Who will stand in judgment of my brothers in arms? Your chance to see the evidence against Soldiers?

Question

Everyone seems ready to judge our troops. Here's your chance to Convict, Acquit, or order more Investigations in a very real case that did occur.
I give you all the details that I know. You take that into account and register your judgement.

While you're there, go to the previous article "The Fog of War" on a typical but hypothetical mission and make the split second decision of life or death that will save your teammates lives.

If you can't face the reality in print, you certainly shouldn't go there and most definitely have no basis to judge.

Read on and you'll learn about our enemy, our troops and what is REALLY going on.

War on Terror Blog, "The Investigation" http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-DfkctJU7dK5B7LcNROoyVQ--?cq=1
No politics. Just the groundtruth from a combat veteran that has been to both Fronts in the War on Terror, backed up by independent research and a study of history.

Thank you Luchador!

Wow Colonel! Well Said. Last I heard the investigation was still open.

You sound like the kind of officer we need. I hope you had a chance to read the article. Fortunately, this one didn't get picked up in the media, but no doubt they would have ignored the return of the family to the base.

Soul Guy: I admit I have an ax to grind, but it isn't political, though it does involve "certain politicians" and pretty much the entire journalistic world.

My goal is to give those who wish to know the truth about the war the information they need to make an informed decision on it.

My belief is that if the public knows the truth, they will support us and our mission.

I also understand that there are some so entrenched in the politics of one side of the aisle or the other, that they will refuse to look at the non-partisan accounts of our soldiers.

Scallion, you did hit on a point, even if you didn't realize. To highlight the little evidence in the case:
1) A family made an accusation that our Soldiers had killed their UNARMED son and demanded retribution (money).
2) The Army sent a team to investigate on the battlefield. They dug up bullets and bones and the trajectories were close enough to account for both versions of the story. They interrogated the Soldiers (though I am not privy to that).
3) As far as I know, the case is still open.
4) The family returned, described a weapon we had previously destroyed and demanded that their sons gun be RETURNED to them.

That's the evidence under which these Soldiers were investigated. The first and last points are to me, most relevant. The fact that there is little other evidence is also pertinent, as you somewhat point out.

The soldiers in question had no reason to enter the rifle in question into evidence because they had no reason to believe it would be an issue.

Thank you Molly for your support.

It is common for young untested soldiers to have those fears. With time, training and tests, they learn to overcome those fears. I have been blessed in serving beside the best.

One colleague of mine was a former police officer and he taught me an important lesson when I asked him if he thought a policeman in a news report had screwed up. He reminded me he wasn't there and could not know all the facts from a short video.

If a colleague cannot know. The public who has never been in the situation certainly cannot judge from a news report.

Our young soldiers serve bravely and I've grown disgusted with a media that attacks them without the facts and without the experience. A media that refuses to report 90% of what happens because of their political agenda.

I'm offering the opportunity to see some of that not reported. I'm offering an opportunity to hypothetically walk in the shoes of a soldier, but will not endanger the troops.

Steve, if you will turn on your messages on 360, I will be glad to open a dialogue with you.

In my article prior to "The Investigation", "The Fog of War", I gave everyone a written experience of a typical mission. At the end, I gave a poll (similiar to the one at the end of the investigation). At least 70 people read it. 16 people as of the last count answered the poll, which was a split second decision a soldier faces.

This means that somewhere between 50-150 people could not make a decision on paper with no time limit that a soldier must make in less than a second. Between 50-150 people froze in a life and death situation. Thankfully, my brothers make a decision.

Thank you for your kind words and excellent analysis DevilDog!

Answer 1

First, let me say to Soulguy, get to know this man before you judge him. If you did you would realize how absolutely ridiculous you statement is.

It is very easy to judge people when you have all the luxury of time and the fact that no one is shooting at you. Half the people in this country can't drive and talk on the phone at the same time, let alone make life and death decisions in a split second while under intense enemy fire. (Note from Murphy: If your under fire, it's intense) yet they rush to condemn those of us who are asked to do this very thing. People who are faced with no more an important decision than "do you want fries with that" feel they are fully qualified to sit in judgment over people placed in a situation they could never understand. Today's enemy does NOT wear a uniform or play by the rules. This isn't Hollywood, this is real life and death. Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their boots. Or better yet, walk in their boots after seeing friends die, after seeing children with guns, after talking to someone one minute only to have them dead the next. Until you have, you have have no idea what it's like.

Great job as always John, keep it up. Semper Fi

Answer 2

Well, this is a problem that will never go away. A soldier is in a hostile environment, being shot at and the lives of team mates are in his and every ones hands. Shots are fired and a split second life or death decision has to be made. You make it.
Now someone gets mad and they have all the time in the world to question and theorize your decision. They have the luxury of acting out all the "what if" decisions as well as get a full view of the area and what's really going on. Then, the media gets a hold of the story and already convicts the soldiers involved and the investigating team has already heard the story on CNN, FOX, CBS, NBC, etc...before they go to investigate the incident.

The problem is the people doing the investigation usually have no business being there, have never been shot at and have never watched a friend go down in combat. I have no doubt that these brave soldiers are wrongly convicted and punished, most of the time to make others look good.

Answer 3

John, once again my curiosity has gotten the best of me in regards to answering questions.

I will answer this way. Heat of the moment situations are part of life. Our police officers go through this on a daily basis as well. They end up being judged by videotape by an eyewitness (of the only part they videotaped or decided to videotape) and that is what is show to us.

Now, with all that said, as you recall, I had posted a question is regards to the difference between an Israeli and an Israelite.

