Posted on 11/06/2003 4:44:20 AM PST by Jeff Head
The following is Lt. Col. Allen B. West's own candid comment regarding the situation he faced in Iraq, as reported by the Washington Dispatch on November 5, 2003:
"I have never denied what happened and have always been brutally honest," said Col. West. "I accept responsibility for the episode, but my intent was to scare this individual and keep my soldiers out of a potential ambush. There were no further attacks from that town. We ... apprehended two other conspirators (a third fled town) and found out one of the conspirators was the father of a man we had detained for his Saddam Fedeyeen affiliation. "Colonel West takes personal responsibility for his actions. He makes no bones about it, he threatened this Iraqi spy bodliy harm to get information from him. And that is what he was, a spy working within the Iraqi Police Force that has been established and supported by the coalition authority. As a spy, under the so-called rules of war, I believe he could have shot the man. Perhaps that is an angle that should be explored.
In either case, Colonel West's actions no doubt saved the lives of Americans...the lives he is principally responsible for...and that was his motivation.
He understood that while he may have violated the rules (and he admits to and takes responsibility for this as well)...he also understood he was going to do what had to be done, in a war zone, to save the lives of the men under his command.
The rules were written by men and women sitting in safe seats far away from combat and the brutal reality of the moment. For the most part they are good rules and should not be violated. But there are times when the SHTF that you have to do what you must to save the lives of those you are responsible for, American lives, and accomplish the mission. Colonel West knew his greater responsibility and he performed it, regardless of personal cost. The trait of a true leader in my book.
President Truman incinerated tens of thousands of Japanese to save hundreds of thousands of Americans...and in so doing he also saved millions of Japanese. In today's world and PC nomenclature this might be considered a war crime...a violation of the "rules". But back then it was heralded by the soldiers as a God-send...and by Americans back home as what had to be done to end the war. People who had seen for themsleves the cold reality of four years of World War.
That generation is dying out and it seems we have forgottent their experiences and the lessons.
The reality is, that by scaring this man in the fashion he did...West not only saved American lives...he saved the lives of Iraqis as well.
God bless you Colonel West...you've got my back any time!
Charlie Mike.
Now I lay me down to sleep With prayers that chuck won't leap Over the wire or under creep And from incoming, not a peep
Just one long unbroken night With no waking with a fright With no fearful imagined sight Just one night would be all right
But as I lay there and did this dream Came the inbound with a scream Nights like this can make you mean No rest from war it would seem
You grab your jacket, boots, and pot M-16 and all the rest you got "Damn this shit" is a passing thought As you wish that chuck would rot
Out the hootch and down the bunker For an hour you just hunker To say you're mad couldn't be blunter Another night has been blown asunder
Eventually, the all clear sounds The relief from all abounds Perhaps tonight no more incoming rounds Such nights form justifiable grounds
For a deep-seated hatred of war Not for the cause for which I was sure But for the fear and death and more War does not conform to the stuff of lore
War is dirty, it's hard and it hurts It kills with out mercy both shirts and skirts This wasn't what I expected, the private blurts I'm sorry my son, but that's the way war works
TUVM -- Eastbound
Anyone who cannot see that we are on the brink of global conflagration is not qualified to stage a backyard barbecue.
"...we should have already done so after 9-11"
Agree 100%
Rules are table decorations; war is total; either victory is the goal or surrender is imperative to avoid inevitable, and unnecessary casualties. You sound like a school teacher.
Your general attitude about Col. West is one of a guy who sat in a covered foxhole while mortars thundered down around you, never seeing the enemy soldier face to face and considered himself in combat.
There is a large difference between that and the guy who has to shoot back just to keep his position from being overrun by the enemy soldier.
Which of the two have you done, both?
Right on!
Ispy4u is a textbook example of why we are having the difficulties we are in Iraq. - He is obviously the product/victim of our failed government school system, and I fear that there are more of him out there than there are Col. Wests.
5.56mm
Frankly, I just hope LTC West is allowed to retire with his pension. He has been "overcharged" as they say in the law biz. Prison and denial of pension should never have been on the table.
There is something to reality after all BUMP.
"Lost his bearings"? Fella, we are at war, not in a finishing school for diplomats.....in war you kill or get killed. West did the right....no, the only thing a responsible commander should do under similar circumstances.
You bone up on the Marquis of Queensbury Rules.... and stand aside. Real men are fighting a real war.
Maybe it's just an Army thing. I wouldn't know. I was in the Corps where it was drummed into us that protecting the lives of those under our command was indeed our responsibility.
Of course accomplishing the mission came first, but you bet your sweet ass that the Marine Corps sure as hell didn't promote people who wasted the lives of those they were in charge of.
If any Noncom in the Corps uttered the drivel you wrote, he would have instantly been relieved of duty.
Noncoms with attitudes like yours lead to fragging. Normally I'm against it, but in your case.....
L
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