Wes Moore: How to talk to veterans about the war

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Caleb Shih

I'm excited to be here to speak about vets,

很興奮能來這裡談退伍軍人，

because I didn't join the Army

因為我沒有為了想上戰場而從軍。

because I wanted to go to war.

I didn't join the Army because I had a lust

我從軍不是因為我渴望

or a need to go overseas and fight.

或需要出國打仗。

Frankly, I joined the Army because

坦白說，我從軍是因為

college is really damn expensive,

唸大學貴得要命，

and they were going to help with that,

他們想幫我；

and I joined the Army because

我從軍是因為

it was what I knew,

我當時只知道這條路，

and it was what I knew that I thought I could do well.

我當時認為我能做得很好。

I didn't come from a military family.

我並非來自軍人家庭。

I'm not a military brat.

我不是軍人子弟。

No one in my family ever had joined the military at all,

我們家族根本沒人從軍過，

and how I first got introduced to the military

我首次和軍方接觸

was when I was 13 years old

是在 13 歲的時候，

and I got sent away to military school,

我被送到軍校，

because my mother had been threatening me

因為我媽從我八歲就開始

with this idea of military school ever since I was eight years old.

就威脅要送我去唸軍校。

I had some issues when I was coming up,

我長大期間有些狀況，

and my mother would always tell me, she's like,

我媽老是說：

"You know, if you don't get this together,

「如果你不振作起來，

I'm going to send you to military school."

我就送你去唸軍校。」

And I'd look at her, and I'd say, "Mommy,

我會看著她，然後說：

I'll work harder."

「媽咪，我會更努力。」

And then when I was nine years old,

到我九歲時，

she started giving me brochures to show me she wasn't playing around,

她開始給我一些小冊子， 讓我知道她是來真的，

so I'd look at the brochures, and I'm like,

我會看著小冊子說：

"Okay, Mommy, I can see you're serious, and I'll work harder."

「媽咪，我知道你是認真的，我會更努力一點。」

And then when I was 10 and 11,

然後在我 10 到 11 歲時，

my behavior just kept on getting worse.

我的行為變得更偏差。

I was on academic and disciplinary probation

我被留校查看的時候

before I hit double digits,

還沒滿 10 歲；

and I first felt handcuffs on my wrists

我的手腕第一次被上手銬

when I was 11 years old.

是在 11 歲的時候。

And so when I was 13 years old,

到了 13 歲，

my mother came up to me, and she was like,

我媽跟我說：

"I'm not going to do this anymore.

「我不幹了。

I'm going to send you to military school."

我要送你去軍校。」

And I looked at her, and I said, "Mommy,

我看著她說：

「媽咪，我看得出來你很難過， 我會更努力。」

I can see you're upset, and I'm going to work harder."

And she was like, "No, you're going next week."

她說：「不，你下星期就得去。」

And that was how I first got introduced

那是我第一次

to this whole idea of the military,

接觸和軍方有關的事，

because she thought this was a good idea.

因為她覺得這是個好主意。

I had to disagree with her wholeheartedly

剛進去時，我打從心底認為她的想法大錯特錯，

when I first showed up there,

because literally in the first four days,

因為基本上，在頭四天

I had already run away five times from this school.

我就已經逃學五次了。

They had these big black gates that surrounded the school,

那裡有些黑色大門環繞校園，

and every time they would turn their backs,

每次他們都會轉身，

I would just simply run out of the black gates

我只要從那黑色大門跑出去，

and take them up on their offer that if we don't want to be there,

如果我們不想待在那，只要抓緊機會，

we can leave at any time.

隨時都能離開。

So I just said, "Well, if that's the case,

因此我想：「好吧，如果是那樣的話，

then I'd like to leave." (Laughter)

那我就會離開。」（笑聲）

And it never worked.

結果從沒成功。

And I kept on getting lost.

我一直迷路。

But then eventually,

終於，我在那待了一陣子，

after staying there for a little while,

and after the end of that first year

在這間軍校待滿一整年後，

at this military school,

I realized that I actually was growing up.

