Vietnam and Iraq — it's all one big mess!

[Self-portrait of the author, circa 1970]

Hay también una traducción en español después de este artículo.

In 1970, more than thirty years ago, I wondered if it was my turn to die in Viet Nam. I wasn’t too different from many of those I knew in high school who came back in a box.

My father told me that I should go, but I felt very different. At age 18, I had to figure out a way to avoid being a pawn in this war. After a little research and a lot of hard work, I received a stay of execution — a college draft deferment.

I was one of the very few from my barrio and the first and only member of my family to get a college degree. In the 60s and 70s, thousands of young Americans found themselves fodder in a war that the U.S. would eventually abandon. I didn't want any part of that.

My neighbors were fighting and dieing while Airman George Bush was protecting Texas from an invasion from Mexico. In the USA, it literally pays to have connections — connections that can mean the difference between life and death.

Sadly, history tends to repeat itself. For example, men and women died in Viet Nam because an arrogant President from Texas couldn't admit he was wrong. Yes, both President Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush suffer from the same affliction — arrogance. Why must average Americans die for the arrogance of others?

Thousands today are dieing is a mess called Iraq. There were no Al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq until President Bush started dropping bombs. Now our youth, some patriotic, others just trying to get money for college, are fighting in the Middle East. I feel for the families and communities that have lost thousands of their loved ones.

In some ways, history does not repeat itself. There are no large protests against this war. The average American teen isn’t going to be drafted, so they are ambivalent. If they could be drafted, I am quite sure that they and their parents would be working hard to stop this insanity. There would be a war against terror, the terror of having to fight in an unpopular war.

I ask you to remember just one thing. The Iraq war was started by a lie. Bush and his associates were babbling to anyone who would listen that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. We know now that Iraq had no such things.

What is going to happen in Iraq? Is Iraq going to become a western style democracy or are they going to fall further into a civil war? Nobody knows. The question we have to ask ourselves is how long are we going to allow our sons and daughters lives to be destroyed just to fulfill Bush’s dream of democracy in Iraq? America, do you think we are winning the war or making things worse? Where is Usama Bin Laden anyway? Isn't he the guy we're after?

I am sick and tired of Bush and his spin mavens talking about "the war on terror." Yes, terror is Bush’s favorite word and the Texan uses it every chance he gets. Many in the press are too quick to spread the President's message, quoting him ad nauseam. These right-wing pundits don’t believe in being objective and are quick to disparage patriotic Americans who contradict their hero. I have heard quests called pawns of Al-Qaeda or worse similar to Hitler.

If only our president had daughters at the front lines of this war instead of at the liquor store, then maybe this cowboy wouldn’t be so arrogant and reckless. Then again, most of our political representatives (Democrat and Republican) conveniently have their children tucked away in college. Hey, just like me, during the Viet Nam war.

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[Foto de Jesús Garza en 1971]

¡Vietnam e Iraq -- es el un lío grande!

Empecé mi vida adulto con la pregunta si sería enviado lejos a Viet Nam. Afortunadamente recibí un aplazamiento de giro en 1970 porque era un estudiante en la Universidad Estatal de San José. Era uno del pocos Latinos de mi generación para tener esa opción. Los otros de mi vecindario de la clase obrera no eran tan afortunados.

El colegio era una oportunidad para obtener una educación. Era el primer y sólo miembro de mi familia de obtener un grado colegial. El segundo razona que fui al colegio debía evitar ir a Asia del sudeste. Usted ve; yo no creí que yendo a Viet Nam resolvería nada. Como Iraq hoy, no tuvo sentido.

Iraq, Viet Nam, es todo el mismo lío. ¿Por qué nuestros líderes hechan la nariz donde lo no pertenece? No había terroristas de Al Qaeda en Iraq hasta Presidente Bush empezo dejando caer bombas. Ahora nuestra juventud, algún patriótico, los otros tratando apenas obtener dinero para el colegio, lucha en el Iraq. Miles están ahora muertos y muchos más herido. Yo me siento para las familias y las comunidades que han perdido sus jóvenes.

No hay las protestas grandes contra esta guerra. El joven Americano medio no será redactado, así que ellos son ambivalente. Si ellos podrían ser redactados, estoy bastante seguro que ellos y sus padres estarían trabajando duro contra esta locura. Habría una guerra contra el terror, el terror de luchar en una guerra impopular.

La guerra de Viet Nam forzó a muchos jóvenes a movilizar. Era su vida en la línea y muchos vieron las mentiras del gobierno. Mientras Presidente George Bush protegía Tejas de la invasión, los otros desafortunados fuenron en los barcos y los aviones a Viet Nam. Esta juventud Americana encontrón una guerra que abandonaríamos finalmente.

