U.S. BURIED IRAQI SOLDIERS ALIVE IN (FIRST) GULF WAR. News Report September 1991
From THE CATHOLIC WORKER, Page Three, March-April 1992 edition - Poem by Denise Levertov
"What you saw was a bunch of trenches with arms sticking out."
"Plows mounted on tanks. Combat earthmovers." "Defiant." "Buried."Carefully planned and rehearsed"
"When we went through there wasn't anybody left."
"Awarded Silver Star." "Reporters banned" "Not a single American killed."
"Bodycount impossible." "For all I know, thousands, said Colonel Moreno."
"What you saw was a bunch of buried trenches with people's arms and things sticking out."
"Secretary Chaney made no mention."
"Every single American was inside the juggernaut impervious to small-arms fire."
"I know burying people like that sounds pretty nasty," said Colonel Maggart, "But..."
"His force buried about six hundred and fifty in a thinner line of trenches."
"People's arms sticking out." "Every American inside." "The juggernaut." "I'm not going to sacrifice the
lives of my soldiers, Moreno said, it's not cost-effective."
"The tactic was designed to terrorize, Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins said, who helped devise it."
"Schwartzkopf's staff privately estimated fifty to seventy thousand killed in the trenches."
"Private Joe Queen was awarded a Bronze Star for burying trenches with his earthomover."
"Inside the juggernaut." "Impervious." "A lot of guys were scared, he said, but I enjoyed it."
"A bunch of trenches. People's arms and things sticking out."
"Cost-effective."
(Many references to Denise Levertov poetry can be found on the worldwide web.)
