LETTER TO WW
Big firms get
rich, GIs die
I'm not really positive, but when I read the story of the
air base being constructed in Kosovo, I mentally flagged the
name of Brown and Root. If my memory serves correctly, that was
the construction company which my brother spoke about when he
returned from serving in Vietnam.
The rumor had it that the construction company, which was
thriving by building structures in Da Nang so they could be
blown up by VC, had a celebrity principal in the corporation,
namely Lady Bird Johnson, the "first lady" at the time.
My brother, being one to freely engage in spreading rumors
and dissension, particularly when he perceived an injustice,
which he did often while serving in the Marine Corps in
Vietnam, got in disfavor of his superiors and was sent to a
"brown zone" for detail for no apparent strategical reason
other than getting rid of dissenters. A brown zone was a remote
area where a unit would almost certainly be hit by
"Charlie."
His unit was in fact hit. He was the platoon sergeant. He
woke up in the hospital to find that he and one other of his
men were the only survivors of the attack. I'll reserve the
right to tell the rest of my brother's story at some future
period.
My brother died last month after twenty-five years of
struggling with PTSD, addiction exacerbated by the terrors of
war, serious physical problems from wounds, and just plain
horrible haunting memories. He was forty-nine years old.
The United States may never fight another "war" like Vietnam
because of the unpopularity of having loved ones treated the
way my brother was treated. I'm certain, however, that until
the system is changed drastically, the United States will
continue to fight wars ("good" ones, of course) to help line
the pockets of the stockholders of such companies as Brown and
Root.
Thank you for your efforts to stem the tide of oligarchical
greed. My heart is with you, my friends, in Seattle, Kosovo,
prisons, and anywhere else the fight for justice is being
fought.
Brigid Lenfest
via E-mail
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME :: U.S. NEWS :: WORLD NEWS :: EDITORIALS :: SUBSCRIBE :: DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page