Trent Ruble's Blog: The Other Way It Is - Posts Tagged "death"

I once thought of America as a relentless, unyielding force for good in the world. And, I thought it was the kind of place every other nation aspired to be. But, as a teenager, I started to pay more attention to what was happening in the world around me. I saw that America wasn't quite the promised land I'd imagined. Even so, I believed (and still believe) that it is the best place to live and raise a family.

But, America is in decline and I think it began before I was born. If I had to guess, I'd place America's peak at about 1945, just after a World War II victory on two fronts against formidable opponents. Post-war America was the most powerful nation to have ever existed to that point. She still holds that position but, since that time, America has been slipping. This first came to our attention in Korea and Vietnam when, in front of the whole world, America failed as she attempted to rid these far-off places of communism.

To make matters worse, America's own people turned against her as they watched the horror of war from their living rooms. In the days of World War II no one back home, other than former soldiers, really knew how awful war was. The unabashedly biased newsreels kept Americans feeling good about what their military was doing. And what they were doing was good. America was fighting real evil that everyone could recognize; Japan had slaughtered thousands of Americans in an unprovoked attack and Germany was trying to take over all of Europe while attempting to exterminate an entire people group. However, in Korea and especially in Vietnam, the American goals were less noble and their effort to win was less committed (on the part of the government, not the soldiers). All this led to the 1968 announcement by CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite that the Vietnam War was "unwinnable." From that moment until now, Americans have lost the will to fight.

In 2001, after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the American will briefly rallied. Patriotism was at a higher level than I'd ever seen as there were flags flying everywhere. President Bush vowed to chase the terrorists to the ends of the earth in order to achieve victory. He said it would be a long and difficult fight. But, what he didn't consider was that Americans could not sustain their will to win for that long. As soldiers began arriving home in body bags, Americans turned against the military effort. This happened even though far less soldiers were being killed than in previous wars. In the Korean War 36,516 Americans were killed between 1950 and 1953, or 9,129 per year. In Vietnam 58,209 Americans were killed between 1955 and 1975, or 2,910 per year. That number is more likely about 5,000 per year as the overwhelming majority of the deaths occurred in the last ten years. By contrast, there were 258 Americans killed in the first Gulf War and 4,477 between 2003 and 2011 (559 per year) during the second war in Iraq. In Afghanistan, 1,803 Americans have been killed since 2001, which is 164 per year. For comparison purposes, there were 310 homicides in Detroit in 2010.

Each of these deaths is a tragedy and we all recognize that. But, rather than commending the military for keeping so many more young American soldiers alive in recent wars, the public, being led by Hollywood and the news media, has concentrated on the deaths and other casualties resulting in, once again, a loss of the American will to win. It became popular to say "Support our troops," which implied that the troops deserved support even though the mission didn't. Of course, it didn't help that there were no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. This after the Iraqis were given months of warning of a possible invasion.

As the future unfolds with who-knows-what in store for America and the world. America should be ready for any threat. And, they should be ready not only to do what it takes to counter those threats, but to win and win decisively. It may not be pretty.

In my former position as a police detective, I had many unfortunate opportunities to be in the presence of someone recently deceased. Thankfully, many people find death fascinating. They're the ones who become forensic pathologists, coroners or morticians. Without their services we'd have a rather terrible problem. But, I find death unnerving.



Death is a consuming thing. When I would be at the scene of a recent death, I found that my focus would be riveted on the deceased, with death's presence filling the room like a fog. It was overpowering. And, even in the absence of violence, it was ugly. The most beautiful woman, who may have been God's greatest artwork, is ugly in death. Her skin will be gray and her blood pooled around points where her body rests. Her eyes, once beautiful windows to her soul, will be cloudy and lifeless. And, depending on how long she's been dead, she can be bloated beyond recognition, emitting a foul odor you'll never forget. I'm already embarrassed about how I will look when someone finds my dead body someday. I don't think Mom's advice about always wearing clean underwear is going to help much.

In addition to the physical attributes of the dead, I am keenly aware of the value of life and how the deceased will live no longer. They will not laugh, love or learn. There are no more aspirations. The totality of their knowledge is gone. Everything they ever saw, heard, touched, smelled or tasted was recorded in their brain, but is now gone. The loss is devastating, especially for their family and friends.






Death is difficult to reconcile. I've given a lot of thought to the idea, even using it as the basis for my first book, Harrison Davis: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. But, although death is difficult to understand, I believe I know why myself and many others are so averse to it. I think it's because we were never intended to die. When God created Adam and Eve, he intended for them to live forever. Death was a consequence of their sin and continues to be a consequence of our sins. So, even though it is a natural occurrence that we all must face, it isn't really natural at all.

But, we are not without hope. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV 1984) This will not be a physical life as we know it, but a spiritual life after death. It's a free gift but, in order to benefit from this promise, we must consciously accept the gift. It is my hope that you will join with me in the knowledge that we will never die, but live eternally in the presence of God.