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He Won't Be Boxing Anymore

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Wed Aug 10, 2005 at 11:16:32 PM EST
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Via Daily Kos and Attytood we learn the story of Gennaro Pellegrini, a police officer and boxer who got caught in the Pentagon's Stop Loss program through which his tour of duty in Iraq was extended. Here's the background, from Will Bunch's article in the Philadelphia Daily News. Yesterday, Bunch (aka Attytood) brings us the unhappy ending.

"I just want to get it done, come home, and continue my life." Those were just about the last words that Gennaro Pellegrini, Jr. -- a 31-year-old Philly cop and up-and-coming boxer -- said to us when we spoke last last November. In less than 48 hours, Pellegrini was about to step onto an airplane bound for Iraq, along with the rest of his Pennsylvania National Guard unit from Northeast Philadelphia.

For anyone who's worried about the return of a military draft, Pellegrini was living proof that we already have one in George W. Bush's America. He desperately did not want to serve in the Persian Gulf. He was just two weeks away from finishing up his six-year stint in the Guard when he was told that his tour of duty was being extended and that he would serve in Iraq for at least a year, maybe longer. The news could not have come at a worse time for Pellegrini. He was training for his first pro fight, newly engaged to be married, and settling into his job as a Philadelphia police officer, just like his dad.

Instead, he was ordered by his government to fight a war that he did not believe in. He told us that the conflict in Iraq was "a so-called war" and that he saw U.S. troops as caught in an impossible situation. In the end, Pellegrini's stay in Iraq lasted little more than eight months. This morning, his parents were notified that he had been killed in action.

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    • He Won't Be Boxing Anymore | 7 comments (7 topical)
    Re: He Won't Be Boxing Anymore (none / 0) (#1)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:10 PM EST
    G*ddamnit!

    Re: He Won't Be Boxing Anymore (none / 0) (#2)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:10 PM EST
    Rev up the swift boats. Surely he was brainwashed by Michael Moore...

    Re: He Won't Be Boxing Anymore (none / 0) (#3)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:12 PM EST
    The soldiers should all stand up and refuse to go. You cannot disobey orders if they are illegal, given by criminals. STAND UP! REFUSE TO GO! SHOW YOUR HONOR BY REFUSING TO KILL CIVILIANS FOR OIL MEN! THEY CAN'T LOCK UP THE ENTIRE US MILITARY. REFUSE TO GO! WHAT CAN THEY DO?

    Re: He Won't Be Boxing Anymore (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:12 PM EST
    And this is how the illegal invasion is raping OUR communities, by removing these people who otherwise would be the backbone of our cities and states, for frivolous, conspiratorial, and falsified purposes. Using up the Guard is one of Bush's most heinous acts. And he's got a lot of them on his hands. Let's put Bush into the fight ring with Pelligrini's first scheduled challenger. Let him walk Pelligrini's beat for a week (without a gun -- he's too dangerous to be armed). Let him do some REAL work, which to him would be like breaking rocks. He goes on vacation so he has time to gaze on his reflection at the pond for long hours. So beautiful!

    Re: He Won't Be Boxing Anymore (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:12 PM EST
    As sad as this story is, I still am caught in the middle. I don't think that our troops should still be there, but I also understand that they would not be there had they not entered the armed forces. Like my husband said, If the majority of the soldiers knew this war was going to happen, they probably would never have signed up. Hind sight is 20/20.

    Re: He Won't Be Boxing Anymore (none / 0) (#6)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:12 PM EST
    These fine, fine people signed up knowing that, yes, they could end up in a battlefield. But they did NOT sign up to be mercenaries for oilmen. They were lied to about the reasons for this conflict. It has nothing to do with defending the nation. And it wasn't a humanitarian crisis, other than the mass deaths due to our sanctions. If Bush ends up like Mussolini I'll be there to cheer it on. Just one of the mob. Scott Ritter says 12 years for us to survive this mess. He's not been wrong yet. Mr. President, you are f***ing under arrest.

    Re: He Won't Be Boxing Anymore (none / 0) (#7)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:12 PM EST
    "Like my husband said, If the majority of the soldiers knew this war was going to happen, they probably would never have signed up. Hind sight is 20/20." I don't think that's the issue. I would certainly hope anyone volunteering to go into the military is well aware of the ramifications of that decision. Even though I joined for the GI Bill benefits - I knew what enlisting entailed and even tho in the medical corp there was still the likelihood of being in 'combat' and I knew that. I think the issue is about pre-emptively striking another country, deliberately starting a war which we now know was based upon false information & lies. Coupled with the constant death toll, the lack of adequate protection unit-wise (trucks, humvees, etc) and personnel-wise (flak jackets), it's no wonder morale would suffer as well as the enlistment numbers.

    He Won't Be Boxing Anymore | 7 comments (7 topical)