not on dido's ship

"Iraqi army officers forced their conscripts to hand over any and all articles of white clothing, including undershirts and socks, lest they be tempted to surrender to American forces."

no one took away this white flag, undershirts, socks....to use at that moment of neither fight or flight. submission. surrender. giving something or self over to the power of another. humbling, yes.... defying, yes....dangerous, yes... vulnerable, yes... painful, yes... after the process of elimination, after every option has been evaluated and attempted...comes the "stainless banner". O that white flag went up... a few of them actually. was there a choice in the matter? iraqi officers eliminate the possibility of free will, not always, only for their conscripts.

"At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice". --maya angelou