Spain

[hensylee]

Remember 911? We all were so appalled then - we are appalled again by the awful event in Spain because it sounds so familiar to us. Back then, we had much discussion about 911 - we have had none about Spain. I think we ought to have a thread to voice our sympathies with those poor people. I remember Billy posted pictures from all over the globe showing flowers being laid for our lost members. Even tho it isn't us this time, we all have some feelings about it. My sincere thoughts and prayers are for those who have lost dear ones in this terrible tragedy. I am afraid we are in for some more, perhaps not on our soil, but elsewhere in the world.

 

[bvdr]

I agree Ann. My heart goes out to those who lost loved one and those who were injured. I can remember the confusion and the feeling that things would never ever be the same.

We need to remember them all in our prayers.

 

[Billy]

Life goes on....

Life goes on....

Sometimes if it doesn't happen on our own doorstep we are inclined to become immune to the emotion of these events.

Speculation has it that the perpetrators of the Madrid bombings were upset at Spain's involvement with USA in Iraq. Well, if they get that mad with Spain, Tony Blair better have our security system switched on.

Having lived with terrorism for over thirty years I have come to realise that an event of this nature is talked about in the media for a few days and then forgotten. It is not forgotten however by each individual family who now have a vacant seat at the table or who have to spend the rest of their lives caring for a permanently disabled parent, child, brother or sister, husband or wife.

In August 1998 we had a massive terrorist car bomb in Omagh which is a town about 25 miles from where I live. It resulted in the deaths of 29 innocent Saturday-afternoon shoppers, including an unborn child. Hundreds were injured and pictures of all of this were beamed across the world the following week.

The TV crews and press Photographers have long gone, the shops and offices have been rebuilt and the rest of the world has forgotten. It is seldom now that I drive through this town that I don't see somebody with a scar or a disablement.....they, and their families are the people who will never forget the madness of August 15th, 1998

It will be the same in Madrid......life goes on.....

 

[Ross]

My heart and sympathy goes out to all who are affected by these terrorist acts. I sat wondering just what the terrorists think they are accomplishing. Soon, they will have ever Nation after them in full force. Sort of a self extinction.

I hope that this serves as a wake up call to the other Nations that think they cannot be affected by these acts. The people committing these crimes don't distinguish between people and don't care.

It has to stop. Exactly how it's going to be accomplished remains to be seen.

 

[Marge]

Actually, I don't think that there is ANY nation, that thinks they are insulated from this sort of act. Certainly the European countries -- e.g., France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, -- have been dealing with terrorism and its effects on society for a very long time.

The UK too, of course. Billy mentioned Omagh. I was in London during the IRA bombing campaign in the mid-70's. (A couple of blasts when off in places where I had been just shortly b4). I was amazed at the calmness of the Londoners, who instituted security measures -- I remember ladies' handbags being searched when you went into Harrod's -- and went on with daily life. "Well, luv, if you'd been through the blitz ... " one older lady said to me.

My husband and I were in Italy on September 11, 2001, and the Italians (who were wonderfully kind to any travelling American they came in contact with) immediately recognized the event for what it was. The Italians have long experience with both right and left wing terror outfits.

I really think it is just Americans who -- for a long time -- thought they were somehow immune from terrorism. And now we too know better.

But I am still not sure we quite understand what we're dealing with. Americans don't deal well with frustration, we want definite solutions to problems, but it's very hard to "stop" terror. We want to bomb their bases, eradicate their organizations, but there are few hard targets. We think we can deal with the problem by capturing terrorist "leaders" -- as our administration has repeatedly told us they have done. But the great asset of these organizations is that they are loose and decentralized. It is just too darn easy to leave a rucksack with a bomb on a crowded subway or commuter train, and there are plenty of foot soldiers who are ready to leave that rucksack on that train. (And, it seems, even willing to die in the process themselves.) We may have to learn to live with terrorism for a very long time. I don't know if we're equipped to do that.

 

[Tom F.]

Having spent the greater part of my life somehow part of the military, some active, a lot reserves, and working as a naval inteligence officer in counter-terrorism I can tell you that I always felt that we were very lucky here. I remember the bombing in Omagh. Usually IRA (or whatever sub-group was involved) called in a warning, and that part somehow was dropped, so many died. ETA does the same. Some groups are not so considerate. But in my mind what we are up against today is more dangerous than any terror group we have ever seen, and true safety will be difficult to find. And like so many other parts of the world, now we are challenged at home. Marge asks if we are equipped to deal with all of this. I think we are. On 9-11 there many herotic actions on the part of many who got up that morning feeling safe and secure. For years I have looked into the eyes of sailors and Marines that looked to me like children, but they were strong and professional warriors. We are a strong nation with strong people. Oh, there will be difficult times, I know that. But when I look back on our history we as a nation have faced greater challenges, and we prevailed. We will here too.

 

[Marge]

<< Marge asks if we are equipped to deal with all of this. I think we are. On 9-11 there many herotic actions on the part of many who got up that morning feeling safe and secure.>>

Tom I hope you didn't interpret anything I said to mean that I don't think Americans are capable of heroic and decisive action. One of the fascinating things about the stories coming of the 9/11 tragedy was learning how much heroism there was on the part of ordinary individuals, not just the trained professionals like the firefighters and cops. I don't question the courage of Americans in responding to crisis situations -- we've already proved that, in spades. What will be much harder will be the grinding day to day frustration and fear of dealing with terrorism over the long haul -- meanwhile also maintaining our free society that makes the whole effort worthwhile.

