No man left behind

All lives matter. So it’s good news that the US F-15 crew shot down over Iran last week has been rescued. Some people are talking about how much the rescue cost — maybe around $300 million. But that’s not really the point. The US tries very hard to save its soldiers because it believes no price is too high to bring them home. But what about everyone else? What about enemy soldiers, and ordinary people who aren’t fighting, on both sides?

It’s hard to know the exact numbers during a war. But in the past five weeks, at least 1,600 Iranian civilians — including about 250 children — have died in US and Israeli strikes. In Lebanon, close to 1,500 civilians have also been killed. Fewer people have died in Israel, but since this is seen as a war Israel chose to fight, those deaths might have been avoided. Even countries like Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE, which are not at war, have lost people.

Would this war have happened if both sides truly believed every life was equally important? India has a long tradition of valuing peace, but other countries may need to think this way too. The world also seems to be getting more dangerous. For many years, people believed that the destruction of World War II made big wars less likely. But conflicts in places like Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, and Sudan have shaken that belief. Countries that once focused on peace, like Germany and Japan, now feel they need to build up their militaries again.

This war is also a reminder for the media. Right now, the rescue of the US pilot is being shown as a heroic story. But when there are many stories celebrating one rescue, they can hide the suffering of thousands of others. It can start to seem like war is mainly about brave rescues, instead of the many people who are killed. Stories matter. The Vietnam War lasted as long as it did partly because of how it was reported. Even today, many people remember the 58,000 American soldiers who died more than the millions of Vietnamese who also lost their lives.

In this war, the US and Israel would like people to celebrate their successes and mourn their losses. But the idea behind the rescue — “No Man Left Behind” — should apply to everyone. The media should not let one side’s stories overshadow the suffering of others. Because all lives are valuable, the pain of every man, woman, and child should be told.

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