By Andrea Germanos | Common Dreams
The U.S. Army may have gotten more than it bargained for when it recently asked on Twitter, “How has serving impacted you?”
The question, posed just before the nation officially marks Memorial Day, brought attention to “the real, painful, and horrifying human costs of war,” said advocacy group Win Without War.
Trigger warning: This thread is a very painful read. But it is the stark truth. This Memorial Day, let us remember the real, painful, and horrifying human costs of war. #EndEndlessWar https://t.co/TJ3NfMLrSD
— Win Without War (@WinWithoutWar) May 24, 2019
Observers described the responses, which came from veterans, their loved ones, and people from countries where the U.S. has waged war, as “brutal” and “heartbreaking.”
A sampling of the responses follows:
Your army destroyed my country. #Iraq https://t.co/3Jl02iLWZ8
— Ruba Ali Al-Hassani (@RubaAlHassani) May 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/mvieke/status/1132535538525921280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1132535538525921280%7Ctwgr%5E393039363b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2F2019%2F05%2F26%2Fus-army-tweet-inadvertently-triggers-responses-revealing-real-painful-and-horrifying
The agent orange my grandfather was exposed to in Vietnam caused his cancer & death, and possibly caused the various diseases and disorders my mom, aunt, and me and my siblings have. The army and government knew the dangers of agent orange when they started using it.
— Llewys (@FLlewys) May 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/SeanP_75/status/1132574723097939968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1132574723097939968%7Ctwgr%5E393039363b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2F2019%2F05%2F26%2Fus-army-tweet-inadvertently-triggers-responses-revealing-real-painful-and-horrifying
After 15 years in I was kicked out after showing obviously signs of PTSD and depression. Now I can't function in society because of my major depressive disorder.
So now what?— Cory Schabacker (@CorySchabacker) May 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/SingAtTheTable/status/1132495786229534720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1132495786229534720%7Ctwgr%5E393039363b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2F2019%2F05%2F26%2Fus-army-tweet-inadvertently-triggers-responses-revealing-real-painful-and-horrifying
https://twitter.com/usmagrad87/status/1132637946866294784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1132637946866294784%7Ctwgr%5E393039363b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2F2019%2F05%2F26%2Fus-army-tweet-inadvertently-triggers-responses-revealing-real-painful-and-horrifying
Veterans for Peace also drew attention to war's devastation
“Our message for Memorial Day is to remember all who have died in the war and to understand that no one wins,” said Michael McPhearson, the organization's executive director.
“There are people who profit from war, mainly those who invest in the defense industry or possibly the oil sector. But the veterans and civilians who survive war suffer for the rest of their lives,” said McPhearson. “And the entire society is robbed of billions of tax dollars which could be spent on jobs, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and sustainable energy.”