 

[Nancy]

Good post, Tom. And thank you for all you have done for this country to keep us safe.

And thanks to all our other military, firefighters, police and all of the other helping professions. We have a lot of members in all of those fields.

 

[Abbanabba]

It's always heartbreaking hearing of another attack on innocent bystanders. What a lot of people aren't aware of, however, is how many of these events are actually prevented each year by the brave souls in the services.

I too was in Italy on 9-11 and there were several attempts to attack US bases in Italy and other countries. These (and other) terrorist actions were thankfully averted, but unfortunately these lunatics don't seem to ever give up.

There's never any easy answers - all we can do as individuals is to try and be as accepting and open-minded toward others as we can and hope the goodwill spreads.

A : )

 

[Tom F.]

Nancy, than you for the recognition. Marge, I did not take your comment that way at all. I totally understand your concerns. It will be difficult dealing with the terror challenge day in and day out for however long it continues. We cannot really identify the enemy, we cannot see them, we cannot find them, and they seemingly come from everywhere. In Ireland there was a sense of who the IRA or provo IRA was. In South America there was a sense of who Shining Path was. In other words, in the past while you might not be able to lay your hands on terror groups, you had a pretty good sense of who they were, what they are about, and the goals that they sought. Now we find Al Queda members that come from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, along with members from England, Australia, and the US. What a confusing picture this presents. We learn that Mohammed Atta, leader of the 9-11 group, lived in Germany, Spain, and the US before the attack. I want, I think we all want, to live in a free and open society. But how do we respond when the guy next door might be an Al Queda sleeper agent? This will be a challenge on many levels, more than my simple mind can imagine. Quite simply, there is no precident that I know of in the history of warfare that presents the same type challenge. But, I stay hoprful that the essential strength of our nation will prevail, and I pray for those young men and women that followed me into the service and must stand their posts today. I hope to hell that my generation taught them well.

 

[Marge]

And as long as we're talking about our armed forces: what an amazing story this is:

<<Transplant Baby Thriving With Marine Dad
Father Had to Choose Between Leading Troops in Iraq and Tending to Ailing Son
By VERONICA TORREJON, AP

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (March 15) - As preparations for war in Iraq reached a crescendo last year, Maj. Hal Sellers made the wrenching decision to deploy with his Marine unit as his frail infant son awaited a heart transplant to save his life.

When he returned more than three months later, Sellers found little trace of the ailing, 7-pound infant he had left behind. His son had a new heart and was growing stronger every day.

Today, Dillon Sellers is a healthy 16-month-old who weighs 26 pounds and is in the 90th percentile in weight for his age.

"When I left I had a lot of hope, but in the back of my mind I accepted the possibility I would never see him again," Sellers said in a recent interview.

Dillon was only 10 days old when he was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a condition that keeps the heart from circulating blood. The disorder can sometimes be corrected with surgery, but Dillon's doctors said he needed a transplant because his heart was too damaged.

The news forced Hal Sellers to choose between duty and family. As second-in-command of the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, he had trained for months to help lead the unit's Middle East mission.

He was offered a desk job at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms so he could be near Dillon. But he was concerned about bringing in a new member so late in training and decided to deploy, knowing he could do little more than wait if he stayed at home. He was one of the first Marines to cross into Iraq and see combat.

"It wasn't an easy decision," said Sellers, 38, a Marine for 14 years. "But to this day I think it was the right thing to do."

Betsy Sellers, 38, agreed but acknowledged it was difficult having her husband so far away at such a crucial time.

"As much support as I had from family and friends, no one understood as completely as him," she said. The couple has two other sons, ages 7 and 9.

Soon after Hal Sellers left for Iraq, doctors said 4-month-old Dillon would live only a few more days unless he received a donor heart. The family's prayers were answered when he underwent transplant surgery on March 12, 2003.

It was the first hurdle in a medical ordeal that saw him spend 172 touch-and-go days in the hospital before coming home on Father's Day weekend.

"I don't think I needed a whole lot more," said Hall Sellers, who has been promoted to lieutenant colonel and given a job that will keep him home for at least a year.

And last August, the Sellers got to meet the parents of the 6-month-old girl whose transplanted heart kept Dillon alive.

"They spent the whole time holding Dillon," Betsy Sellers said. "They kept saying 'I can't believe our little girl's heart is in there."'

These days, the silver medical alert bands Dillon must wear are attached to his new walking shoes.

Developmentally, he is just slightly behind other toddlers after spending so much time in the hospital, said Sharon Robie, director of the heart transplant program at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, where Dillon received his new heart.

She said there is a chance that Dillon may need another transplant at some point in his life. But for now his prognosis is excellent.

His mother is optimistic and grateful for the support of friends, family, Marine wives and strangers all over the country who heard about Dillon and sent letters, toys, money and prayers. She also is thankful for the hospital staff, recalling how she once found a doctor praying over Dillon one critical night.

"Without them, Dillon would not be here," she said.

The ordeal has inspired her to do volunteer work for the hospital, the American Heart Association and other organizations. Dillon sometimes comes along.

"He is the star," Betsy Sellers said. "I am just the vehicle." >>