I still carry the trauma of war – let’s spare others
Iwrite to you as a child of war, as someone with firsthand experience of waking up in the dead of night to the sound of the Red Alarm, warning us that Iraqi bomber planes were on their way and we should seek shelter immediately. I write as someone who lived in fear of bombs, who shook with terror with the loud bang of each explosion, who prayed and prayed silently in a little basement that it wouldn’t be their house that turned to rubble – that it wouldn’t be their bodies that were pulled from the wreckage – that it wouldn’t be in their funerals that grief-stricken family and friends wailed uncontrollably. That is what war is – ugly, brutal, unforgiving. War is about men never returning home, children losing limbs, women getting raped. It’s about hospitals and bridges getting bombed and civilians living in constant terror.
The ‘‘brand new beautiful equipment’’ President Trump bragged about in his tweet shortly after threatening to target 52 sites ‘‘important to Iran and the Iranian culture’’ refers to instruments of misery and suffering.
In fact, the entire US military industry is one of death and destruction, the same industry that fuelled the devastating eight-year war between Iran-Iraq by supplying arms to both sides. More than one million lives were lost in that war. This is more deaths than suffered in World War I by the UK and New Zealand combined.
The painful memories remain fresh in the minds of those who lived through it. Every now and then, an incident reminds me that I am still carrying the trauma of that war.
For instance, I recall how terrified I felt when I first heard the sound of the firefighters’ siren in Lyttelton. I had no idea what it was for but it sounded very similar to the Red Alarm at wartime in Iran. I was walking up the Bridle Path from Lyttelton back to the base of the gondola when it went off. I was by myself and frozen with fear. My first reaction was I needed to take shelter. I kept checking my phone for news of a disaster or imminent danger. Maybe a tsunami was coming, I thought, or perhaps a dangerous chemical had leaked at the port.
Thankfully, the siren didn’t continue for long and later my husband explained how in small New Zealand towns sirens are used to alert volunteer firefighters to a new fire and the need to report to their base.
Another example is my reaction to fireworks. I used to love them before the war but I don’t really enjoy them now. The loud explosions, as colourful and beautiful as they are, remind me of bomb blasts.
My experiences are, of course, nothing compared to the ongoing suffering of people in places like Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan.
As the US beats the drums of war with Iran, the fear many have is that Iran will turn into yet another intractable conflict zone with refugees pouring out and extremists pouring in.
Iran’s mistaken downing of the Ukrainian airliner on January 8 was a sign of its incompetency but also the unintended consequences of rising tensions following the US assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
On Flight 572, 179 innocent lives were lost – 63 of them Canadian citizens. As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: ‘‘If there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families.’’
President Trump claims he doesn’t want war with Iran but his brutal sanctions against it are as lethal as bullets.
At times of war, my heart always goes out to the innocent children forced to live through terrible experiences far beyond the nightmares of most adults.
In 1995, a survey in Angola found that ‘‘66 per cent of children had seen people being murdered, 91 per cent had seen dead bodies, and 67 per cent had seen people being tortured, beaten or hurt’’.
And it is not just the direct violence that causes death and suffering; malnutrition and infection become deadly killers too.
This Saturday, January 25, CODEPINK has called for protests in cities around the globe against war with Iran.
Peace Action Wellington and Auckland Peace Action have responded to the call and will be holding protests (search for details on Facebook).
If you believe in peace and the demilitarisation of the Middle East, then the time to act is now. Organise or join a protest near you if you can. Also, write to your MP and ask for the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq immediately because they are not safe there, and because foreign military presence is one of the key sources of conflict around the globe.
At times of war, my heart always go out to the innocent children forced to live through terrible experiences far beyond the nightmares of most adults.