Njengoba ngibhala lokhu, imisindo yokugubha iSikhumbuzo seMpi Yezwe II eWashington, DC, isasekhanda lami. Ngamenywa iSmithsonian Institution ukuba ngibe kwelinye lamaphaneli, futhi umuntu owafona ezongimema wathi isihloko sizothi “Izindaba Zempi.” Ngamtshela ukuthi ngizoza, kodwa hhayi ukuzokhuluma “izindaba zempi,” kunalokho ngizokhuluma ngeMpi Yezwe II nencazelo yayo kithina namuhla. Kulungile, wathi.

Ngangena esigcawini esasibukeka njengefilimu esethelwe i-Cecil B.

I-DeMille extravaganza—amatende amakhulu agxunyekwe lapha nalaphaya, abadayisi abanezikhumbuzo, izinkulungwane zezivakashi, abaningi babo okusobala ukuthi omakadebona beMpi Yezwe II, abanye begqoke imifaniswano emidala, amakepisi ezempi ezemidlalo, begqoke izindondo zabo. Etendeni elabe lihlelelwe iqembu lami, ngajoyina ilunga lami engangisebenza nalo, owesifazane wase-Afrika waseMelika owayesebenze ne-WACS (Ibutho Lebutho Labesifazane) eMpini Yezwe II, futhi owayezokhuluma ngokuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe ebuthweni elihlukaniswe ngokobuhlanga.

Ngethulwa njengomakadebona weButho Lezempi Lezindiza, umshayeli webhomu owayephume ngendiza ehlasela eYurophu ezinyangeni zokugcina zempi. Ngangingaqiniseki ukuthi lezi zilaleli zazizosabela kanjani kulokho engangikusho ngempi, kulowo moya wokugubha, ukuhlonipha abafileyo, ekukhazimuleni kokunqoba okukhulu okuhambisana nezenzo ezingenakubalwa zobuqhawe bezempi.

Lokhu, cishe, yilokho engikushilo: “Ngilapha ukuhlonipha abafana ababili ababengabangane bami abasondelene kakhulu e-Air Corps–Joe Perry kanye no-Ed Plotkin, bobabili ababulawa emasontweni okugcina empi. Nokuhlonipha bonke abanye abafa kuleyo mpi. Kodwa angizile ukuzohlonipha impi ngokwayo. Angizile ukuzohlonipha amadoda aseWashington athumela abasha empini. Ngokuqinisekile angizile ukuzohlonipha labo abasegunyeni manje abalwa impi yokuziphatha okubi e-Iraq.”

Ngaqhubeka: “IMpi Yezwe II ayiyona nje 'impi enhle.' Bekuhambisana nezenzo zonya eziningi kakhulu ngasohlangothini lwethu-ukuqhuma kwamabhomu okuningi kwezakhamizi. Kwakunokukhashelwa okuningi kakhulu kwezimiso okwakumelwe kulwelwe ngazo impi.

“Yebo, iMpi Yezwe II yayinesici esiqinile sokuziphatha kuyo—ukunqotshwa kwe-fascism.

Kodwa ngiyayicasula kakhulu indlela okuthiwa impi enhle esetshenziswe ngayo ukuze kukhanye kuzo zonke izimpi zokuziphatha okubi esiye sazilwa eminyakeni engamashumi amahlanu edlule: eVietnam, eLaos, eCambodia, eGrenada, ePanama, e-Iraq, e-Afghanistan. Angifuni neze ukuthi uhulumeni wethu asebenzise injabulo yokunqoba ezungeze iMpi Yezwe II ukumboza izinto ezesabekayo ezenzeka e-Iraq.

“Angifuni ukuhlonipha ubuqhawe bezempi–obufihla ukufa nokuhlupheka okukhulu. Ngifuna ukuhlonipha labo abaphikisana nempi eyesabekayo kuyo yonke le minyaka. "

Izithameli zishaye ihlombe. Kodwa ngangingaqiniseki ukuthi lokho kusho ukuthini. Ngangazi ukuthi ngimelene nenkolelo-ze, ukuthandwa kwempi emafilimini nakumabonakude futhi manje emigubhweni yesikhumbuzo sempi enhloko-dolobha yesizwe.

Kwaba nenkathi yemibuzo nezimpendulo. Umuntu wokuqala owahamba phambili kwakungumakadebona weMpi Yezwe II, egqoke izingxenye zeyunifomu yakhe endala. Wakhuluma embhobhweni: “Ngalimala eMpini Yezwe II futhi nginenhliziyo Ebomvu engizoyibonisa. Ukube uMongameli Bush ubelapha njengamanje bengizomjikijela leyondondo ebusweni bakhe.”

Kuke kwaba khona isikhashana engicabanga ukuthi kwakwethuswa amandla esitatimende sakhe.

Bese kuduma ihlombe. Ngazibuza ukuthi ngabe ngibona into ethile eyenzeka kaningi emphakathini—lapho izwi elilodwa likhuluma ngokumelene nokuhlakanipha okuvamile, futhi libhekwa njengokukhuluma iqiniso, abantu bakhishwa ekuthuleni kwabo kwangaphambilini.

Ngakhuthazwa umcabango wokuthi kungenzeka ukubekela inselele indinganiso yokudunyiswa kweMpi Yezwe Yesibili, futhi okubaluleke nakakhulu, ukwenqaba ukuyivumela ukunikeza impi igama elihle. Bengingafuni ukuthi lo mgubho wenze kube lula emphakathini waseMelika ukwamukela noma yikuphi ukuzijabulisa okubi okuphekwe ukusungulwa e-Washington.