我發現自己真的長大了。

I realized the things that I enjoyed about this school

我發現自己待在這間學校很愉快，

and the thing that I enjoyed about the structure

而喜歡這地方

was something that I'd never found before:

是我從未察覺的事：

the fact that I finally felt like I was part of something bigger,

我終於感到自己歸屬於某個更大的地方，

part of a team, and it actually mattered to people

屬於一個團隊，其實和我同在的人們有關，

that I was there,

the fact that leadership wasn't just a punchline there,

事實上在那裡領導不只是美好的結局，

but that it was a real, actually core part

而是一種真實的事，

其實是整個經驗的核心，

of the entire experience.

And so when it was time for me to actually

因此當我高中快畢業的時候，

finish up high school,

I started thinking about what I wanted to do,

我開始思考自己想做什麼，

and just like probably most students,

就像大部分的學生一樣，

had no idea what that meant or what I wanted to do.

我沒什麼想法，也不知道要做什麼。

And I thought about the people who I

我想了想自己尊敬和欽佩的對象。

respected and admired.

I thought about a lot of the people,

我想了很多人，

in particular a lot of the men, in my life

尤其是許多我在生活中景仰的對象。

who I looked up to.

They all happened to wear the uniform

他們剛好都穿代表美國的制服，

of the United States of America,

so for me, the question and the answer

因此對我來說，問題的答案變得顯而易見。

really became pretty easy.

The question of what I wanted to do

我想做什麼的問題

was filled in very quickly with saying,

很快就有了答案，

I guess I'll be an Army officer.

我想當軍官。

So the Army then went through this process

因此軍隊開始讓我受訓，

and they trained me up,

and when I say I didn't join the Army

我說我沒有因為想上戰場而從軍，

because I wanted to go to war,

the truth is, I joined in 1996.

其實我在 1996 年時從軍了。

There really wasn't a whole lot going on.

其實當時也沒多少戰爭，

I didn't ever feel like I was in danger.

我從不覺得自己身在險境。

When I went to my mom,

我 17 歲第一次從軍時去找了我媽，

I first joined the Army when I was 17 years old,

so I literally needed parental permission

基本上我需要家長同意才能從軍，

to join the Army,

so I kind of gave the paperwork to my mom,

所以我把文件交給我媽，

and she just assumed it was kind of like military school.

然後她只是把那看做是軍校資料。

She was like, "Well, it was good for him before,

她說：「這以前還蠻管用的，

so I guess I'll just let him keep doing it,"

就讓他繼續下去吧。」

having no idea that the paperwork that she was signing

她完全沒概念自己要簽的文件

was actually signing her son up

其實是讓她兒子

to become an Army officer.

成為一名軍官。

And I went through the process,

我完成手續後，

and again the whole time still just thinking,

只是一心想著，

this is great, maybe I'll serve on a weekend,

這太棒了，也許我會在週末服役，

or two weeks during the year, do drill,

或是一整年操練兩週。

and then a couple years after I signed up,

然而在我登記入伍幾年後，

a couple years after my mother signed those papers,

在我媽簽署那些文件幾年後，

the whole world changed.

世界完全變了。

And after 9/11, there was an entirely new context

在 911 之後，我所選擇的職業

about the occupation that I chose.

已有全然不同的環境背景。

When I first joined, I never joined to fight,

我首次入伍時，從沒打算要上戰場，

but now that I was in,

但當我入伍後，

this is exactly what was now going to happen.

那是無可避免的事。

And I thought about so much about the soldiers

我想了很多

關於自己未來得要帶領的士兵。

who I eventually had to end up leading.

I remember when we first, right after 9/11,

我記得第一次，就在 911 之後，

three weeks after 9/11, I was on a plane heading overseas,

911 的三週後，我在飛機上正要出國，

but I wasn't heading overseas with the military,

但我不是和軍隊一起出國，

I was heading overseas because I got a scholarship

我是因為拿到了獎學金才要出國。

to go overseas.

I received the scholarship to go overseas

我拿到獎學金出國，

and to go study and live overseas,

準備要在國外唸書和居住，

and I was living in England and that was interesting,

我當時住在英國，那裡很有趣，

but at the same time, the same people who

但同時，

和我一起受訓的人，

I was training with,

the same soldiers that I went through all my training with,

和我一起受訓的所有士兵，

and we prepared for war,

我們原本都準備上戰場，

they were now actually heading over to it.

他們其實正在路上。

They were now about to find themselves

他們會發現自己正在

in the middle of places the fact is

前往某個地方的半路上，

the vast majority of people,

其實大部分的人，

the vast majority of us as we were training,

我們大部分接受訓練的人

couldn't even point out on a map.