I would still like for you to investigate this matter further. As you investigate, you will find there is so much more to this war on terror than you can begin to imagine.

The enemy you fight is one you cannot see. He is hidden from the press. He has only one agenda. Search with all your heart and mind and you will begin to see what the whole story is about.

I has also posted a question concerning the televangelist John Hagee who promotes a preemptive strike against Iran.

Image that. A man of God who advocates war.

Here's the interesting thing. He spoke at AIPAC. Why is a man who claims to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ appealing to politicians and saying we're going to protect the state of Israel?

To give you one more thing to think about. Did you know that there are Israelites (not Israeli's) that live in Iran? Isn't that interesting?

This is why I want you to do more research on the difference between an Israeli and an Israelite. This is so important.

John, once you see the difference, then you'll understand why you need to know this very important piece of the puzzle.

John, one other thing I want to bring up. I find it interesting how the military itself allows these people to be brought to "justice".

I use the term justice loosely in this case. Sometimes the military itself caves into pressure from the public as well.

John, I understand your frustration when trying to deal with people, however; the more you view your points, the more your frustration will grow.

Take some time back for yourself. You'll never be able to convince all the people in the world in regards to what you have to say by exhausting yourself trying to prove what you know.

What is important is what you know. Just know the truth. The truth is the only thing that will set you free.

You have first hand knowledge of what is going on better than the average American that has the privilege of enjoying sitting in their air conditioned home.

Just know this...........you do fight an enemy that you are unaware of. Get to know this enemy and you will find that your jaw will drop.

Answer 4

I didn't see any details on the incident in question. Maybe i just didn't look quite hard enough. Don't know.

Honestly, it is disgusting that we send soldiers into a war zone and expect them to make morality calls in split decision circumstances. It's unreal, we are sending them into a situation that by any definition is not a civilized situation and expect them to act civilized. And actually expect them to get the job done when we are forcing them to triple guess thier every action, for fear of going to prison if they happen to accidently interpet the situation wrong in the split second they have to make the decision.

It would seem that they way americans view and feel about war these days have been clouded way too much by political correctness and the feel good attitude. We seem to have forgotten that war is hell. And if we really wanted to be politically correct we wouldn't be going to war in the first place.

Just a quick thought on america and war. We seem to have forgotten history, the United States of America was born and forced from the womb by guerrilla warfare. Our enemy was the british they were a traditional army and the revolutionaries used unconventional tactics and eventually won the war, we didn't bother worrying about the accidents that might happen, we only felt sad that they did, but we pressed on and won our freedom. These days the U.S.A has become the traditional army fighting against the guerilla army, do they not realize that just as the revolutionaries defeated the British these Afghan and Iraqi forces will defeat us by using our own rules against us in the process. We need to give our troops the freedom to meet the enemy on a level playing field and turn a blind eye to the horrors of war that might happen and allow them to get the job done. Seriously though, just as the British really had no right to be over here forcing thier laws and thier government down the throats of the colonists, we have no right to be over there forcing our laws and our ideals and our way of life down the throats of those in the middle east.
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So the only thing that is giving the family a leg to stand on in this particular case is that the weapon that thier son was carrying was not entered in as evidence. Which allowed them to claim he was unarmed. I guess the only other question is if anyone bothered to properly document the family returning to describe and demand the return of the sons weapon, which would have been enough to find the soldiers innocent of any wrong doing and closed the case that may or may not still be open against them? Don't get me wrong, i find it rediculous that the U.S. Goverment even bothered to listen to these people, and hell it's the american peoples own fault that this happens, if we as americans were not so into this whole everything has got to be politically correct attitude this thing would have never even been something the government would have taken seriously.

Answer 5

This is my opinion. I have a right to that opinion because of the soldiers who have fought and died to secure and defend that right. I also don’t claim to have any knowledge of what it is like to be in combat. My Dad is a WWII vet and he still doesn’t talk about it. That is what I know of combat.

With that in mind, I really don’t think for a minute that anyone with a minimum level of intelligence thought we would never go back to Iraq, with or without our involvement in Afghanistan. For sake of this answer only, Afghanistan and Iraq are all one because both are being conducted by the same absurd “rules” of engagement. In my opinion.

A few days ago I spoke with a man whose grandson was in Iraq. The man had just spoken with his grandson earlier that morning. The grandson said it was rough. He spoke of two fears, and neither were the “enemy.” His first fear was firing his weapon and being “wrong.” His second fear was that the Soldier who had his back would have the same fear.

If this is how our Soldiers are beginning to feel, then we might as well hang it up and go home. I think that is the wrong answer because it is a waste of the lives that were lost and the efforts of those who serve. Right or wrong doesn’t matter anymore; we are in it now and we have to finish it and finish it to win. Our people are fighting and dying over there in fear of the enemy and in fear of what their own country will do to them for doing their job. That’s insane.

Acquit. It’s a war, not an episode of CSI. I have no doubt that citizens in either country lie/cheat/steal to survive because that is how they have learned to survive. Doesn’t make it right or wrong, it just is what it is. And I seriously doubt if I were shot by a citizen of Afghanistan or Iraq while in either country that anyone would be paying my family.

I totally agree with John T. We seem to be more worried about whether Britney Spears wears panties than how our Soldiers are doing. Yes, there are “pockets of resistance” to the Britney/Lindsay/Paris Watch, but it is certainly hard to find.

Thank you for your service John T.

Answer 6

I will not! They are trained to do their job and if something goes wrong I would give them the benefit of the doubt. And in no case would I take the word of a local over one of our own.

Thank you for your service and your brothers.

Answer 7

Take your political "ax-to-grind" viewpoint to some liberal college campus.