In this ‘never again’ time
Born into a Jewish-American family in the early months of World War II, I am haunted by the history of that not-verylong-ago horror. In an unthinkable reprise of that cursed epoch, the cascading catastrophe that is the Russian invasion of Ukraine has completely captured my consciousness.
Following the Nazi period’s descent into darkness and depravity, the mantra of my parents’ generation hardened into a “never again” commitment. For me, the pledge became a near sacred obligation owed to all oppressed people, not just Jews. And indeed, aren’t Ukrainians the Jews of our time? While the West has not turned its back on refugees from the deepening horror in Ukraine, who can say what the future will bring?
In a relatively faint signal, embedded in much repetitive news and noise, writer/journalist Sebastian Junger (acclaimed author of more than a dozen works of nonfiction, including “The Perfect Storm”) has relayed some provocative pronouncements regarding the unprovoked, unconscionable Russian invasion of a neighboring sovereign country. Referencing American 20th-century labor unrest, Junger recalls the stark cautionary judgment offered in those troubled times by an anonymous police official. That policeman’s unequivocal assertion was that once you find women on the frontlines in any military combat, you have lost whatever war you may have thought you were fighting. Offering elaboration, that same American
police official is said to have further remarked that one cop is needed to control 10 men, while 10 cops are required to subdue just one woman. Russian soldiers, are you reading news reports, even including those produced by FOX? Russian soldiers, are you paying attention?
Junger offers a final chilling cautionary conclusion that may be particularly apropos in the current situation in Ukraine. He asserts that if there is a woman holding an AK-47 who looks and sounds like your grandmother, and she’s telling you to get the [expletive] out of her country, you are well advised to beat a hasty retreat. So Russian soldiers, are you awake, alert and invested in your own survival?