Posted on 05/20/2004 11:09:30 AM PDT by bushfamfan
"I went to Fort Hood last Saturday and sold a thousand books in one day," Mike Durant says.
Fort Hood, Huntsville, New York; no matter where he goes these days, thousands of people are eager to read more about Mike Durant's true story.
Caleb Green, an ROTC student from the University of Alabama was one of many who braved long lines at a recent book signing for a meet and greet with Durant.
"Mike Durant to me and in my opinion is a national hero. My father and I both have a lot of respect for him. He's really the reason I would like to go to Ranger school and experience the training and everything that's involved in that type of military atmosphere," said Green.
Green and thousands of other war buffs are intrigued with this man who knows what it's like to be in the heat of war. The notes he scribbled in the margins of a Bible during his 11 days of captivity in 1993 come to life within the pages of his best seller, "In the Company of Heroes."
Pictures of the brutality inflicted on Mike Durant by Somali gunmen appeared on the cover of magazines worldwide. Even though it's been more than 10 yrs. since the chopper pilot's capture and torture, he still remembers what it's like to be a prisoner at the mercy of others. The sheer hell he lived through gives him some insight on the controversy brewing overseas.
"We've overreacted to the prison abuse photos and underreacted to other things," said Durant. "What happened in the prison, people crossed the line, some things should not have been done, but it pales in comparison, we seem to compare anything that we do wrong and totally forget about the atrocities that occur on the other side-there's a double standard. The events that occured in Fallujah a month ago have all been forgotten. That is horror, that is murderous, that, in my opinion, is unthinkable," said Durant.
Also unthinkable, the decapitation of innocent civilian, Nick Berg.
"It's a part of their strategy to terrorize, they're terrorists. It just underscores the kind of people we're dealing with. This, I believe, is a part of the war on terrorism. They are terrorists and they showed the American people they're willing to do whatever it takes to strike fear in the hearts of the entire world. That's why this effort is to go after those groups and render them powerless, or to eliminate them completely," Durant said.
"This is what they want people to believe, that this is what is in store for them if they support this effort. And quite frankly, it's understandable for people to be afraid. Nobody would want to be abducted and suffer through that, have a family member suffer through that, so terrorism is effective, but we've got to still our resolve and stay the course and get this done," added Durant.
Getting things done, or over doing? Though the photos coming out of Abu Ghraib have been cropped and disguised for modesty, it's been hard to hide the raw cruelty of soldiers accused in this scandal. Though he doesn't condone, this for Prisoner of War understands.
"If you read the descriptions of sensory deprivation, does that mean a bag on somebody's head? Could be. Does it mean the lights turned out in the room and they're left alone for 3 days? Could be. How you define sensory deprivation, it varies from person to person," added Durant.
An American soldier who knows the horrors of war, but still appreciates the courage and determination of those fighting for democracy.
"I can't tell you how much I honor and respect those folks that are serving today. We need to tell them thank you and how much we appreciate it every chance we get," Durant says.
Good thread. I agree.
Another thing about the media ignoring Berg's murder: in their frantic effort to keep the public focus on a bunch of naked Iraqi men, the media helped ruin the terrorists' plan to strike terror into our hearts. And also completely demeaned the HORRIFIC torture and murder of an American hostage. It WAS torture, even if it didn't last long. I'm sure to him it lasted for hours.
He also said he can't make an arrest or return fire without a camera being shoved into his face. He mentioned a case where a man raped and murdered three girls and their mother, and how hard it was to control himself when he arrested him. He didn't mention if the rapist/murderer was an Iraqi or not.
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