Henry Kissinger died on November 29 at the age of 100, prompting people around the world to celebrate his legacy in expanding the global disability community. Thousands flocked to the interwebs to note his accomplishments in increasing the number of disabled people globally without care for race or economic status.
“Some envisioned a world free of mines and bombs,” says warlover420 on X (formerly Twitter). “But Kissinger embodied the ‘where's the fun when you're not constantly being surprised by explosions?' mentality.”
Although he would eventually be granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for ending the Vietnam War, Kissinger first sabotaged efforts to negotiate a cease-fire at the Paris Peace Talks in 1968. This ensured soldiers and civilians caught in the war could become disabled for five more years.
In 1969, he made sure the United States felt compelled to intervene in Cambodia, a place he identified as lacking in disabilities. After the US military left explosive Easter eggs everywhere, thus giving Cambodian children more opportunities to experience new identities, he remarked, “You have to go big or go home, and America never stays home.” To this day approximately 4 million uncleared landmines remian in Cambodia.
He had an indiscriminate passion for raising awareness for PTSD through media attention, and he accomplished this by exponentially increasing the number of people who experience the condition. After seducing the Shah of Iran with demonstrations of how fast F-14s could create entire disabled communities, he laid the inspiration for — and supported — both US involvements in Iraq, a controversy to this day.
Despite disabled veterans and their allies protesting US war efforts, Kissinger continued to inclusively disable people. This ongoing effort will provide disabled American veterans with more friends who share similar experiences — from countries such as Iran, Laos, Bangladesh, Chile, Cyprus, East Timor and more — for decades to come. Many people are amazed that he did not pass away sooner, but his dedication to further disabling the world kept him going well into old age, and it will be his lasting legacy.