Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), a former Army lieutenant colonel, sent THE WEEKLY STANDARD an email commenting on the Marines' video<http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/silence-republican-candi...,


“I have sat back and assessed the incident with the video of our Marines urinating on Taliban corpses. I do not recall any self-righteous indignation when our Delta snipers Shugart and Gordon had their bodies dragged through Mogadishu. Neither do I recall media outrage and condemnation of our Blackwater security contractors being killed, their bodies burned, and hung from a bridge in Fallujah.
“All these over-emotional pundits and armchair quarterbacks need to chill. Does anyone remember the two Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who were beheaded and gutted in Iraq?
“The Marines were wrong. Give them a maximum punishment under field grade level Article 15 (non-judicial punishment), place a General Officer level letter of reprimand in their personnel file, and have them in full dress uniform stand before their Battalion, each personally apologize to God, Country, and Corps videotaped and conclude by singing the full US Marine Corps Hymn without a teleprompter.
“As for everyone else, unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell.”


~aj

video is here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-user-polls/post/sho...

There is a poll at the bottom.

Over 30,000 have voted.
It's an unacceptable desecration - 11%
It's an embarrassment - 7%
It's not surprising -- things like this happen in war - 82%

I voted & selected #3.


If you wish to see how war affects those that fight it. I suggest
"With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" by E B Sledge.
The above doesn't even compare to what happened to Japanese soldiers by Marines.
http://www.amazon.com/Old-Breed-At-Peleliu-Okinawa/dp/089141...


Or check to see when POV will rerun Armadillio which is about Danish soldiers in Afghanistan. The Danes were continuing losing members to IEDS.Then near the end of their deployment they were able to finally close & kill a Taliban detachment.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/armadillo/photo_gallery_background.ph...
Though it is not clearly captured in the film, the final, dizzying firefight appears to show the soldiers executing wounded Taliban fighters.

Whether the soldiers go over the line in killing wounded Taliban fighters is in the eye of the beholder, but the fact that the soldiers are seen laughing and bragging after the killing has left many Danes disturbed.


The Danes were clearly pumped up by finally able to adminiter some payback. The film show them calling home & bragging to family. Their families didn't understand & complained to Danish military high command that they had turned their sons into killers. This had a ramification that the film showed. The men were instructed not to talk about what had happened. It was evendent that some soldiers were baffled. "hey that was what we were sent over here to do." Danish civilians do want to see the brutal truth though. Just as American citizens don't to know the psychological impact of sending soldiers on multiple tours. It wasn't usual for a soldier/marine to do 3 tours of duty.

In an era of instantaneous communication & little censorship the folks at home now git an eyeful of the brutalization & dehumanizing affect of war on loved ones that they don't really want to know.

“I have sat back and assessed the incident with the video of our Marines urinating on Taliban corpses. I do not recall any self-righteous indignation when our Delta snipers Shugart and Gordon had their bodies dragged through Mogadishu. Neither do I recall media outrage and condemnation of our Blackwater security contractors being killed, their bodies burned, and hung from a bridge in Fallujah.
“All these over-emotional pundits and armchair quarterbacks need to chill. Does anyone remember the two Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who were beheaded and gutted in Iraq?
“The Marines were wrong. Give them a maximum punishment under field grade level Article 15 (non-judicial punishment), place a General Officer level letter of reprimand in their personnel file, and have them in full dress uniform stand before their Battalion, each personally apologize to God, Country, and Corps videotaped and conclude by singing the full US Marine Corps Hymn without a teleprompter.
“As for everyone else, unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell.”

So, to summarize Col West's position:
Yeah, it's wrong, but if you didn't serve, you aren't entitled to an opinion.

What an @$$hat this guy is.

-spookysquid

P.S. Col West isn't shaping up to be the sharpest commentator and may want to consider a new career field. Then again, maybe he's just being a politician playing to an over simplified base: http://boards.fool.com/29733525.aspx

Neither do I recall media outrage and condemnation of our Blackwater security contractors being killed, their bodies burned, and hung from a bridge in Fallujah.
I certainly recall it.

When the enemy conducts themselves within the "Laws of Armed Conflict", they might then be entitled to be 'processed' as Lawful Combatants,

...instead of "ILLEGAL COMBATANTS" with no/any expected protections under International Law.

When the enemy conducts themselves within the "Laws of Armed Conflict", they might then be entitled to be 'processed' as Lawful Combatants,

...instead of "ILLEGAL COMBATANTS" with no/any expected protections under International Law.

Other people's poor behavior does not excuse our poor behavior.* Or, to be more specific, other groups failure to comply with LOAC does not excuse us from following proscribed behavior under LOAC. There is no excuse or acceptable reason for this to have occurred.

-spookysquid

*I tell my kids this all the time. Eventually they'll get it...I hope.

“As for everyone else, unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell.”


Rep. West doesn't understand how America works.

This isn't a military dictatorship where the military gets to make it's own rules, and civilians must cower quietly in the corner, not daring to speak out against the bad actions of military members.

Until Rep. West learns that the is a Republic, where citizens are allowed to speak their mind, he should look for another line of work.

Those Marines were wrong. What they did was unprofessional, irresponsible, and undisciplined That is not changed by the fact that the Taliban are also uncivilized asshats.

Their lack of discipline hurt this country and strengthened our enemy.

Even an unthinking, hot headed, loud-mouth blowhard like Allen West should realize that is NOT good.

...“All these over-emotional pundits and armchair quarterbacks need to chill. Does anyone remember the two Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who were beheaded and gutted in Iraq?... - averagjoe | Date: 1/16/2012 1:47:32 AM | Number: 37242

They clearly had substandard inadequate training, or fell asleap during traaining exercises -- it does happen. Not to a SEAL however!

Kahuna, CFA
Capt. (Ret.)

Navy Seals are not Captains!

"Navy Seals are not Captains! "

In Kahuna's alternate universe they may even be generals.

~aj

Navy Seals are not Captains!

Don't tell Frog6 that.

-spookysquid

Navy Seals are not Captains!

Don't tell Frog6 that.
---------------------------

Frog6 is a CAPT, no a Captain. See how easy that was?