Green Berets Face Hearing on Killing of Suspect in Afghan Village

On occasion a non-SpecOp type gets command in the special forces arena. That's not the case with Gen Kearney. He's an old Ranger guy who's had plenty of SpecOp experience. This doesn't add up to me. I could see the criminal guys pushing something like this, but it's really odd that it's the commander.

I thought it might be the part about his being unarmed, that maybe they wanted him as a prisoner for interrogation in such a circumstance, but that would be against the captain who gave the shoot order and not the troops on the ground.

The case revolves around differing interpretations of the kind of force that the Special Forces team that hunted and killed the man, Nawab Buntangyar, were allowed to use once they found him, apparently unarmed.

Then, I thought that this was another in a long line of CYOA activities in the US Army. There's an appearance this guy might already have been a POW with the police, but they signaled to the SF that this was the right guy, and the SF guys shot him from about a 100 yards away. But, the CID investigation would have provided all the CYA support that would be needed. They found the action justifiable.

So, if it isn't CYOA and it isn't "need to interrogate prisoner," then all that's left is conjecture.

Something personal? Something political? Kearney knows, and he should have to take the stand.

Maybe it is local politics, tit for tat, you give us this, we’ll give you that, or maybe he just doesn’t know what the is going on.He may be someone’s lackey, people who will go to any length to cause enough hate and discontent, to force an early withdrawal. We’ll probably be seeing more of these cases, Nazario’s as one in point, where matters that should be closed are rehashed to the detriment of everyone.

Lawyers are continually used to determine actions in this war. I’m surprised you weren’t aware of this. In any case these boys did absolutely nothing wrong and will be exonerated. Unfortunately the damage will have been done..

No question in my mind this charging of the soldiers with murder was completely political in nature.

In his debate with Joe Lieberman, Dick Cheney, in response to Kilnton's abuse of our military, said to our troops: "Help is on the way." Where is that help? Where is the Commander in Chief?

That's the question. We are talking about concepts like honor and loyalty, without which you can't have a real military.

Honor cuts both ways. It means that the troops serve their commander-in-chief, who represents their country, and in return he does his best for them. They are loyal to him, and he is supposed to be loyal to them.

Honor and loyalty broke down when the clintons were in the White House, with obviously malign results for military morale. How can you loyally serve leaders who clearly despise you, and who only dubiously act on behalf of their country? Who give you questionable orders and when you obey them leave you hanging out to dry?

The problem isn't nearly as bad with President Bush. He is a good man who clearly supports the troops, is patriotic, and is attempting to act for the good of the country.

Except when he doesn't. Except when he refuses to reward honor with honor, and loyalty with loyalty. A few instances might be seen as accidental lapses or inattention by a busy man with many burdens. But it happens all the time, and very publicly. And it extends to figures like Scooter Libby, too. How can you expect loyalty from the people who are working under you if you never return the favor? It almost seems as if Bush would rather give up on his real friends, who serve him loyally, than people like Teddy Kennedy, who stab him in the back.

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