都無法指出要去地圖上的哪個地方。

I spent a couple years finishing graduate school,

我花了幾年唸完研究所，

and the whole entire time while I'm sitting there

這段期間，

in buildings at Oxford

我坐在牛津大學的教室裡，

that were literally built hundreds of years

基本上這些建築都是數百年前建造，

before the United States was even founded,

甚至比美國建立還早，

and I'm sitting there talking to dons

我坐在那裡和師長討論

about the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand,

法蘭茲．斐迪南大公被刺殺的事，

and how that influenced the start of World War I,

以及這件事如何引發第一次世界大戰，

where the entire time my heart and my head

我在那裡的所有時間，

were on my soldiers

心思都在士兵身上，

who were now throwing on Kevlars

他們匆忙穿上克維拉防彈裝備，

and grabbing their flak vests

抓著防彈背心，

and figuring out how exactly do I change around

然後確認我轉換的確切位置，

or how exactly do I clean a machine gun

或是我如何在黑暗之中

in the darkness.

清理槍械。

That was the new reality.

那是新的現實。

By the time I finished that up and I rejoined

到我完成學業、回到軍隊時，

my military unit and we were getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan,

我們已準備好部署前進阿富汗，

there were soldiers in my unit who were now

在我單位上的士兵

on their second and third deployments

現正進行第二、三次的部署，

before I even had my first.

我連一次都還沒去過。

I remember walking out with my unit for the first time,

我記得首次和組員走出去時，

and when you join the Army

當你從軍後，

and you go through a combat tour,

你參與一場戰役，

everyone looks at your shoulder,

每個人都會看你的肩膀，

because on your shoulder is your combat patch.

因為你肩上有隊徽。

And so immediately as you meet people,

因此，只要你和人見面，

you shake their hand,

你和他們握手，

and then your eyes go to their shoulder,

那麼你的眼睛就會落到他們肩上，

because you want to see where did they serve,

因為你想看他們在哪服役，

or what unit did they serve with?

或是他們屬於哪個單位？

And I was the only person walking around

我是唯一肩上空無一物的人。

with a bare shoulder,

and it burned every time someone stared at it.

每次有人盯著看，我都覺得很尷尬。

But you get a chance to talk to your soldiers,

但是你有機會和你的士兵對話，

and you ask them why did they sign up.

你問他們為什麼要從軍。

I signed up because college was expensive.

我從軍是因為大學學費很貴。

A lot of my soldiers signed up for completely different reasons.

許多士兵從軍是出於完全不同的原因。

They signed up because of a sense of obligation.

他們從軍，是因為一種責任感。

They signed up because they were angry

他們從軍，是因為他們很生氣，

and they wanted to do something about it.

他們想要做點什麼。

They signed up because

他們從軍，是因為

their family said this was important.

他們的家人說這很重要。

They signed up because they wanted some form of revenge.

他們從軍，是因為他們想要報仇。

They signed for a whole collection of different reasons.

他們從軍是出於各式各樣的原因。

And now we all found ourselves overseas

而現在，我們都發現自己都在國外

fighting in these conflicts.

打這些仗。

And what was amazing to me was that I

讓我驚訝的是，

very naively started hearing this statement

我開始天真地聽進這種言論，

that I never fully understood,

我從未完全了解的言論，

because right after 9/11, you start hearing this idea

因為在 911 之後，

where people come up to you and they say,

你會開始碰到有人過來對你說：

"Well, thank you for your service."

「謝謝你的服務。」

And I just kind of followed in and started saying

之後我做一樣的事，

the same things to all my soldiers.

開始對我的士兵說同樣的話。

This is even before I deployed.

這件事甚至在我被派上戰場前。

But I really had no idea what that even meant.

但我其實不懂那是什麼意思。

I just said it because it sounded right.

我只是照著說，因為聽起來沒錯。

I said it because it sounded like the right thing to say

我說是因為那聽起來

to people who had served overseas.

像該對曾在海外服役者說的話。

"Thank you for your service."

「謝謝你的服務。」

But I had no idea what the context was

但是我對這話的內容沒概念，

or what that even,

甚至，

what it even meant to the people who heard it.

甚至對那些聽到的人來說 是什麼意思都不知道。

When I first came back from Afghanistan,

當我第一次從阿富汗回來，

I thought that if you make it back from conflict,

我想如果你從戰場上順利回來，

then the dangers were all over.

