do u think that us soldiers comet war crimes in Iraq?

Question

A US soldier has testified that his commander ordered him to kill three Iraqi detainees, then cut him with a knife to make it look as if there had been a struggle.

Specialist William Hunsaker told a court martial for Ray Girouard on Tuesday that the staff sergeant ordered him and another soldier to free the men, then shoot them as they ran.

"They're going to cut the ties, tell them to run, shoot them," Hunsaker quoted Girouard as saying.

Girouard, 24, is the last and most senior soldier from the 101st Airborne Division to face trial in the killings, which occurred during a May 9 raid on a suspected fighters' camp near Samarra.

Hunsaker and Private First Class Corey Clagett have already pleaded guilty and co-operated with prosecutors. They were sentenced to 18 years in military prison.

Court testimony

Hunsaker testified on Tuesday that after the squad took the three detainees into custody, Girouard told the soldiers that the group's first sergeant was angry that the detainees were still alive.

Hunsaker said he and Clagett took the three detainees outside, away from other soldiers.

Hunsaker said that he pulled down their blindfolds and looked them in the eyes and that Clagett told them in Arabic to run.

"I shot him [the first detainee] where his heart should be. I moved from right to left. I took aim in the same manner and aimed for the heart and the head,'' Hunsaker said.

He said that after the detainees were shot, Girouard cut Hunsaker with a pocket knife, saying: "It's got to look good."

Another soldier, Specialist Bradley Mason, testified that he heard Girouard order Clagett and Hunsaker to kill the detainees.

Helped 'cover up'

Anita Gorecki, Girouard's lawyer, said in opening statements that the sergeant never ordered his soldiers to shoot the detainees, but that he did help cover up the killings.

"He realised they killed the detainees, and in that moment, yes, he decided to help his squad members," she said.

The soldiers had previously told investigators they were given rules of engagement by Colonel Michael Steele, the 3rd Brigade commander, to kill all military-age men.

Steele has denied this but invoked his right not to testify.

PHOTO CAPTION

Men carry the coffin of a victim, killed in a mortar attack on Monday, outside Yarmouk hospital morgue in Baghdad, March 13, 2007. The attack killed two persons and wounded 15 others, police said. (REUTERS)
http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=138498

Wednesday : 14/03/2007

Answer 1

Several times, raping, murdering and killing 14 year olds! Killing whole families! We have had many instances and they didn't decrease until the commanders started being court martialed

Answer 2

the vast majority DO NOT.
there are a few idiots who should have been screened out.
The us military should have high standards but when they think that they can separate a person's military career from who he is at home, they're dead wrong.
Drunkenness, drugs, fornication, adultery, preocupation with occult and the "dark side" are only a few of the things that should automatically kick one out of the military.
You say "but then we wouldn't have many people left".
I assure you that fewer people with higher moral standards could achieve a whole lot more than having idiots like this tarnish reputation of so many good soldiers with their evil deeds.
What I believe in, will never happen unfortunatelly.

Oh and all that information from islamweb... is a bunch of enemy propaganda and Reuters is an arm of the islamonazi machine.

Answer 3

I work with the Marines at Camp Pendleton. The brig has few Marines in there who have committed crimes in Iraq.

The Marines, as you can see from the prosecutions going on, do not condon or promote this behavior. Quite the opposite, they feel it betrays their mission and reflects poorly on them.

You have posted the trial of what a tiny few did. Is there any crime where you live? What percentage of the population is or has been murdered in your country? Now compare that to the rate of murder or even serious crimes by the U.S. Marines. You will see the crime rate for the Marines is miniscule compared to your country.

Then ask yourself, what good things have the Marines done. have they made neighborhoods safer? Have they made it possible for women to attend school in Iraq? Have they helped restore electricity or helped Iraqi's obtain clean drinking water? Are Saddam's rape rooms still operational?

Have Marines planted roadside bombs or had suicide bombers kill innocent women and children? do they teach their children to hate?

In fact, Marines brought this out into the open and testified, in public, about what happened. They were the true Marines, Honest, Forthright, Honorable. Do you give them and the other 99.99% credit or focus on the.001% who are screwups? Hmmm

Answer 4

Short answer: Yes.

U.S. military members have committed crimes and unfortunately, some who do not reflect the core values of their honorable profession will continue to do so. Although despicable and horribly regrettable, crime is a reality.

There are criminals in all walks of life, in every society--Democratic, Communist, Socialist--and in every religious culture--Christian, Islam, or Hindu. These criminals carry out their crimes wherever they happen to be.

Despite our best efforts to prevent criminals from becoming military members, and despite our best efforts to prevent crime within the profession of arms, (just as with civilian law enforcement) we are not always successful and crimes are carried out.

Where military members commit crimes and their behaviors are discovered, they are brought to justice. War criminals face courts martial with severe penalties up to and including lifetime imprisonment at hard labor and death. Few other nations on earth have penalties this severe written into their military law.

Covering up war crimes is also a crime and when discovered, those who participate are punished as well. History and current events bear this out--in fact, the very article quoted is (reportedly) from the transcript of a court martial.

TEACHME

Answer 5

Yes the .1% which commit these attrocities are and should be punished as well as their commanding officer. Keep in mind most of the military is not this way but due to human nature there is always a margin of error, there are always people who cant take the phsychological stress and snap, and theres always bad people. At least we're not like the Iraqis, cutting off peoples heads on video then putting it on the internet, but it doesnt matter because you'll root for the terrorists anyways because WE are somehow the "bad ones".

Answer 6

There are idiots in every profession.

However, it is legal to disobey an unlawful order where's the soldiers cajones who didn't say No 1SGt? No Col I won't tell my troops that ? & don't tell me they're are all brainwashed cause it just isn't true. Many Senior NCO's hold master degrees, etc. Sure it's a stressful situation & people do dumb things BUT what foundation are they coming from?

Please. Why is it that you seem to be willing to hold our troops to a high standard and not the idiots selling drugs who kill more people everyday?

Answer 7

it is evident that you are a person of vast and detailed knowledge and wish to provoke or instill some sort of ethical thinking into our hearts. many will be angry with what u say and others still ignorant and a few like me may understand and even admire your contribution. u already know that crime and injustice exists everywhere, and it's quite magnified as u live in a region close to the war... and has for thousands of years... I, for one, know that i would be mentally, spiritually and emotionally anguished by such exposure, for i am not a man of violence. i pray for u and your loved ones... and may allah be with u.

Answer 8

yes america commits major war crimes on a daily basis, its well known fact. Look at vietnam or any of its past wars and you will see major war crimes committed by america. but should you the occupied ever once decide you don't like american war crimes in your country and dare fight back, then you are terrorist. odd though when france and america teamed up to fight america's british colonial masters how this was not terrorism, odd indeed.

Answer 9

Perhaps this post has some truth but be assured that such atrocities are AGAINST U.S. policy and the purpotrators WILL be punished. The same and much worse atrocities including the murder of innocent children and the public mutilation and murder of prisoners is a matter OF policy to our enemy and those who commit those acts will be PRAISED for them.

Our presence in Iraq is helping with manpower and money to build schools, roads, and utilities to give the Iraqis a chance for a better life. The insurgents only leave hate and misery behind when they leave.

Answer 10

Just like we have criminals in the banking industry, the legal industry, the fast food industry we have criminals in the military.... Unfortunately the crimes that the few soldiers commit is run in the media all over the world and non stop until the trial and sentence....

Answer 11

It's war Dude- seriously. Bad things happen during war, and while I don't condone the malicious actions of a few; I would advise you not to pass judgment either. After all; you're not over there now, are you?