Larissa
28th March 2003, 16:13
A week ago in Baltimore, at 3 in the morning, Michael Waters-Bey was told of his son's death in Iraq. The government offered its condolences for the death of Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bay. A few hours
later, clutching a photograph of his son Kendall and grandson Kenneth, Mr. Waters-Bey cried in front of cameras: "Are you looking George Bush? Are you
looking?" "This was not your son or daughter. That chair he sat in at Thanksgiving will be empty for ever." "I am devastated. My only son, my first-born, gone." "He went into the Marines right out of high school to be able to provide for his son. He said he wanted to get away from being on the streets. He was a good boy." Mr. Waters-Bey also said, "I am against this war - I'm against killing for any reason." "But the Marines still owe me some kind of explanation. The most important thing people need to know about Kendall is that he had a big heart. My neighbours are taking the news like it's family dying. What a waste." The dead soldier's 10-year-old son Kenneth, said: "I'm feeling sad now because my father is gone and I won't see him again, But he'll always be my hero" and "He was a lot of fun to be with - just like a big kid." Kendall's sister Nakia, 26, said, "This war is all about oil and money. But Bush has already got oil and
money. It's about greed... It's all for nothing - that war could have been prevented. Now, we're out of a brother. Bush is not out of a brother. We are." Another of Waters-Bey's sisters, Sharita Waters-Bey, 23, said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld did not call the family. He made a brief comment on TV. The press has not reported the thoughts and feelings and words of Kendall Waters-Bey's widow. The blib this death made in the news a week ago has already been forgotten. As for Iraqi soldiers: they have neither names, nor sisters, nor sons, nor wives.
This morning's Financial Times reports: "More than 350 Iraqi civilians have been killed by American and British missiles and bombs in a week of war, 36 of them in Baghdad on Wednesday alone, Omid Medhat Mubarak, Iraq's health minister, said on Thursday. He said more than 3,000 had been injured. Dr Mubarak told a news conference that the final casualty toll from Wednesday's
rocket attack on a shopping street in northeast Baghdad was 15 dead and 44 injured." Every word uttered by Iraqi officials can and will be dismissed as
a lie. What has surprised Western journalists, though, is how few civilian casualties the Iraqis have claimed. Neither Iraqi nor U.S. officials care to release figures, however approximate, of the total number of Iraqi troops killed by U.S. bombers and ground forces: the likely figure is in the thousands. Some U.S. officials have not been able to suppress gleeful boasts of "shooting fish in a barrel" and "a turkey shoot." The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, backed by warplanes enjoying absolute air supremacy, killed 400 Iraqis yesterday. A turkey shoot. The United States has suffered 23 fatal casualties: 13 killed in action; one by "friendly" fire, and nine accidentally. Four British troops have been killed in combat; four died by "friendly" fire and 14 in accidents. Two weeks ago, U.S. officials said that the Iraqis would quicly surrender in droves. Today they are warning of
a war lasting several months. This "just and legal and necessary" war was begun one week ago.
Paul
________________________
Paul Frank
Chinese-English translation
later, clutching a photograph of his son Kendall and grandson Kenneth, Mr. Waters-Bey cried in front of cameras: "Are you looking George Bush? Are you
looking?" "This was not your son or daughter. That chair he sat in at Thanksgiving will be empty for ever." "I am devastated. My only son, my first-born, gone." "He went into the Marines right out of high school to be able to provide for his son. He said he wanted to get away from being on the streets. He was a good boy." Mr. Waters-Bey also said, "I am against this war - I'm against killing for any reason." "But the Marines still owe me some kind of explanation. The most important thing people need to know about Kendall is that he had a big heart. My neighbours are taking the news like it's family dying. What a waste." The dead soldier's 10-year-old son Kenneth, said: "I'm feeling sad now because my father is gone and I won't see him again, But he'll always be my hero" and "He was a lot of fun to be with - just like a big kid." Kendall's sister Nakia, 26, said, "This war is all about oil and money. But Bush has already got oil and
money. It's about greed... It's all for nothing - that war could have been prevented. Now, we're out of a brother. Bush is not out of a brother. We are." Another of Waters-Bey's sisters, Sharita Waters-Bey, 23, said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld did not call the family. He made a brief comment on TV. The press has not reported the thoughts and feelings and words of Kendall Waters-Bey's widow. The blib this death made in the news a week ago has already been forgotten. As for Iraqi soldiers: they have neither names, nor sisters, nor sons, nor wives.
This morning's Financial Times reports: "More than 350 Iraqi civilians have been killed by American and British missiles and bombs in a week of war, 36 of them in Baghdad on Wednesday alone, Omid Medhat Mubarak, Iraq's health minister, said on Thursday. He said more than 3,000 had been injured. Dr Mubarak told a news conference that the final casualty toll from Wednesday's
rocket attack on a shopping street in northeast Baghdad was 15 dead and 44 injured." Every word uttered by Iraqi officials can and will be dismissed as
a lie. What has surprised Western journalists, though, is how few civilian casualties the Iraqis have claimed. Neither Iraqi nor U.S. officials care to release figures, however approximate, of the total number of Iraqi troops killed by U.S. bombers and ground forces: the likely figure is in the thousands. Some U.S. officials have not been able to suppress gleeful boasts of "shooting fish in a barrel" and "a turkey shoot." The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, backed by warplanes enjoying absolute air supremacy, killed 400 Iraqis yesterday. A turkey shoot. The United States has suffered 23 fatal casualties: 13 killed in action; one by "friendly" fire, and nine accidentally. Four British troops have been killed in combat; four died by "friendly" fire and 14 in accidents. Two weeks ago, U.S. officials said that the Iraqis would quicly surrender in droves. Today they are warning of
a war lasting several months. This "just and legal and necessary" war was begun one week ago.
Paul
________________________
Paul Frank
Chinese-English translation