everyone has their own revolution

just listened to jim page's tragic song about andres raya, which spurred me to do some research. it seems that both sides exaggerated their story, but this guy wrote a short story that helps civilians understand what he was thinking on january 11, 2005.
among the interesting tidbits i found during my research:

At a time when the military is hitting our high schools, malls and soda shops, looking for fresh recruits, talking tough about patriotism, honor and duty, who will tell the story of Andres Raya? Who will give testimony to the dark side of war? Who will talk about the Gulf War Syndrome, the soldiers who threw their medals away, or the veterans who could no longer endure? Who will tell them why daddy turned to drugs or ended his own life? Who will tell them about Hearts and Minds or Johnny Get Your Gun?

It is time to get the military out of our high schools or, if they will not, it is time to call on the veterans of war for the other side of truth. If we send our kids to war without giving them the full and unvarnished picture of what they will face, we are almost as guilty as the warlords themselves, who never served, who never risked their own lives or the lives of their loved ones, but who are perfectly willing to raise the flag for the Fourth of July parade.

--from www.dissidentvoice.org/Jan05/Random0114.htm

ps: just found jim page's blog, with it's 1000 word anti-starbucks rant.