Posted on 11/17/2004 2:33:45 PM PST by swilhelm73
We're gonna see more on this issue in the near future. Most folks who've served in combat are taking a much more objective view of how things are changing w/re to the Law of Land Warfare than those who have not.
The shots fired at the "unarmed" terrorist in that mosque in Fallujah are called "security rounds." Its a safety issue pure and simple. After assaulting through a target, put a security round in everybody's head. Sorry al-Reuters, there's no paddy wagon rolling around Fallujah picking up "prisoners" and offering them a hot cup a joe, falafel, and a blanket. There's no time to dick around in the target, you clear the space, dump the chumps, and moveon.org. Are Corpsman expected to treat wounded terrorists?
Negative. Hey libs, worried about the defense budget? Well, it would be waste, fraud, and abuse for a Corpsman to spend one man minute or a battle dressing on a terrorist, its much cheaper to just spend the $.02 on a 5.56mm FMJ.
By the way, terrorists who chop off civilian's heads are not prisoners, they are carcasses.
UPDATE: Let me be very clear about this issue. I have looked around the web, and many people get this concept, but there are some stragglers. Here is your situation Marine. You just took fire from unlawful combatants shooting from a religious building attempting to use the sanctuary status of their position as protection. But you're in Fallujah now, and the Marine Corps has decided that they're not playing that game this time. That was Najaf. So you set the mosque on fire and you hose down the terrorists with small arms, launch some AT-4s (Rockets), some 40MM grenades into the building and things quiet down. So you run over there, and find some tangos wounded and pretending to be dead. You are aware that suicide martyrdom is like really popular with these kind of idiots, and like taking some Marines with them would be really cool. So you can either risk your life and your fireteam's lives by having them cover you while you bend down and search a guy that you think is pretending to be dead for some reason.
Also, you don't know who or what is in the next room, and you're already speaking English to each other and its loud because your hearing is poor from shooting people for several days. So you know that there are many other rooms to enter, and that if anyone is still alive in those rooms, they know that Americans are in the mosque. Meanwhile (3 seconds later), you still have this terrorist that was just shooting at you from a mosque playing possum. What do you do?
You double tap his head, and you go to the next room, that's what.
What about the Geneva Conventions and all that Law of Land Warfare stuff? What about it. Without even addressing the issues at hand you first thought should be, "I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6." Bear in mind that this is a perpetual mindset that in reinforced by experience on a minute by minute basis. Secondly, you are fighting an unlawful combatant in a Sanctuary which is a double No No on his part. Third, tactically you are in no position to take "prisoners" because there are more rooms to search and clear, and the behavior of said terrorist indicates that he is up to no good. No good in Fallujah is a very large place and the low end of no good and the high end of no good are fundamentally the same... Marines get hurt or die. So there is no compelling reason for you to do anything but double tap this idiot and get on with the mission.
If you are a veteran then everything I have just written is self evident, if you are not a veteran than at least try to put yourself in the situation. Remember, in Fallujah there is no yesterday, there is no tomorrow, there is only now. Right NOW. Have you ever lived in NOW for a week? It is not easy, and if you have never lived in NOW for longer than it takes to finish the big roller coaster at Six Flags, then shut your hole about putting Marines in jail for war crimes. Be advised, I am not talking to my readers, but if this post gets linked up, I want regular folks to get this message loud and clear.
Excellent piece!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6502452/
I am very concerned about the fate of these Marines.
Right on brother
In Current Events club at school, everyone thought that they would do the same thing and that he should not be punished (except for one kid, every kid thought this - even the liberals). The teacher was the only person there saying that I was biased by calling the terrorists "terrorists". You see, apparently, they are "insurgents" or "people"! Well, I couldnt bring myself to say either of those so I said "this thing" instead.
That really got him pissed off.
NOW...as in RIGHT NOW. It's kill or be killed brother. Semper Fi.
"Sorry al-Reuters, there's no paddy wagon rolling around Fallujah picking up "prisoners" and offering them a hot cup a joe, falafel, and a blanket."
no, but they get a low carb,pork-free insurgent happy meal
with an blonde infidel barbie blow up doll inside.
Bingo Baby, BINGO!!!
Bump
Even cheap Russian steel cased 5.56 FMJ goes for around $0.12 per round, and worth every penny. The government may get it a little cheaper of course, since they buy and use the stuff in big lots. Same way they kill terrorists, in bulk.
A good way to stop these journalists from such reporting is to ask the imbed to go check on the injured terrorist himself.
The more facts that come out about this have removed any doubt in my mind on the behavior of the Marine as doing the right thing. It may be bad PR, but, its not bad marine.
That would be an improvement over the plastic and neoprene rubber goat they are used to.
I think that I would be a lot more impressed by the Lefties if they made the argument that this poor kid needs to be treated for any number of psychological problems (hell, they've got a million of 'em that seem to require lots of time and money spent of 'therapy') rather than calling for his head. I mean, there's not one iota of sympathy or empathy for this Marine from the Libs.
What would've happened if a 'possum'had popped up and killed the guy next to him? It probably would have gotten the same light-hearted coverage as that poor kid did who was fooled by insurgents dressed out in stolen Iraqui National Guard uniforms and killed.
It seems to me that the Japaneses defenders at Tinian, Iwo Jima, Pelieu and Okinawa resorted to exactly the same tactics as these folks are using, with fake surrenders, faking death, booby-trapped bodies, etc, not to mention suicide bombing in the form of Kamikaze attacks.
Look how that all ended up; Japan was deprived of an entire generation of young men who could've contributed something to their society, because there were very few prisoners taken.
Well said...If only the news media could get a clue.
There it is. Semper Fi...
yeah, this shit is really wacking me out...it is absolutely feckin' impossible to watch a damn video of something like this and then offer a rationalization of the "incident"...jezz o pete...the Marine's first responsibility was to his squad members...believe me, better to shoot first, then shoot again rather than to wonder forever if your hesitation killed your battle buddy...
Nice work.
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