Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dave Chance]

Yep, that makes one more, written up about in the news. Many incidents go unreported.

And no, the killing of non-combatant women and children cannot be excused or explained away by "combat stress". It may be that women and children aid "the enemy" from time to time...as would American women and children should Afghani or other foreign soldiers land on and conduct missions on US soil.

America, get the hell out already from like everywhere. Evolve a better strategy for engaging the world and earn your a badge as a true leader, one that leads away from the King Kong approach. Let the Russians or Chinese be seen as the idiot trying to force everyone to go their way.

Face it, it's no longer a case of "a few bad apples". Too many of these incidents time and again, and symptomatic of a misguided overall approach...and the triumph of capitalism aided by the military has resulted in a world where economies are -------, jobs are --------, resources are -------, the price of living has-------, the natural environment is --------, multinational corporations have ---------, et al.

Ok, had to get that out. Now go ahead.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/sixteen-dead-as-rogue-us-soldier-opens-fire-on-afghan-villagers-20120312-1ut4j.html


A US soldier opened fire on villagers near his base in southern Afghanistan on Sunday and killed 16 civilians, according to President Hamid Karzai who called it an "assassination" and furiously demanded an explanation from Washington. Nine children and three women were among the dead.

The killing spree deepened a crisis between US forces and their Afghan hosts over Americans burning Muslim holy books on a base in Afghanistan last month.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/taliban-vow-revenge-for-u-s-soldiers-rampage

The soldier walked off his base, heavily armed and with night vision equipment, and broke into three village homes before dawn Sunday, killing 16 people including women and children, according to Western and Afghan sources.

Some bodies bore blackened burn marks, according to an AFP correspondent who saw them at the villages in the southern province of Kandahar.

He (Afghani President Karzai) spoke by telephone with the families of those killed, including Rafihullah, a 15-year-old boy wounded in the leg, who told the president the soldier had torn the dresses of the women in the house and insulted them.

�He came to my uncle�s home, he was running after women, he was tearing their dresses, insulting them,� Rafihullah said on an audiotape of the conversation heard by AFP.

�He killed my uncle and killed our servant and killed my grandma, he shot dead my uncle�s son, his daughter,� the boy said.

[Died By Bear]

It's always tragic when so many U.S. Army have worked so hard to build trust with the local population only to see everything collapse when one bad person goes wrong.

We don't know all the details yet, but he really should be shot by firing squad if he lowered himself to their level.

Especially since America is held to a higher standard than the rogue animals that make up most of the Afghan army.

Since some of you weren't there, let me tell you what these guys do to their own women and children. Besides all the killings of U.S. personnel on the same team by rogue Afghans, they will routinely rape and kill children and dump their bodies in ditches only meters from their guard posts. Keep that in mind.

They routinely attempt to rape NATO personnel, men and women alike.

There is no excuse for what that Sgt. did. He should be tried and punished for his crimes. But don't for one minute think that very many American infantry grunts give a rats behind what he did. The great majority of them just want to go home to their families safe.

American soldiers do read the news.

They know very well that the American public and the rest of the world do not support them. No one back home cares and some people want to turn the guy over to the locals. why would they care about what happens to the locals when they have enough to worry about just getting home safe? This is their mentality.

My wife is there right now. She's seen seen shit that would make most teachers here vomit, and it wasn't us that did it. it was our partners.

Ever watch a group of ANA gun down a 15yo on a bike, take his money and bag of weed and throw him in the ditch 20 meters from the checkpoint they sleep in? Of course not. You're too busy reading propaganda and Koby 2012 videos to care.

My wife and other soldiers have to work with those people.

One thing I do know, MOST soldiers really want America to pull out - MORE than any of you want them to pull out.

They would much rather see the Afghans decide for themselves what to do with their country. stone age world living is what they want, there's no denying it.

Why hasn't Obama pulled them out yet? Why?

A man named Dwight David Eisenhower, who knew a little something about war and also about running a country, said "If you commit the American flag, you commit it to win". While fault rests with this soldier and he should be tried under the UCMJ and punished accordingly, just as much fault lies in this administration's directionless Afghanistan "strategy".

[Dave Chance]

Hey well said, and some good insight into some of the reality of being there on the ground.

Word is the usual US gov't/multinational greed is interested in Afghanistan's mineral deposits, and so the administration keeps up the usual, "we're there to liberate the Afghani people" charade...like our politicians really care....tell ya what Washington, how about paying more attention to home base, if you're really that fussed about how folks are doing. And let the Afghanis and everyone else work out their own situation for themselves.

[Died By Bear]

So it bears repeating.

An army is trained to carry weapons and grenades. They are not supposed to be used as a police force. That is one of the biggest reasons people don't want a career in the military anymore.

They do NOT want to be a world policeman. The U.S. government (oil companies and military industrial complex) needs to get that through their thick skulls. It has a huge effect on morale.

What we really need to do is take the power away from the lobbyists for big oil and other similar interests that are controlling our government and pulling the strings.

We like to throw up our hands and say "well that's never going to happen, don't be naive." But we could do something if we all cared enough.


But back to your OP post.

This guy might as well have just shot his fellow soldiers because they are the ones who are gonna have to deal with the shit now. Real life isn't like the movie Hurt Locker. Soldiers don't/are not allowed to just go off post and do whatever they want. Based on the little information we have so far about him - he is a dirtbag of the highest order. killing innocents is not what America stands for. Most people do live up to a higher standard because they're proud professionals with families of their own. His actions disgrace the armed forces.

No one in our military was ever trained to violate orders, walk off base, enter private residences and execute people.

It perpetuates the disgusting view of the American soldier as an emotionally frail shell quivering inches from psychosis.

[Dave Chance]

[Died By Bear]

[lithium]

[Leon]

[visitorq]

[Feloria]

@ Died by Bear and @ Dave Chance--
Thanks for that.
One of the few times I've read an articulate, intelligent exchange of ideas on "Dave's."
Too bad it took such a horrific and shameful tragedy to bring it about.

DBB--I for one, appreciate your wife's efforts and thank her.....

[comm]

[Captain Corea]

Yeah, the post above me speaks volumes. Whenever I hear about people complaining about "resistance" in some of these occupied nations, I often ask - what would you do if a foreign force occupied your country?

Now, not everyone would act, to be sure, but it does give people pause.

[visitorq]

[pkang0202]

[Leon]