Memorial Day: Remembering the Actions of One Man

On this Memorial Day, I would like to share with all my fellow countrymen a story that follows perfectly the classic “bad apple spoiling the bunch” concept. The extent to which this American People chooses to exercise its sense of proper judgment and justice will ultimately determine the level of devastation this “bad apple” can potentially “spoil the bunch”.

Before I begin, I will offer my sympathy to the family and friends of Jesse Macbeth; to articulate my true feelings on this matter is something beyond what I am reasonably capable of, for reasons of my own limitations and personal prejudice. I must concede that repercussions will befall you that exceed what his infractions justify, perhaps tenfold. The words of mine that follow are not meant in any way to prosecute or persecute the named. They are dispassionate analyses of what I have observed and I have distanced my emotions from this issue as far as I am able.

That being said, it must be understood that Jesse Macbeth is an envious liar whose words and actions have proven immensely destructive.* From his deep pains of personal shame and inner disgust, he strives to undo the accomplishments of veterans because he never truly became one himself. Jesse Macbeth fraudulently joined the social action initiative, Iraqi Veterans Against the War, in January and the organization extended to him support and encouragement as he was in dire need of both. It has since been discovered that Jesse appeared in films wherein he confessed to involvement in several war crimes while deployed in the Middle East. An investigation into his past revealed the extent of his military service falls shy of completing basic training and that he never even served overseas -the right wing blogs went wild: the IVAW/Jesse Macbeth scandal is depicted purely as testimony to the futility and illegitimacy of the entire antiwar movement. IVAW had, by their account, swallowed a suicide pill the day they showed compassion for Jesse Macbeth.

I will spare all the unkind words that simmer in my heart for those who sharply criticize the efforts of IVAW’s actual veterans, especially those critics whoso ardently support the war itself, sounding more like war-savvy strategists and combat-hardened veterans themselves than like people who refuse to pick up a rifle and fight the war to their liking and instead offer their commentary from the safety of the deep rear protected by those they slander. My scrutiny of these individuals serves no greater purpose for I feel that anyone who has predetermined a course of base ignorance and narrow thinking must discover sense for themselves to grasp its true value. It is my sincere hope that they will discover the err in their assessments; failure to do so can easily become a threat to themselves and others.

I now request of all Americans the rightful judgment of the following: Consider Jesse Macbeth, a young man who suffers every day, self-confined within a world of psychopathological isolation. Consider that he has adopted the identity of veterans, men and women he deeply admires, simply because his own identity is diffuse and brings him no satisfaction. He has defiled their actions through his lies not because he intended to but because he is truly and sadly ill. Now consider the 250 veterans of IVAW who stand up and speak their beliefs and passions against what they believe to be an unjust war, doing so not for their own profit or prestige but for the protection of those who follow them in the uniformed services. Consider the humility it must take to face your past; accept that what you have fought so hard for, risked your life for even, is something that you are ensnared in ideological conflict with; and then stand against it not because it is easy or fun or cool, but because it is right. Consider these two, Jesse Macbeth and IVAW, and decide for yourself if their overlap is to such a great extent that melding them together for trial and subsequent disposition is justice.

In summation, though unforeseen but sharp hits against a group of passionately devoted individuals whom I deeply respect (and am indeed a member of myself) have been sustained, my feelings of solemn respect and mourning this Memorial Day are not derailed. In truth, I feel these blows have illuminated just how far the widely varied casualties of this Iraqi war spread from its epicenter. In memorial of all those who have sacrificed for this country, those falling with honor on foreign battle fields, those who have returned home, broken in body, mind, or spirit, and finally those who have sacrificed in more abstract, easily-forgotten ways, never having made it to the front (i.e.: victims of manipulation, government-sanctioned abuse and beratement, and an apparent cultural indifference to psychological disabilities), I take a knee and pay respect.


*It has been suggested that Jesse Macbeth infiltrated the ranks of IVAW specifically to smear them in this fashion while under the direction of influential, high-ball republicans. I have included this merely as a footnote because I do not regard this as particularly relevant and I will share why: first of all, Jesse’s parasitic presence in the anti-war movement is an inaccurate representation of the whole anti-war movement; any half-wit with basic reasoning skills does not need me to highlight that. Second of all, what negative impact could the discovery of such unethical behavior from the republicans possibly have on my opinion of them? Could I possibly think less of them than I do at present? I scarcely believe it possible. A group of men who thoughtlessly exchange the lives of young soldiers to further the economic interests of their wealthy campaign supporters stand to lose nothing of what I think of them should I discover they are being manipulative of activist organizations.