Sergey Kadinsky
Written Works
Bob Herbert visits CCNY, Discusses Iraq War
March 17, 2007
During the week that marked the fourth anniversary marking the commencement of the Iraq War, there was little sign of its impact on the general population. On March 14th, the Ethics of Journalism class at City College was researching the relationship between the media and the government during wartime, and had a voice with firsthand experience in the topic visit the class. For journalism professor Sheryl McCarthy, inviting New York Times Op-ed columnist Bob Herbert is a result of longstanding personal ties. “In the 1970s, we both worked at the Daily News, and when computers finally arrived, we had to share them,” Herbert said, describing his former colleague. Born in Brooklyn and raised in New Jersey, Herbert was drafted into the military during the Vietnam War. Though sent to the relatively less dangerous Korean border, the impact of the war on of his closest army comrades continues to haunt Herbert’s view towards wars.
Herbert met Paul Conover and Michael Farmer during basic training at Fort Dix. Herbert describes Conover as “happy-go-lucky” and an optimist; and Farmer as “good-looking, but not too swift.” Conover returned from Vietnam with a changed personality. “He was nervous. Jumpy. Some nights he would drink like a fiend. The cheerful optimism that had once defined his personality was gone,” Herbert wrote in a “The Fool’s Errand,” an op-ed written in may 2000. In contrast, Farmer returned from Vietnam, “More sure of himself, more open and fun-loving, less insecure.” He got married and was on his way to a better life. Unfortunately, the impact of the war never left his comrades. Conover became depressed, killing his wife and committing suicide. Farmer was called up for a second tour of duty, dying in battle. We told him not to go. Call your congressman, we said. Fight this thing. But Farmer didn't know how.
For the deaths of Conover and Farmer, Herbert blamed politicians and a complacent pres for failing to investigate the justification for the war. A quarter century later, Herbert notes an undeniable resemblance of the political climate of the Iraq War to the Vietnam War. “Everybody in power understood that Iraq wasn’t related to 9/11, there were enough Democrats to stop this folly.” When asked why the opposition party did not oppose the war, Herbert points to the United States’ first war against Iraq. “In the first Gulf War, many Democrats voted against the war. That war was a stunning success,” citing the quick victory and its relatively low cost. “This time, the Democrats did not want to appear anti-war,” expecting a similar victory.
“Both parties were about to take us over the cliff, the press was supposed to step in,” Herbert said. “Even if Saddam had WMDs, that’s not a good reason to go to war, because he was incapable of launching an attack against the US.” In a surge of patriotism that followed 9/11, newspaper editors did not want to be perceived as unpatriotic. In addition, the office of Vice President Cheney carefully leaked information about the WMDs to the reporters such as the Times’ Judith Miller. “When our editors played it up as a lead story, other newspapers followed.
Among Herbert’s biggest peeves is the sense of apathy towards the war. “Where was the outrage? Images of coffins were censored, press access to the Walter Reed hospital is restricted, and I had to sneak onto the campus!” Thanks to a mother of a wounded soldier, Herbert was allowed to enter the hospital as her guest. “I saw wonderfully manicured lawns, curving pathways, and paralyzed veterans in wheelchairs. Some were brain-damaged. These images should be hammered home daily,” Herbert said. “People should understand what’s at stake.” Explaining why the public may have more interest in Britney Spears or Anna Nicole rather than Abu Ghraib and Walter Reed, Herbert explained, “Most of the public does not have a stake in this war. There’s no draft, no rationing, and no tax hikes to pay for the war. Americans don’t really feel this war.” Expressing interest in Rep. Charles Rangel’s proposal for a draft, Herbert noted, “If there was a draft, there wouldn’t be a war.”
When asked why Americans who do not have relatives in the military should express concern, Herbert pointed out, “Your children and grandchildren will pay for this war. Long-term costs will carry on for the lives of these troops.” While expressing opposition to the Iraq War, Herbert also asserted, “I am not a pacifist,” expressing justification for the war effort in Afghanistan as “Absolutely legitimate.” Among the long-term costs of the war are the young, paralyzed veterans, and those like Conover, who were psychologically affected. “Some of the lessons of Vietnam are so clear. Don’t fight a damn war unless you absolutely have to.” Explaining why there is a quagmire in Iraq, Herbert said, “We are really lousy at fighting guerillas. We have nukes and missiles, but on the ground- we don’t know how to fight insurgents on their home turf.” Noting the fourth anniversary since the start of the war, Herbert noted that recently one US soldier was killed on his fifth tour of Iraq, a story that is much similar to that of Farmer. “The army’s goal isn’t nation-building, it’s killing. War is about killing.”
Like his memories of the Vietnam War, Herbert’s columns often consider the individual’s cost of the war, and the tragic personal stories involved. “A couple of years ago I visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. I found Farmer's name, and then, not thinking, looked for Conover's,” Herbert said. “Of course, it wasn't there. But his short life and that of his wife, whose name I don't know, were wasted by Vietnam just a surely as the lives of those 58,000 other Americans listed on that bitter wall.”