I received a farewell email today from an Iraq war veteran, forty years my junior. I've only known him a little over a year. A year ago we were at a public event trying to explain to passers-by the horrible realities of our current wars/occupations. Someone asked me if we were brothers and he immediately responded that we were brothers-in arms. He is indeed more of a brother to me than those with whom I share parents.

He left college to “serve and protect” our country after 9/11 and eventually found himself a part of the assault on Fallujah. Upon his return home, he and his wife struggled to adjust to the realities he had experienced and reached out to other returning vets--even taking them into their own home. He was unable to return to college because his combat tour was a few days short of earning forgiveness of his student loans. As with many returning vets, he struggles with PTSD and discriminatory hiring practices. He and his wife have received death threats as a result of their activism. Last March he again answered the call to “serve and protect” and became one of the new generation of Winter Soldiers, a group of Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who publicly testified about the realities of the wars. He and his wife have selflessly given of themselves in the struggle to rebuild our community and our country. They are two of the many young people I have been privileged to meet in the past two years whose convictions and actions have been an inspiration to me.

I have known that he and many he served with were planning to leave this country if they did not see some movement in a positive direction by 2010. His email advised he had lost his job and sees no real hope here.

“...All is ruined and impure here, all of the good battles perhaps have been lost our water is dirty so is our air land is being chewed up and spit out by developers, and we are a bunch of warring idiots on a whole national scale devastating civilian populations all over the globe. I require freedom from this oppression. Capitalism is failing the whole while closing in around me. I will free myself and those willing to come with me can share this newfound freedom.

We should go, we have nothing to lose but our chains”

I will do what I can to keep him close. But in my heart I know he is right. I am too old and afraid to break my shackles and start over again with nothing. I will stay and do what I can to keep the machine from following and devouring our young. I am honored to know and learn from him and to be included in the invitation. To paraphrase an old song: “America, where are you now? Don't you care about our sons and daughters? Don't you know they need us now? They can't fight alone against the monster.”

I wish you well my brother. Stay safe and know that you and your wife are loved and treasured.

-- Terry Buckenmeyer