienGirl]

18. Thank you. He reminded me of you, in the way he spoke of his wife.

:loveya:

[everythingsxen]

20. :loveya:

:loveya:

[karlrschneider]

13. Just out of curiosity, where did this story come from?

And who is Tucker? Thanks.

[AlienGirl]

14. "Tucker" is my online pseudonym (after the car)

This story came from tonight, as we were on our way to Sepp's. To be specific, it came from the I-5 off-ramp.

Tucker (named after a car with three headlights)

[karlrschneider]

15. Ah, I see, it's a First Person true vignette. I wondered about the Capitol Hill reference,

couldn't figure out how that related to Seattle.

[UncleSepp]

17. Capitol Hill is one of the hills surrounding the lower part of Seattle

The hills around Seattle have names. Queen Anne Hill, First Hill (also called Pill Hill because there's something like four hospitals on it), and Capitol Hill are some of them. Capitol Hill was supposedly called that in a bid to make it the seat of government, but that never got off the ground.

[karlrschneider]

19. Okay, I've spent a fair bit of time in Seattle but never knew of it.

My friends mostly are north around Mountlake Terrace and up to Bothel which are where I usually go when I'm in Washington.

[AlienGirl]

27. Mountlake Terrace is pretty close to Capitol Hill; I'm surprised you never heard of it!

You know where Broadway is? The street with all the very cool little shops and bars and places to get food? Where the Pride Parade traditionally ran? That's Capitol Hill!

Tucker

[uppityperson]

28. kick for the vets and yeah for Capitol Hill

[ClayZ]

21. Thanks for telling us! K and R

We are in Seattle often. We work at the Pike Place Market. The Dumpsters there feed half of the trancient and homeless people. Many of the Resturants leave out goodies (big boxes of yesterdays dinner rolls, etc) At closing time the not sold sandwiches are left by the front door. We have worked there for 25 years. Lots of fresh veggies. I have seen fish mongers give smoked salmon to hungry people many times.

I remember helping a Vietnam vet one day who had fallen in the street. He had only one leg and was on crutches. He was in a dirty worn out uniform and still wore his id tags. We got him upright and sort of helped him on his way. He would visit our booth once in a while in various states of sanity after that. He once asked me, if I thought that, had he left that note for the waitress written colored pencils rather than ink, would she would have married him.

I have not seen him for several years. I will never forget that question.

We make and sell flutes and ocarinas. Today a young man and his mom, dad, and girfriend were at our booth. He will be taking ocarinas with him to Iraq on Sunday. I always send extras for them to give to any kids they may meet. Argh.

I guess that is why my laundry is not done, either!

Peace!

[ninkasi]

22. Thank you

for the story, and your part in it. We need millions more like you.

[W in Arabia]

23. I've lurked for a long time but your post made me join

Just to say thank you.

[salin]

25. welcome to the post-lurking side of DU

:hi:

[unhappycamper]

24. Thank you for taking care of my Brother.

Your kindness represents the best of humanity.

I make it a point to say "Welcome home, Brother (or Sister)" every time I meet a vet.

A few weeks ago I was picking up a friend at Logan airport in Boston around midnight. There was a crowd waiting for a young lad returning from Iraq. On our way to the car after picking up our luggage, we were walking by that lad surrounded by friends and family. I put down our luggage and walked up to him & gave him that greeting. At first he looked surprised; then he got it. His Dad got it immediately. Perhaps someday that lad may remember he was welcomed home by a complete stranger.

It's easy to do nothing. Many times it appears We The People are stuck on easy. Take the time to welcome them home. It costs you nothing and can mean a lot to the vet.

Peace,
uhc

Class of Tet, 68
Class of Cambodia, 70

k&r

[frogcycle]

30. a couple of years ago i was in the airport in Dallas

damn - that hit me when i typed that - how long ago this story was, and the damned thing is still going - anyway, there were a lot of troops obviously about to board plane(s) - don't know if they were coming or going - I went into one of the shops for something, ended up in line behind a woman in uniform - she had a couple of items to buy - picked up and looked at a stuffed animal or doll - turned it this way and that, checked the price, hesitated some, started to keep it, then put it back on the shelf and just bought whatever it was she had - I was just frozen to the spot. I wanted to buy the thing and give it to her and I just froze up. The "what if she is offended" kind of thing. The moment was brief, she was gone, and the opportunity passed. I actually started to grab it when i was buying my stuff, but she was disappearing quickly and I figured I'd not catch her. I think about that moment a lot. It was just seconds; I hesitated, and that was that. She wanted to buy the thing, probably for her child, or maybe a niece - whatever. It was something she wanted to do for someone she cared about, but didn't think she could afford it - it was something like $15-20. I probably had enough cash to buy five of the things. Had plastic to buy one for everyone in her unit, if they had had a use for it. And I froze, and will forever regret it. I hope she got back ok, and her daughter has lots of dolls.

So to all who read this, let my chagrin serve to be that whisper in your ear when you get such a chance - DO IT! GO AHEAD! DO IT!

[nam78_two]

29. K&R.nt

[Jonathan50]

31. Support the troops