那所有的危險就都結束了。

I thought that if you made it back from a conflict zone

我想如果你成功從戰區回來，

that somehow you could kind of

你多少有資格可以擦掉額頭上的汗水說：

wipe the sweat off your brow and say,

"Whew, I'm glad I dodged that one,"

「呼，真高興我逃過一劫。」

without understanding that for so many people,

卻沒想到對許多人來說，

as they come back home,

他們回了家，

the war keeps going.

戰爭還是持續進行。

It keeps playing out in all of our minds.

戰爭在我們的心裡仍繼續上演。

It plays out in all of our memories.

戰爭在我們的記憶中仍繼續上演。

It plays out in all of our emotions.

戰爭在我們的情緒中上演。

Please forgive us

請原諒我們，

if we don't like being in big crowds.

若是我們不想待在大批人潮裡。

Please forgive us

請原諒我們，

when we spend one week in a place

如果我們花了一個星期

that has 100 percent light discipline,

待在有燈光管制的地方，

because you're not allowed to walk around with white lights,

那是因為你不准走在白光底下，

because if anything has a white light,

因為如果有白光，

it can be seen from miles away,

在幾哩外就能被看見，

versus if you use little green

相較之下如果你用小綠燈，

or little blue lights,

或是小藍燈，

they cannot be seen from far away.

在遠處就不會被看見。

So please forgive us if out of nowhere,

因此請原諒我們，如果突然間，

we go from having 100 percent light discipline

我們從一個到處有燈光管制的地方，

to then a week later being back in the middle of Times Square,

一個星期後回到時代廣場中央，

and we have a difficult time adjusting to that.

我們會很難適應。

Please forgive us

請原諒我們，

when you transition back to a family

當你回到家裡，

who has completely been maneuvering without you,

這個家的運作已經完全習慣沒有你，

and now when you come back, it's not that easy

而當你現在回來了，

to fall back into a sense of normality,

要回到正常的感覺不太容易，

because the whole normal has changed.

因為正常的意義早已完全改變。

I remember when I came back, I wanted to talk to people.

我記得當我回來時，我想找人說話。

I wanted people to ask me about my experiences.

我希望有人問問我的經歷。

I wanted people to come up to me and tell me,

我希望有人來問我：

"What did you do?"

「你是做什麼的？」

I wanted people to come up to me and tell me,

我希望有人來問我：

"What was it like? What was the food like?

「那是什麼樣子？食物嘗起來如何？

What was the experience like? How are you doing?"

那經歷是什麼樣子？你還好嗎？」

And the only questions I got from people was,

然而我唯一被問到的是：

"Did you shoot anybody?"

「你有槍殺任何人嗎？」

And those were the ones who were even curious

那些人好奇到什麼都會說。

enough to say anything.

Because sometimes there's this fear

因為有時候會有種恐懼和擔心，

and there's this apprehension that if I say anything,

在我說了之後，

I'm afraid I'll offend,

我怕我會冒犯，

or I'm afraid I'll trigger something,

或是我怕我會引發什麼，

so the common default is just saying nothing.

所以通常就只會什麼都不說。

The problem with that

問題是

is then it feels like your service

那感覺就像是你的服務

was not even acknowledged,

甚至不值得被表彰，

like no one even cared.

就像根本沒有人在乎一樣。

"Thank you for your service,"

「謝謝你的服務」，

and we move on.

然後我們就繼續過日子。

What I wanted to better understand

我想更了解的是

was what's behind that,

在那背後的東西，

and why "thank you for your service" isn't enough.

還有為什麼「謝謝你的服務」並不足夠。

The fact is, we have literally

事實上，

我們其實有 260 萬名男女

2.6 million men and women

who are veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan

是伊拉克或阿富汗回來的退伍軍人，

who are all amongst us.

他們就身在我們之中。

Sometimes we know who they are,

有時候我們知道他們是誰，

sometimes we don't,

有時不然，

but there is that feeling, the shared experience,

但是有種感覺，就是在共有的經歷

the shared bond

和共有的關係之中，

where we know that that experience

我們知道那種經歷

and that chapter of our life,

以及我們生命中的那個篇章

while it might be closed,

也許已經停止了，

it's still not over.

但尚未結束。

We think about "thank you for your service,"

我們思考「謝謝你的服務」，

and people say, "So what does 'thank you for your service' mean to you?"