Ngokuqhubekayo, ngithola ukuthi akumina ngedwa umakadebona weMpi Yezwe II owenqaba ukuhlanganiswa ukuze athethelele izimpi zanamuhla, edonsa inhloko-dolobha engokomzwelo neyokuziphatha yeMpi Yezwe II. Kukhona abanye omakadebona abangafuni ukukushalazela inkimbinkimbi yokuziphatha kweMpi Yezwe Yesibili: izinhloso zombuso zama-Allies njengoba beyimemezele impi yokulwa nobufascism, kanye nentando yeningi; ukuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu ngamabomu kwezakhamuzi ukuze kucekelwe phansi isimilo sesitha.

U-Paul Fussell wayengu-lieutenant wezempi owayelimele kabi ngesikhathi engumholi weqembu laseFrance eMpini Yezwe II.

"Eminyakeni engamashumi amahlanu edlule impi ye-Allied ihlanjululwe futhi yenziwa yothando cishe ngaphezu kokuqashelwa ngabantu abanozwela, abashisekeli bezwe, abangenalwazi, kanye nabomele igazi," wabhala e-Wartime.

Kwaba lula, ngemva kokuphela kweMpi Yezwe II, ukukhomba ebuwula bayo nonya enganekwaneni kunokuba uhlasele ngokuqondile lokho okwamenyezelwa emhlabeni wonke kangaka ‘njengempi enhle. Ngakho-ke, uJoseph Heller ku-Catch-22 wathumba idiocy yokuphila kwezempi, ukwenza inzuzo embi, ukuqhuma kwamabhomu okungenangqondo. Futhi u-Kurt Vonnegut, e-Slaughterhouse-Five, waletha kubafundi abaningi indaba embi yokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu eDresden.

Ukugxeka kwami ​​impi ukubambezeleka—ngangivolontiya futhi ngangiyibhomu elishisekayo—ngiqale ngokuzindla ngokubamba iqhaza kwami ​​ekuqhunyisweni kwamabhomu kukaRoyan. Leli kwakuyidolobhana elincane elisogwini lwe-Atlantic eFrance, lapho izinkulungwane ezimbalwa zamasosha aseJalimane ayegcwele khona futhi elinde ukuba impi iphele. Amabhomu anamandla angamakhulu ayishumi nambili andizela endaweni yase-Royan futhi aphonsa i-napalm, abulala amasosha aseJalimane nezakhamuzi zaseFrance, acekela phansi lokho okwake kwaba idolobhana elihle lokungcebeleka.

Muva nje, indoda ethile yangibhalela eyayingizwile ngikhuluma emsakazweni mayelana naleyo mishini yokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu yathi nayo yayikulowo msebenzi. Ngemva kwempi, waba umcishi-mlilo, kamuva waba umbazi, futhi manje ungumphikisi onamandla wempi. Wangitshela ngomngane wakhe naye owayekuleyo mishini, futhi oseke waboshwa izikhathi eziningi ngezenzo zokulwa nempi. Kwangikhuthaza ukuzwa lokho.

Omakadebona beMpi Yezwe II bayangithinta ngezikhathi ezithile. Omunye u-Edward Wood Jr. waseDenver, okwathi lapho ezwa ukuthi ngangizoba seSikhumbuzweni saseWashington, wangibhalela: “Wathi, “Ukube bengilapho, bengingathi: Njengomakadebona wezempi weMpi Yezwe II, ngilimele kanzima. eFrance ngo-1944, ngingakaze ngibe indoda engangingase ngibe yiyo ngenxa yalelo nxeba, ngifisa kakhulu ukuthi lesi sikhumbuzo seMpi Yezwe II sasingase senziwe ngamatshe amaningi noma imabula. Ngikhalela ukwehluleka kwesizukulwane sami kusukela ekunqobeni kwaso eMpini Yezwe II. . . ifa lethu lezimpi ezingapheli emazweni amancane akude nemingcele yethu.”

Omunye umshayeli wendiza, uKen Norwood, wadutshulwa ohambweni lwakhe lweshumi eYurophu, futhi wachitha unyaka eyisiboshwa sempi eJalimane. Ubhale imemoir (engakashicilelwa, kuze kube manje) athi “iyindaba emelene nempi ngamabomu.” Ipakishwe kuqala emotweni yebhokisi, yase iphoqeleka ukuthi imashe amasonto amabili inqamula eBavaria entwasahlobo ka-1945, iNorwood yabona izidumbu ezigcwele izisulu zamabhomu e-Allied, izindawo zabasebenzi zacekelwa phansi. Uthi konke okuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe “kwenezela ebufakazini obunzima bobuze namanyala empi.”

Ukukhazinyuliswa "kwempi enhle" kuyaqhubeka kumabonakude wethu kanye nezikrini zamabhayisikobho, emaphephandabeni, ezinkulumweni zokuzenzisa zosopolitiki. Uma izindaba ezimbi kakhulu eziphuma e-Iraq—ukuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu kwezakhamuzi, ukucwiywa kwezingane, ukuhlaselwa kwamakhaya, nokuhlukunyezwa kweziboshwa—kulapho kuphuthuma khona ukuba uhulumeni wethu azame ukuminyanisa zonke lezo zithombe. izindaba zokunqoba ze-D-Day kanye neMpi Yezwe II.

Labo abalwa kuleyo mpi mhlawumbe bakwazi kangcono kunanoma ubani ukugcizelela ukuthi noma yikuphi ukuma kokuziphatha okungaxhunywa kuleyo mpi akufanele kusetshenziselwe ukususa amehlo ethu ebuhlungwini bukaBush e-Afghanistan nase-Iraq.

UHoward Zinn, umbhali wencwadi ethi “Umlando Wabantu Wase-United States,” ungumbhali wengosi ethi The Progressive.

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