Last Days of Tomas Young
The last days of Tomas Young, including his letter “A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran,” whose ordeal inspired the book and movie “Body of War.” Young’s final eight months, Cuellar [his wife] said, were often “hopeless and humiliating.” He died in agony, having had pain medication cut down to useless levels by the VA’s doctors. It is an old story. It is the story of war. Two days after the 9/11 attacks, Young enlisted in the Army, hoping he would be sent to fight in Afghanistan. He was seduced by jingoism and calls for a crusade against evil that he eventually came to realize were a mask for lies and deceit. He became a voice for other young people who bore the physical and emotional scars of war. He became our conscience. He spoke a truth about war, a truth many do not want to hear. And he condemned our war criminals and demanded justice. This post includes his letter “A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran,” whose ordeal inspired the book and movie “Body of War” as well as a downloadable pdf of the entire article you can read at your convenience or share.
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