The narrative of war

Do you ever watch “War Stories” with Lt. Col. Oliver North, on Fox News? It’s outstanding. Usually, it gives a compelling account of the history we may know but not understand. Or a first-time exposure to firsthand, eyewitness accounts of key battles in history with film and interviews never or seldom seen. And sometimes, Col. North features the stories of the troops in Iraq that we’re not hearing anywhere else, unless we know some service men and women personally.

Which reminds me of something I’ve thought about fairly often since seeing “Saving Private Ryan.” We have a great many heroes among us, but we don’t notice them. In the average, everyday activities of American life, we’re out there among a lot of men and women dressed like anyone else, carrying out their daily chores and pasttimes like regular folks, though they once served in combat and saw things we can’t imagine. After seeing that film, I can’t imagine how they can ever go back to a normal family life at home again.

But they do, and they don’t talk about it. Except for those who help Col. North do narratives of what these battles were like. Or those Tom Brokaw has talked to for his book on the Greatest Generation.  

I was standing in a customer service line recently at an electronics store. The elderly gentleman in front of me had on a dark blue ball cap with an insignia on it and the name of a military squadron. I asked him if that reflected his service, and he broke into a big smile. He was very proud, and said he had flown 22 missions over Germany in WWII.

We talked a bit about serving in the military, and how the people who step up to do that in any era have similar character and feel the duty to serve a similar mission. But how different the media have made things today for our perception of military engagement. He said the American people only know what they’re being told in the media, and that’s practically all bad. It affects the troops, but they stay devoted to that duty no matter what, he said.

I thanked him for his service, and he was very grateful for the ‘thank you.’

The troops in Iraq have told Col. North how grateful they were for his coverage of their efforts there, for showing what other media were not. He’s about to begin a new series on Feb. 11 called “War Stories Iraq: The Homefront to the Frontlines.” It’s a narrative politicians should hear, especially the ones who insist they support the troops but not the plan to help them finish the mission. This war is getting more and more political. And it’s covered by 24/7 news, without really being covered.