REUTERS/Bob Strong
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For examples as to what we can expect from Iraq in the future, look what is happening to our soldiers NOW. Investigations include
Haditha, Hamdania, Salahuddin, Ishaqi.
For instance, I think they are going to hang the Marines out to dry for the Haditha incident.
I see a pattern here and am lamenting it.
It is only the beginning. For instance, look at a headline from a recent news magazine: "For U. S. Soldiers On The Front Lines In Iraq. Where Is The Line Between Self Defense And Shame." Looks like these soldiers are already convicted.
(Haditha is a village located in the Anbar province and was known in 2005 for its violence and Sunni Arab Insurgents. On November 19, 2005 soldiers of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment hit an improvised explosive device [IED]with their Humvee killing Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas[20-year-old]. Miguel was well-liked.
Marines say they received fire and retured fire. At the end of the fight, fifteen civilians were dead[now revised to 24 civilians, 11 women and children]. The controversy is whether the Marines acts were legitimate in time of war or did they kill these civilians in retaliation for the death of Cpl Terrazas. )
In another incident, seven Marines and one Navy corpsman were charged with kidnapping an Iraqi man in Hamdania west of Baghdad. These Marines are being held in a type of solitary confinement. Parents of our soldiers are seeing their sons and daughters going from heroes to criminals.
What we hate to admit, however, is that the military, at high levels of command, can make stupid decisions and get away with it; i.e., pandering to the media and politics. So sad. The media is always interested in a story and not the truth and most don't get this very salient fact. kt
Links:
More Investigations Into US Soldiers- Story from the AP and Albuquerque Tribune
Haditha Timeline-from OhMy News.com
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