人們會說：「『謝謝你的服務』 對你有什麼意義？」

Well, "Thank you for your service" means to me,

「謝謝你的服務」對我而言有意義，

it means acknowledging our stories,

那代表承認我們的故事，

asking us who we are,

問問我們是誰，

understanding the strength

了解和我們一起服務的人

that so many people, so many people who we serve with, have,

擁有多強大的力量，

and why that service means so much.

以及為什麼這服務如此重要。

"Thank you for your service" means acknowledging the fact

「謝謝你的服務」代表了承認這件事，

that just because we've now come home

只因為我們現在回來了，

and we've taken off the uniform

我們脫下了制服，

does not mean our larger service to this country

不代表我們對國家更大的服務

is somehow over.

已就此結束。

The fact is, there's still a tremendous amount

事實上，還有無數

that can be offered and can be given.

能夠奉獻與幫忙的事。

When I look at people

當我看著人們，

like our friend Taylor Urruela,

像是我們的朋友泰勒．烏魯埃拉，

who in Iraq loses his leg,

他在伊拉克失去了一隻腳，

had two big dreams in his life.

他在生命中曾有兩個最大的夢想。

One was to be a soldier. The other was to be a baseball player.

一個是當軍人，另一項是當棒球員。

He loses his leg in Iraq.

他在伊拉克失去了腳。

He comes back

回來後，

and instead of deciding that,

他沒有想

well, now since I've lost my leg, that second dream is over,

既然我失去了腳，第二個夢想也沒了，

he decides that he still has that dream of playing baseball,

相反地，他還是有打棒球的夢想，

and he starts this group called VETSports,

他設立了退伍軍人運動協會，

which now works with veterans all over the country

目前在全國各地服務退伍軍人，

and uses sports as a way of healing.

將運動做為一種治療的方式。

People like Tammy Duckworth,

像譚美．達克沃斯這樣的人，

who was a helicopter pilot

她曾是直升機駕駛，

and with the helicopter that she was flying,

她操作的直升機

you need to use both your hands

需要運用雙手和雙腳來駕駛，

and also your legs to steer,

and her helicopter gets hit,

但是她的直升機被襲擊，

and she's trying to steer the chopper,

她試著駕駛直升機，

but the chopper's not reacting

但是直升機沒有反應，

to her instructions and to her commands.

她的指令和操作無效。

She's trying to land the chopper safely,

她試著安全降落直升機，

but the chopper doesn't land safely,

但是直升機卻降落失敗，

and the reason it's not landing safely

會降落失敗的原因

is because it's not responding to the commands that her legs are giving

不是因為直升機 對她雙腳的指令沒有回應，

because her legs were blown off.

而是因為她的雙腳被炸掉了。

She barely survives.

她勉強活下來了。

Medics come and they save her life,

軍醫趕來，救了她一命，

but then as she's doing her recuperation back at home,

但她後來在家復健時，

she realizes that, "My job's still not done."

她想：「我的工作還沒結束。」

And now she uses her voice

現在，她運用她的聲音，

as a Congresswoman from Illinois

擔任伊利諾州的國會眾議員，

to fight and advocate for a collection of issues

為許多議題而戰鬥與倡議，

to include veterans issues.

其中包含許多退伍軍人的議題。

We signed up because

我們從軍是因為

we love this country we represent.

我們愛自己代表的國家。

We signed up because

我們從軍是因為

we believe in the idea and we believe in the people

我們相信這個理念，

以及在我們左右的人。

to our left and to our right.

And the only thing we then ask is that

而我們要求的只是

"thank you for your service"

「謝謝你的服務」

needs to be more than just a quote break,

不該只是一句標語，

that "thank you for your service" means

「謝謝你的服務」代表了

honestly digging in

真誠地服務上門的客人，

to the people who have stepped up

simply because they were asked to,

只因為這些人提出要求，

and what that means for us not just now,

而那對我們的意義不只是現在，

not just during combat operations,

不只是在作戰的期間，

but long after the last vehicle has left

而是在離開最後一台車之後，

and after the last shot has been taken.

在開了最後一槍之後。

These are the people who I served with,

這些是和我一起服務的夥伴，

and these are the people who I honor.

這些是我景仰的對象。

So thank you for your service.

謝謝你的服務。

(Applause)

（掌聲）