Un Trio des Soldats Lièvres à O'Hare

I met them outside the

baggage area of United

Airlines at O'Hare in Chicago.

They were in the midst of

a spirited and well-executed

hacky sack game. We had just

arrived in the Windy City, my

old hometown,

from

my city of angels, Los Angeles.

They were on a Thanksgiving

leave from the army. All three

had been to Iraq and all were

understandably happy to

have survived, though

they wished their time

in the armed forces was

over and that America's time

in Iraq had long ago ceased.

But it hasn't. Just as these

three are caught in the

cycle that is the

American army,

so is America still caught

inside the cycle that is our

intervention and invasion of

foreign countries. And so they are

pictured here

in Chicago

during a holiday break

smiling but apprehensive

knowing the circle

is spinning still and

they are caught within

it, fighting this fight for

our country

although almost all of

us, including our soldiers,

wish it was done.

Here they are,

three boys,

three sons of America,

just a few holidays beyond

childhood,

still playing childhood games,

still connecting with the time

when they were children

and others were sent to war

but they could stay home

without fear

without the necessity of

putting childhood away.

 

But there will be

peace again.

There will be a world

beyond war.

Mankind will evolve beyond

this.

Hope is alive.

It is real.

Done