¿Qué sucederá en Iraq? ¿Llegará a ser Iraq una democracia o pasa a una guerra civil? Nadie sabe. ¿La pregunta que tiene que pedir que nosotros mismos sea cuán largo somos yendo a permitir nuestros hijos y las hijas para ser destruidas para cumplir apenas el sueño de democracia en Iraq?

Las relaciones públicas mecanizan las marcas que lo suena como hacen el progreso. ¿Pero somos realmente? Pido que usted recuerde sólo un cosa. La guerra fue empezada por una mentira. El presidente y sus socios balbuceaban a cualquiera que escucharía que Iraq tuvo armas de la destrucción. Sabemos ahora que Iraq tuvo no tales cosas.

Así, expertos de publicidad mantienen produciendo en masa la retórica y nos dice que yendo a ganar la guerra contra el terror. Sí, el terror es palabra favorito de Bush. Si solamente él tuvo a hijos en las primeras líneas en vez de hijas en la tienda comprando licores entonces quizá él no sería tan arrogante. Pero por otro parte, la mayoría de Los Senadores y el Congresista (demócrata y republicano) tiene convenientemente a sus niños metidos lejos en colegio. Como mí, durante la guerra de Viet Nam.

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Texas friendly?

[Photo: Chair in my uncle Jesús Castro's yard - Crystal City, TX - 2004]

From 1999 to 2005 I lived in Lockhart, Texas. You may ask — why would a lefty from San Francisco move to Bush Country? Well, my wife decided to go the University of Texas at Austin for graduate school.

Six and half years later we’re back in beautiful California and my wife Ann has her Ph.D. She is now a professor at the University of Redlands, teaching Art History. Mission accomplished.

My tenure in Texas left an indelible mark on my wife and I. In retrospect, uprooting myself at the rather mature age of 47 was quite naive. I was not ready for the culture shock. Coming from a liberal bastion like San Francisco and San Jose to live near Austin wasn’t too bad, but much of the rest of Texas wasn’t ready to assimilate this Chicano — or as I was often called — Yankee.

Texans for some reason have a stubborn disdain for Californians. Many from the Lone Star state enjoyed poking fun at the Golden State. I must have heard this comment a thousand times, “California has too many earthquakes and is going to fall in the ocean. Sounds like a good idea to me.”

That’s the obnoxious and often arrogant side of Texas, but there is a kinder and gentler side, the side where people would start a conversation and invite you over for a visit — some iced tea. Yes, they were Texas friendly.

Today I am back in California and readjusting to the cultural norms. People in Redlands, like folks in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego are quite wary of strangers and avert their eyes. Starting a casual conversation with a stranger is out of the question in much of the Golden State.

In the small town of Johnson City (population 900) where I worked and Lockhart (population 9,000) where I lived, I often shook hands, waved and smiled at strangers and friends on a regular basis. Sounds corny, but I liked it.

In rural Texas, drivers had a folksy way of waving at a stop sign. It was just a quick and friendly shake of the hand, often from an old pickup. Once in a while I find myself doing that in California — but nobody waves back in Los Angeles. I’ll be stopping that habit soon enough.

At the co-op where I worked, women wouldn’t hesitate to volunteer for parenting duties like baby-sitting or picking up the kids. There was a definite sense of community and a respect for family that you don't often see in modern America. I would wonder to my self — would Johnson City or Lockhart have been a good place to raise a family. My daughters are both in their late 20s — I guess it’s too late to sign them up for 4H.

It wasn’t uncommon for co-workers to tell me about their children or grandchild. Time for conversation seemed inexhaustible and acceptable. I would hear stories of life on the ranch. I learned about raising goats and cattle. Now that I am in California, I wonder if I could ever use this information. Life in rural Texas is very different from the suburbs.

Am I glad to be back in California? Yes, it’s great to be back home. The weather is fantastic, the cultural opportunities are amazing and my wife and I are closer to friends and family.

What am I going to miss about the Lone Star state? Well the smell of oak fired BBQs to start with. The town I lived in — Lockhart — is the BBQ capital of Texas. Most mornings I would wake up and sit quietly on the porch and enjoy the great smell of oak smokers, brisket and ribs. Great BBQ was just a five-minute stroll down a quiet street. A big plate of BBQ cost me only $4 in 2005. In Lockhart, shopping, the oldest library in the state and the post office were also nearby. Yes, small town life can be convenient.

I’ll also miss listening to folks in their southern drawl explaining to this Yankee about hunting, making venison sausage, and if Ann and I were going to the Czech or German dance. What I won’t miss is being called a crazy Californian — over and over again. Listening to arrogant Texans can be tedious after a while.

I learned a lot about myself in Texas. In the end, I will adapt, and meld back into the California mainstream. Of course, this is as long as I don’t fall into the Pacific Ocean with the rest of California like so many Texans believe.

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