Profiles of More Jewish Fallen
The Jewish Daily Forward comes through again with 13 more profiles of Jewish servicemembers who were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Most of these 13 were already listed on our Yarzheit List, but the Forward does its usual excellent job of telling the real story of each of these brave souls. It is well worth the read. Also, if you haven’t seen their original article about Jewish KIAs (including a video report) now is a good time to catch up.
Perhaps before you view those, I’d recommend you read the editorial posted in conjunction with the main story. It really puts into words what I have felt for some time.
As a Jewish community, we rightly celebrate the commitment and passion of the young Americans determined to contribute to the defense of Israel. But do we pay as much attention to the many more American Jews who have served in the deadly theatres of war in Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly 11 years?
I don’t think the author is trying to take anything away from the value of service in the IDF, rather that as American Jews we often overlook the imense sacrifice by our own Jews who choose to fight under the American flag. The IDF enjoys a grateful nation who never forgets that their soldiers sacrifice for their citizens’ safety. This is contrary to our own military, who fight in far off lands that many Americans couldn’t even identify on a map, let alone keep up with current events there. It’s one thing to display a bumper sticker, it’s quite another to take an active interest in the daily actions of our military abroad. Does it feel like your country has been at war for 11 years?
It’s not a coincidence that the topic was brought up as we approach the High Holidays. Whether it be during Yizkor, when we remember those who are no longer with us, or during the liturgy that reminds us that our life for the coming year will be decided by the Almighty, let us think of those that are out in harm’s way each and every day and face the reality of death and injury on a daily basis. If you want to remember fallen Jewish servicemembers during Yizkor, you can print out our Yarzheit List or simply read some of the profiles from the Forward piece.
I recommend that everyone takes a deep breath and include the following into serious consideration when thinking about this important subject (and note this at the top of any future related articles). Although the writers of the Forward and other writers of related articles eluded to the fact that this list is based on only those who are “known” to be Jewish, please note the following information:
1. The Department of Defense does not publish a list of casualties by religion or ethnicity.
2. Jewish personnel in the US Armed Forces are a reflection of Jewish population in the United States in general – a LARGE PROPORTION are “ethnic Jews” (based on ancestry) but are NOT religious and may not have had a Jewish funeral, and therefore would not be reported in the news media as being Jewish.
3. This list is primarily formulated from articles about Jewish personnel killed in action who HAD a Jewish funeral that was COVERED by the media. Not every Jewish military funeral gets media attention (especially in large cities where it would barely make a blip on the radar) or whose family members want media attention.
4. A large portion of those Jews who are NOT religious and/or are NOT from religious families do NOT have religious funerals and therefore would not be noted in the media as being Jewish.
5. Some were added to the list based solely on a photo of their gravestone (e.g. at Arlington National Cemetery) submitted to the media which shows a Star of David – that’s perfectly fine of course and certainly verifies their Jewish religious preference/identification, but certainly NOT every Jewish gravestone has been photographed and submitted to the media. Example – SPC Douglas J. Green (of blessed memory) from Sterling, VA, who has a Star of David on his gravestone – he was KIA in 2006 but not added to the list until 2012; AND it’s important to note that even prominent non-religious/ethnic Jews do not have necessarily have a Star of David on their gravestone (example: Maj Gen Ben Sternberg).
6. It is said that there are 3 types of lies: 1) Lies 2) Damned Lies and 3) Statistics. The “statistic” of 50 Jewish men and women killed in the service of our country in the Global War on Terrorism is NOT accurate – and leaves out a large proportion of Jewish personnel who also gave their lives but were not reported in the media. Please note this whenever an article is written about this subject. The TRUE number is obviously far more than what has been reported (double?). The soul of every Jew is precious to G-d, even those not reported to the media. Let’s keep that in mind and remember them as well – at least to clearly state to all that this is not a complete list, it’s just the best we can do right now. I am one of those non-observant ethnic Jews – only I survived, albeit with a number of scars and close calls after 30 years of service in the Marine Corps and 3 times in combat. If I was killed in action, I probably would not have been included on this list. Semper Fi, Samson