TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Friday, May 30, 2008

A Body of War, A Kid You Know


Body of War is a documentary produced by Phil Donohue and directed by Ellen Spiro. It’s a poignant, sad tale about Tomas Young, about his day-to-day struggle to do all the things we take for granted: Eat, rise out of bed, perform natural bodily functions.

You may not know teen throb Justin Timberlake or talk-show mogul Oprah Winfrey. But you know Tomas. Tomas is a normal young kid who loves rock and roll. He was a typical single male who hung out in bars and listened to rock and roll. Now, he’s a paralyzed vet who struggles to live another day.

Tomas joined the Armed forces to serve his country after 911. Like many others, he was transferred from Afghanistan to the war in Iraq where, in less than one week on duty there, he was shot just below his neck and suffered a devastating wound for life. But that’s not the end of the documentary.

This brave young kid, who could have been your son, or brother, or the boy down the street just a few months after the high school prom, continued to fight by speaking out against the Iraqi war. The last thing I heard was that he has fallen into a coma and his mother, Cathy, says they are trying to keep him awake and talking a few hours a day.

Well wishing can be sent to:

Tomas Young - patient
Saint Luke's Hospital
4401 Wornall
Kansas City, MO 64111

You know: instead of throwing away money and wasting time on the movie "Sex and the City," maybe you could do what the daddy did: go to pbs.org, to Moyer’s Journal, and watch a video about a courageous American vet and a kid you already know.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Macdaddy yeah I just caught moyer's pbs show as well. Tom D has never been more passionate and I really look forward to this documentary. Clearly he and his co-director --the young woman --had a human as well as directorial bond and it showed in the clips as well as the discussion they had with moyers.
Required viewing!

Kellybelle said...

Thanks for the info. There is no voice we should heed more than someone who has actually been there and been devasted by this questionable war.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

anon: Yes, anyone watching could tell that they got along very well and was proud of the project they completed. And I think they were really impressed and positively affected by Tom and Kathy's (his mom) courage... I don't see how a person could watch this documentary and not be angry at the people who drove us into the Iraq war as well as elected leaders who were complicit in the propaganda to get us there.
kellybelle: Yes. I hear Tom is struggling just to stay awake and speak. Today, I will pray for him.

Anonymous said...

Heartfelt thanks for your article and where to send well wishes. Tomas Young is a true hero. We hope and pray for his recovery from this setback, his voice is so important to us. The movement to get us out of Iraq will never stop until it is successful, but every day more of our precious service men and women are put in harms way. Thanks again.