Posted on 01/12/2012 6:01:56 PM PST by smokingfrog
Alex Lemons, a former Marine sergeant who deployed to Iraq three times – including once as scout sniper – reflects on the video of four Marines urinating on the corpses of three dead Taliban in Afghanistan:
This is all very painful to me on so many different levels. Back in 2004 one of my fellow snipers shot someone in a mosque in Fallujah. You will probably remember it getting on TV. It was very confusing. I have tried stopping things like this before or I’ve been a coward and let them happen.
In my eyes, there are several discomforting or significant things about this event:
– If you aren’t surprised and disgusted by this as a combatant, veteran or as a civilian whose country has been at war for a decade, then maybe you need to take a look in the mirror. Have you become this callous?
– I’d like to know how many tours those grunts have been on. Do we know what condition they are in mentally? Are any on medications?
– This happened a lot in Fallujah II 2004 and I have a couple explanations. There were a lot of kids who imitated things they saw or read in Vietnam War films or literature. You always look back on the last war to explain your own.
Sometimes, Marines needed to take pictures and laugh about the death swirling around them because if they took it seriously and grieved then they would not be able to function and continue the fight.
(Excerpt) Read more at battleland.blogs.time.com ...
Or just maybe they saw what happened to Army Rangers in Somalia.
Those Marines are misguided. They ought to decorate the dead moslems with BACON.
That way, the mozzies don’t get into “mozzie heaven” and never get 72 mozzie virgins.
After the bacon ceremony, go ahead and piss on ‘em if you wish.
President Omoslem pisses on America every day, so his fellow jihadis deserve a squirt.
Whatever happened to tearing off head and s******* in neck?
Shut up, dude. Just shut up. Go have a good cry somewhere.
Some time after WW II, the USA either forgot how to actually fight a war to win, or the “powers that be” chose to quit winning wars.
Korea ended in a stalemate
Vietnam ended in the US tucking tail and running
In the first Gulf War, we chose to quit before we won.
In our current “wars”, we continue to fight a “war” by tying the hands of our warriors with insane rules of engagement, catch-and-release of terrorists caught in the act, and we wonder why a handful of those warriors behave badly? I think we should be praising the 99.9999% of them who actually carry out their jobs with honor.
By no- we have to make them all out to be monsters.
I’m not interested in what a part time Marine sniper has to say as he runs down his fellow marines.
They shot the ears?
For our nation to give more than a token apology is to grovel before a people not known for their delicacy in refusing to desecrate the dead.
Was there ever an apology for the beheading video of Daniel Pearl? A non combatant who was alive when his head was cut off and video circulated worldwide on the news?
Could be a new sort of water boarding.
No, the enemy, but shooting an ear falling from a helicopter would have been a challenge! LOL
Daniel Pearl
I disagree. It should be talked about. It should be documented. And medals passed around.
Give people a really good dose of what it is they should expect from the politicians they vote in.
Start some kind of "police" action. Or any other kind of unwar war.
And then make some kind of misguided judgment on the result(s).
F*** that.
-- George Orwell
I have long stated that we have worked very hard to take the horrors out of war. The civilization of warfare has led to the state of perpetual warfare. Until we humans return to absolute war with absolute caputulation with all the horrors of total conquest and the loser cries out “no more” - the politicians will be far to ready to risk the people in war.
For only in total conquest will a person, nation, and the world learn the harsh reality of war. And when the politicians once again rattle their sabers and cry out for blood, then the PEOPLE will say no, we will not do that or risk that, again.
Very good points!
I’ll send them a supply of bacon grease.
Clinton and Obama are worried that the Taliban might not talk to us now! These jerks are cutting people’s heads off and blowing up innocent civilians the world over. Why do we give a crap if the Taliban will talk to us.
“The last thing they need is a bunch of armchair Eleanor Roosevelts sentencing them to more “finishing school” classes.”
For those with no sense of humor I was joking.
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