Christmastime Takes on Iraq
Great view here from a retired Army lieutenant colonel on the better angels that should guide us, even if the "us" is in military uniform and in the midst of combat. In offering a counterpoint to situations such as Abu Ghraib, we get a retelling of lessons learned from battles past:
A soldier in this platoon shot a wounded man today. You cannot do that.You will find yourself in combat someday. And then you are going to go home, where you will have to live with what you have done -- to accomplish your mission, to stay alive, to keep your buddy alive.
When you assault across a kill zone, you do so violently; if you hesitate, you die. However, later, during the search -- different story. If an enemy soldier is wounded, you can't kill him. If the tactical situation does not permit you to evacuate him, do what you can to relieve his suffering, and continue the mission.
Your enemy is a combatant, a human being. He is not a "gook" or a "slope." If you dehumanize your enemy, you will dehumanize yourself, and you will do things that you will regret. And you won't go home with honor. We made a mistake today. That's why we train. Learn from this. Questions?
As concise a summation of the ideal as I've seen in print ...
In a completely different view, we have former Presidential candidate George McGovern agreeing with me that Rumsfeld should stay on as SecDef, but for reasons so cynical that boggles the mind. Not surprisingly, McGovern says bring the troops home. Yep, that's right ... Come Home, America ... take 2.