Sergeant Evans, Good Man In Bad Situation: How Do We Honor Peace?

By Buzz Davis

Sergeant Evans was a good man with a horrible secret who fought through the Pacific islands during WWII.  One island after another, beach landing, attack, fight across and clear island of Japanese troops, and repeat at next island.

I never asked him about what it was like to fight in the islands in the infantry even though I was trained as an infantry officer.  I had a feeling he had been through a lot. The Vietnam War was "hot" and there were news reports of lots of people dying there. 

It was 1968, he was "old" (48 or so) and I was young (25).  I was his lieutenant, he was my sergeant.  For 9 months, we worked extremely well together leading the communications program of a 500 person brigade at Fort Bragg, NC.

When walking to a meeting at day break, we were discussing the training we were going to have the men do that day. 

On our walk, he suddenly looked up toward the sky and started talking loudly "What else could we do, what else could we do?"  I could not figure out what he was talking about.  I said, "What sergeant?"  He says, "They were coming over the hill, what could we do?  People on the road with white flags.  We couldn't let them get behind us, we couldn't let them get behind us..... what else could we do?"

I was stunned.  It hit me.  He was having a flashback to the Pacific 25 years ago.  They had killed all the civilians on that island.  In the infantry it is very dangerous to let people get behind you.  Sometimes they had no way of taking prisoners.

Evans was in misery.  I said, "I don't think you could have done anything else."  He says softly, "Yea, your right.  We couldn't have done anything else; we couldn't have done anything else."

We walk a few more steps and he says in his normal voice, "Lieutenant, today we should have them do......."  He was his old self.  We never discussed the incident again.

But my guess has always been -- he woke up in the dark of night in terror yelling, "What else could we do?" over and over.  And each time his beautiful wife from Germany probably worked for hours to try to calm him down and get him back to sleep.  For all I know he may have been helping her with her own similar terrors at night for she lived through WWII in Germany.

Today we call it Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and Moral Injury because the deeds they did, things they saw, things they didn't do slice deeply into their sense of morality and sense of self.  Many men and women try to deeply bury the thoughts and feelings in their mind.  Many, on most days, can control their memories and deep six the bad thoughts.  But when they flood back, the person has not much control.  That is what happened to Sergeant Evans that early morning.

I think he was a very good man and leader from my 9 months as "his lieutenant."

Over 1 million people have died in Iraq since Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney tried to "save" them from Saddam Hussein.  Hundreds of thousands have probably been slaughtered in Afghanistan since the 10 year Russian war on those people (with the US funding the Taliban who fought the Russians).  And then the illegal US attack on Afghanistan in 2001 and another 12 year war.

Besides the death, physical injuries and broken families, war causes mental and moral injuries that are almost irreparable in many cultures.  South Africa had a successful Peace and Reconciliation program after its war for independence where people could come forward and explain the horrible deeds they saw or did.  And so long as they spoke the truth as to what they did, who the leaders were, who gave the orders, etc. they were pardoned unless they were being investigated.

For all our veterans and present soldiers from all the wars, we need to create Peace and Reconciliation Commissions in Iraq, Afghanistan, the USA and other nations that have participated in these fiascos.  Such Commissions lead by the United Nations can hopefully promote admission of deeds done, why, and healing of both the military members who did the deeds and the family members of the victims.

We in Veterans for Peace say we must fight harder for peace than we do for war.

And we say that President Obama must be impeached, removed from office and Mr. Obama, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney should all be prosecuted as war criminals for leading illegal wars, illegal torture and illegal spying.

Only when the most powerful nation on earth, submits to the Rule of Law rather than political whim, will the USA have a revolution that will enable us to create a new start for ourselves and our children and enable the United Nations to do what it is designed to do: stop wars and promote peoples living together in peace.

Buzz Davis, of Stoughton, is a member of Veterans for Peace and a former VISTA volunteer, Army officer, elected official, union organizer and state government planner. dbuzzdavis@aol.com