Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Living on Battlefield

I live on the very edge of the battlefield. I would bet money on the fact that Civil War soldiers walked where I grilled out last night. But I don't imagine this place as a battlefield. I read an article this morning about a German woman (well, her dog) finding a live hand grenade in Germany. I don't think the average American realizes what remains in Europe in terms of layers of War.

I mentioned to my dad and another SGM friend of his about the untouched battlefield of Peleliu (and some of the other Rock Islands). My dad encouragingly expressed his interest. Then our friend laughed a little and said, "uh, Kosovo. Bosnia." I hadn't even thought of that. Of course, I haven't been to those places and had to live with the idea that land mines surrounded those areas. It was a different conflict, but there are still (very deadly) layers of war on the landscape.

I continue to ponder the difference in battlefields and how people perceive them. Is it just the difference of time? Development? Type of weapons? Societies' exposure to conflict?

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