tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post9058911377936507239..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: America's Legacy of Child SoldiersL.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-14720480567700822362013-05-05T13:27:27.546-07:002013-05-05T13:27:27.546-07:00For some reason my comment did not appear.
Judy De...For some reason my comment did not appear.<br />Judy Dee<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08920691933247860237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-29428359695626827382013-05-05T12:35:06.239-07:002013-05-05T12:35:06.239-07:00****ANNOUNCING THE WINNER!****
I held several tin...****ANNOUNCING THE WINNER!****<br /><br />I held several tiny folded pieces of paper out to LoML this morning and asked him to draw one. <br /><br />Jostara, please contact Suzanne directly to make arrangements to receive your free copy of A HOSTAGE TO HERITAGE. Suzanne Adair at gmail dot com <br /><br />Congratulations!<br />Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-85733978484050705012013-05-05T06:35:02.470-07:002013-05-05T06:35:02.470-07:00Congratulations, Suzanne!
It was wonderful having...Congratulations, Suzanne!<br /><br />It was wonderful having you as a guest blogger at CFC. Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-30314696194967401632013-05-05T04:25:12.150-07:002013-05-05T04:25:12.150-07:00Huzzah! A Hostage to Heritage just received its fi...Huzzah! A Hostage to Heritage just received its fifth five-star review on Amazon. "This is a complex and fast-paced thriller with twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged until the last page."Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-90192445605153918332013-05-04T09:14:19.787-07:002013-05-04T09:14:19.787-07:00Warren, I'd read that. Sad, isn't it?Warren, I'd read that. Sad, isn't it?Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-20219894553993040812013-05-04T09:13:32.595-07:002013-05-04T09:13:32.595-07:00Susan, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that e...Susan, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that every nation that's been around for more than a handful of years has used child soldiers at some point. America keeps a low profile about its own history with child soldiers. Many citizens, if asked what a Civil War drummer boy like your ancestor witnessed and had to deal with, would probably give a vague response -- or describe a scene worthy of a Norman Rockwell painting. <br /><br />Your ancestor was fortunate to survive. Musicians (pipe, drum, horn) were early targets in a battle because they relayed movement commands from officers to soldiers above the tumult of battle.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-51098282833088532362013-05-04T07:41:29.914-07:002013-05-04T07:41:29.914-07:00In Guatemala the rebels were called," los muc...In Guatemala the rebels were called," los muchachos" the boys because of their young ages.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-29070013096291057532013-05-04T06:28:44.876-07:002013-05-04T06:28:44.876-07:00I hadn't thought about the link between our hi...I hadn't thought about the link between our history and that of other nations in relation to child soldiers, but I'm glad to have it all pulled together.<br /><br />My great grandfather, whom I knew when I was a small child in the late 1940s, was a drummer boy in the Civil War. He grew up on a farm in western New York, and returned there to run a store, but his years in the war remained vivid. My mother often talked about the Civil War and how real it was to her because of his stories. He was ten years old when the war ended, so he must have been one or two years younger when he marched off. I have one letter that he sent home, talking about what he saw after a battle. He didn't care for Southern cities. He was a farm boy through and through.Susan Oleksiwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-78496863368641795442013-05-03T18:59:41.469-07:002013-05-03T18:59:41.469-07:00Linda, thanks for your thoughtful comments. Yes, o...Linda, thanks for your thoughtful comments. Yes, one of the two brothers identified as being complicit in the recent bombing in Boston is 19. Peak age for soldier training. It isn't difficult to imagine that he and young men like him received training and indoctrination for years.<br /><br />That bombing is another example of why history -- in this case, the historical use of child soldiers -- is relevant. I've written this many times on my blog tour: we aren't learning from history too well. The bonobos are way ahead of us at that.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-60201547641687831872013-05-03T18:25:59.865-07:002013-05-03T18:25:59.865-07:00Suzanne, I find it rather ridiculous that the othe...Suzanne, I find it rather ridiculous that the other blog wouldn't post this essay because they felt it was too controversial. Since when has history and fact become controversial? Sad.<br /><br />I'm not surprised by the quote Gayle heard on PBS from a military officer. If they could, they'd recruit at younger than 18 for that very reason, so they'd have longer with the soldier at peak physical condition with no real sense of mortality and a much more pliable mind.