By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZThe Paz Files
AUSTIN, Texas - In wars past, the image that moved across oceans of U.S. soldiers in foreign countries showed them passing out candy to children in rags, offering a drink of water to war-ravaged citizens and generally providing the world with a kind face in the name of America.
Lately, the opposite has been true.
In steady reports, the U.S. military has brought shame to a nation that long had worked toward its reputation of being the beacon of freedom and benevolence. From Germany to Korea to South Vietnam, America's soldiers did their fighting, but never were they photographed urinating on residents of those countries, never shown burning local religious books and never did they, with the abberation that was My Lai aside, go on a house-to-house killing spree of women and children. All three happened in recent weeks.
U.S. soldiers are said to have "inadvertently" burned dozens of copies of the Koran last month in Afghanistan, angering the local population. In January, it was that ridiculous display of shameful bravado that had young U.S. Marines peeing on the corpses of dead, presumably members of the Taliban enemy. And, on Sunday, it was a yet-unnamed U.S. Army staff sergeant walking into three Afghan villages to kill 16 civilians, among them nine children.
So, what's this all about?
In the case of the most recent atrocity, some pundits are blaming psychiatric problems. They say the staff sergeant may have been suffering from battle fatigue, having served three tours in Iraq before being assigned to Afghanistan. Perhaps that's why he did it. But the steadiness of these anti-Afghan killings is troubling. It could also be argued that these soldiers simply see all Afghanis as enemies, as people who should all be killed. The American soldier, himself, needs analysis. Most are young, uneducated men, some with ties to neo-nazi groups in this country. They need no reason to kill foreigners.
The Obama Administration has promised a full investigation of the most recent murders. It must go wherever the facts go, and those responsible should be tried. If convicted, they deserve the Death Penalty. It is a shame not only for the entire Free World, but also for the staff sergeant's family. He is said to be 38 years-old, married and the father of two children. At present, his family is in the protective custody of the military at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he was posted prior to shipping overseas.
What's left from this mess is that, to Afghanistan, a country that is supposedly helping us fight the remnants of Al-Qaeda, we are the world's travelling terrorists. There is no question that it is exactly what this American soldier respresented to the nine Afghani children...
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9 comments:
soldiers will be soldiers. they all do it. not that it's right.
Now officials are saying the soldier had suffered a severe brain injury about two years ago. If that is the case, what was he doing in a war zone? These incidents can not be eliminated, but they can be reduced by better screening and planning.
In truth, murder and blood lust are a part of war. Atrocities have occurred in every war the U.S. has fought going back to the Revolutionary War. The difference now is more open news coverage. During the Civil War, tens of thousands of prisoners on both sides were worked and starved to death in camps as bad as any the Nazis’ had later on. In WWII, U.S. Marines commonly killed most Japanese prisoners in island fighting. The U.S. Army Air Corps fire bombed more than 50 Japanese cities, which were not military targets, killing more innocent civilians than those killed by the two atomic bombs. In Viet Nan it was not uncommon tor soldiers to cut off ears as trophies, or to throw prisoners out of helicopters to induce other prisoners to talk. The U.S. is not alone in committing atrocities, every nation, and every army, engages in murder and mayhem whither officially sanctioned or not. This is the nature of war, and the nature of man.
By the way, it is the stock Market and speculators that control the discharge of oil. Everyone knows that.
Chapa and his compadre, were seen running from municipal court, cobardes. Los dos compadres, son gallinas.
Just as I was about to applaud you on the courage, gentlemanliness of a public apology to Hasse, it's gone.
It's such an infrequent, but appropriate, exercise.
Jim
Jim, my apology was needed and offered sincerely. Hopefully, Mr. Hasse saw it. I am fine with knowing I did it. You should know that his attacks on me have been relentless, but that's on him... - Editor
I have personal knowledge of a soldier being deployed to Afghanistan with ailments that should have been resolved prior to deployment. ie: bleeding ulcer that was not under control, knee and back injuries that were gotten on a previous Afghanistan deployment. The place this soldier was deployed was very remote and only had medics for the first month or so, if his bleeding ulcer would have ruptured he would have been in big trouble.
My take is that the soldiers are pressured to go along to get along and to not let the team down. Being a part of a unit that is going to somewhere "HOT" is a big deal to soldiers and they do not want to let their buddies down. IMHO this is where an officer should have stepped in and said NO, this soldier needs medical attention before deployment. Soldiers as you know depend on each other for their lives and emotionally it is really hard to not be up for deployment even if they do need medical attention. I know it is hard to understand if you are not military, but that is just the way it is with soldiers.
BWC you know what I am talking about you were military, not letting down your buddies is a big deal, and I stress again this is where an officer has to step in and say "NO DEPLOYMENT FOR THIS SOLDIER".
We need to get our soldiers out of these needless wars, there is no end to the deadly game that Obama is playing....
I think that it becomes some kind of badge of honor for Presidents to have a war under their belt. The soldiers have no idea why they are there other than they do not want to let down their buddies.
I spoke to my Son about why so many soldiers that are injured and in need of medical treatment for all kind of ailments are deployed anyway. Yes he was deployed twice to Afghanistan with medical issues that should have resolved prior to deployment. There is a lot of pressure on the soldiers to be ready to deploy that comes from their training.
In order for a battalion to be deployed they have to be 70% ready, medically for the battalion to be able to be deployed. This means that anyone that is deployable is not under what the military calls "Military Primary Care", so even when they are at home, they do not always get the medical attention that they need because they may deployed in a few more months. This means that many ailments are over looked or shoved under that rug time and time again. Damaged knees and backs that might need surgery are treated with Motrin and very seldom is an MRI or done. From what I have seen the Military medical care sucks.
Bring them home.
ANON:...War is never pretty and rarely honorable. President Obama is not playing a "deadly game," as you say. He is merely being an American president, someone who has much more info than you or I could ever have, and someone who is there to make decisions - just as George W. Bush was when he sent - what? - 4,000 soldiers to die in Iraq. It's a human failing in all of us... - Editor
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