<br /><br />Like you, I wonder how we humans can redirect our evolution toward the more peaceful, cooperative nature of the bonobo.<br /><br />Thanks for your thoughtful post.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-47163276356470567132013-05-03T12:55:12.167-07:002013-05-03T12:55:12.167-07:00Sandra, I cannot imagine how horrible it must be f...Sandra, I cannot imagine how horrible it must be for a child to be kidnapped by a military unit, then forced to fight or act as fodder. In some countries, very young children are kidnapped just so they can act as a human shield for the aggressors. Most of them die in a hail of bullets. So sad.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-27546423907667656632013-05-03T12:50:09.725-07:002013-05-03T12:50:09.725-07:00Lisa, you're so right about how whole families...Lisa, you're so right about how whole families were caught up in the war effort during the American Revolution -- especially in the South, where the war became the Civil War, Part 1. What's sad is that a military unit traveling through an area was often the safest place for a family to be if their political persuasions matched those of the unit but differed from those of their neighbors. So those people might abandon their homes and follow the unit.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-28673470091588923612013-05-03T12:44:02.857-07:002013-05-03T12:44:02.857-07:00Patty, believe it or not, a literary agent once to...Patty, believe it or not, a literary agent once told me that the reason there wasn't more historical fiction set during the American Revolution was because publishers didn't think that time period was "sexy." (!)<br /><br />Ft. Lauderdale is where I was born.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-55499199615655345952013-05-03T12:40:21.841-07:002013-05-03T12:40:21.841-07:00Gayle, you make a good point about younger childre...Gayle, you make a good point about younger children viewing themselves as immortal. I wouldn't be surprised if the realization of one's own mortality doesn't set in until mid-20s for some. You have a close brush with death, or friends or relatives die. Then it sets in.<br /><br />In one piece of primary research that I read (a letter) for my series, a young redcoat who was writing home told his mother that his commander had said that the time to be afraid wasn't when he could hear musket balls whizzing past him, because that meant he hasn't been hit. (!) That's some crazy kind of psychology, isn't it?Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-52816171873952604182013-05-03T12:33:12.316-07:002013-05-03T12:33:12.316-07:00Lynn, war is a part of human history, but I'm ...Lynn, war is a part of human history, but I'm not convinced that it's a part of human nature. I'm reminded of the studies that compare chimpanzees with bonobos. The bonobos, just as closely related to humans as chimps, evolved to be less aggressive and more cooperative because their environment wasn't as threatening. What would happen to humans if their environment wasn't as threatening? Speculative fiction takes a look at that from time to time.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-60593538250309681102013-05-03T12:26:24.438-07:002013-05-03T12:26:24.438-07:00David, thanks for your comments. I agree with you ...David, thanks for your comments. I agree with you about the abuse. And how sad, the picture you describe of the little boy in Gaza. So many of these children merely go where they're told to go, say what they're told to say, and do what they're told to do.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-69458786282141737572013-05-03T10:48:37.617-07:002013-05-03T10:48:37.617-07:00My great-great Aunt Jo was a DAR member; not sure ...My great-great Aunt Jo was a DAR member; not sure why my mother and sister didn't join up. I don't know much about our Revolutionary activities (early family members were based on Natucket and involved with the whaling industry; later ones assisted the Underground Railroad).<br /><br />It's not just the child volunteers to sorrow over. There's also the kidnapped children (or lost/abandoned/orphaned kids who are given no choice). At that age, they don't understand what they're getting into, and by the time they do, it's too late (and they're no longer really children).<br /><br />Sandra (paperback)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-49500112247636886912013-05-03T09:53:36.373-07:002013-05-03T09:53:36.373-07:00I too have many Revolutionary ancestors who fought...I too have many Revolutionary ancestors who fought at a very early age - and one who was one of the oldest! Many entire families were engaged in the War effort, including wives, children, and the elderly. <br /><br />Coincidentally, I am an Adair descendant :) Joseph Adair, Sr. was 70 when he served as Commissary, he (along with son Joseph Jr) were early signers of the Williams Petition as well. I have a history and genealogy page here if anyone is interested. http://www.adair-holland.com/<br /><br />Suzanne, reading your stories brings my heritage to life, thank you so much!<br /><br />Lisa <br />(Kindle is my preference)<br />Jostarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16549519886196706678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-85010252110348937592013-05-03T09:39:08.713-07:002013-05-03T09:39:08.713-07:00Love historical fiction and so happy to have found...Love historical fiction and so happy to have found your series set in Revolutionary America, an oft overlooked period for historicals.<br /><br />Being a Florida native myself (still here in Tampa Bay), I wondered what part of Florida you were born in?Patty G. Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17243681105512640095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-81120066149021527562013-05-03T09:04:14.999-07:002013-05-03T09:04:14.999-07:00This post reminds me of a show I saw on PBS about ...This post reminds me of a show I saw on PBS about military training. The man being interviewed (I don't remember his name or rank) said an interesting thing. He said, although they will take older recruits, they prefer recruits of no older than 19. "When they're young, they're convinced of their own immortality. The 'other guy' will catch the bullet, not them. For some reason, when they turn 20, they realize it could be them."<br /><br />I know that 19 is far older than what we think of as a child soldier, but I do see that denial in a lot of kids. They don't think they'll get hurt, and even death does not seem permanent to them. (I'm sure a child psychologist could explain this better.)<br /><br />To me, this is all the more reason to protect them.Gayle Carlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783449240138097315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-42238050816636257962013-05-03T08:19:21.117-07:002013-05-03T08:19:21.117-07:00I truly wish there was a way to end all war and co...I truly wish there was a way to end all war and conflict but since it's a part of human nature and has been going on forever..........I can just hope and pray. I only know of my family members that served in WWI, WWII, Korean and Vietnam ---- some of them were young but for sure --- not children!<br />Lynn/MI (eBook would be fine)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-45332850547957148782013-05-03T07:44:33.824-07:002013-05-03T07:44:33.824-07:00First, welcome and thanks - deeply - for the post....First, welcome and thanks - deeply - for the post.<br />Second, I am trying to figure out what was so controversial about the post. That it was well-written? That it was informative? That it conveyed passion, knowledge, commitment? Child soldiers are facts - and casualties - of history - and each moment is already history. (see Asimov's "The Dead Past.") Oh, well, that other blog's loss and CFC's gain.<br /> Third, perhaps we need to view war, and particularly children in war, as abuse. But that's a subject for a deeper debate.<br /> Fourth, you asked about child soldiers in one's family. I don't know of any for certain, but given the Cantonist decree in Czarist Russia, it's likely. (This was a decree that conscripted Jewish children as young as 6, I believe, but usually around 10, and forced them to serve in the Czarist army for 25 years, thus destroying their connections with family, community, religion.) <br /> Fifth, there is another picture of a child soldier, other than the one you used, that saddens me every time I think of it: A kindergarten graduation class, in Gaza, with a little boy in "fighting gear" holding up bloody hands, and shouting something like "it's an honor to die killing Jews." <br /> Thank you for the post, for your novels, and for your efforts on behalf of children. Much success.David Y.B. Kaufmannhttp://www.davidybkaufmann.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-45803802548501349812013-05-03T07:10:55.940-07:002013-05-03T07:10:55.940-07:00You're welcome, Peg, and thank you for the opp...You're welcome, Peg, and thank you for the opportunity.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-65190109718215343982013-05-03T07:01:47.714-07:002013-05-03T07:01:47.714-07:00Suzanne, this is a terrific post. Thanks for shari...Suzanne, this is a terrific post. Thanks for sharing some time with us today at CFC.Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-68065088294198153782013-05-03T06:44:48.538-07:002013-05-03T06:44:48.538-07:00Linda, I've learned a few interesting things w...Linda, I've learned a few interesting things while participating in Revolutionary War reenacting on the Crown forces side. For example, there are (at least) two sides to every argument, and the British didn't think of themselves as the villains during the American Revolution. When you learn to switch the point of view like that, it becomes possible to see the point of view of almost every group that our history texts and current news labels a villain.<br /><br />Since my sons grew up in that reenacting environment, they, too, can see the "other" point of view. I imagine what America would be like if every child had that experience. It would be a lot less fearful, I guarantee you. A lot less eager to place semi-automatic death in the hands of five-year-olds.<br /><br />The media bill hatred as the fuel for the use of child soldiers. But if you look beneath the hatred, you'll find fear.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11624472793275282926noreply@blogger.com