Ethics and the War fighter
Hmmm,
So Hadidith has more then what was being reported by just the US Military and the US Media. Now the rape case comes out involving elements of the 101st Airborne. The extremist left of the American populace and international politicos have been exploiting these and trying to pull off claims and drawing conslusions that these events are similar to such places as My Lai or the Tak Kae Do bridge massacre. Yet, I don't feel that way. It isn't because I don't believe that a crime hasn't been committed rather I feel that we need to wait for all the evidence and the court of law to bring judgement against these people accused of the crimes. On the other hand though part of me is asking where in the heck thier ethics went too.
I know folks that ethics is a hard thing to understand with a warfighter but it is pounded into most of us in the military at various times there are unwritten rules and written rules on how to conduct ourselves while engaged in wars. What is even funnier to some is that these rules are common sense rules that almost everyone knows. Things such as not to commit rape, don't steal, say please and thank you, etc. These ideas are constantly pushed into us day after day when we are in combat or nearing a combat region, heck we are even harassed about these things when we aren't in combat on just how to live in the common every day world back at home in the US. We are also told that to a point some if not all of the bad guys are taught some of the same things. However, that isn't always true as well. Ask the folks that survived the Japanese POW camps uring World War 2 or some of the hostages captures over the better part of 20ys by various terrorist groups. For the most part though the US solider is constantly pushed to be that shining moment freedom that the oppressed see. To be the GI Joe or Superman of America. For some people that I have talked to over the years and have meet Americans soliders that have come into thier cities, towns, villages during a conflict/war/ or something; represent what to most what an American looks like. They also were what brought a number of them to stand up for and believe in America, because of the charitable and great actions of a number of American soliders. So it really makes me angry at these bad apples and thier commanders in letting these event occur and not push that we all live in an ethical world, even as soliders or sailors or Marines in service of our country.
So Hadidith has more then what was being reported by just the US Military and the US Media. Now the rape case comes out involving elements of the 101st Airborne. The extremist left of the American populace and international politicos have been exploiting these and trying to pull off claims and drawing conslusions that these events are similar to such places as My Lai or the Tak Kae Do bridge massacre. Yet, I don't feel that way. It isn't because I don't believe that a crime hasn't been committed rather I feel that we need to wait for all the evidence and the court of law to bring judgement against these people accused of the crimes. On the other hand though part of me is asking where in the heck thier ethics went too.
I know folks that ethics is a hard thing to understand with a warfighter but it is pounded into most of us in the military at various times there are unwritten rules and written rules on how to conduct ourselves while engaged in wars. What is even funnier to some is that these rules are common sense rules that almost everyone knows. Things such as not to commit rape, don't steal, say please and thank you, etc. These ideas are constantly pushed into us day after day when we are in combat or nearing a combat region, heck we are even harassed about these things when we aren't in combat on just how to live in the common every day world back at home in the US. We are also told that to a point some if not all of the bad guys are taught some of the same things. However, that isn't always true as well. Ask the folks that survived the Japanese POW camps uring World War 2 or some of the hostages captures over the better part of 20ys by various terrorist groups. For the most part though the US solider is constantly pushed to be that shining moment freedom that the oppressed see. To be the GI Joe or Superman of America. For some people that I have talked to over the years and have meet Americans soliders that have come into thier cities, towns, villages during a conflict/war/ or something; represent what to most what an American looks like. They also were what brought a number of them to stand up for and believe in America, because of the charitable and great actions of a number of American soliders. So it really makes me angry at these bad apples and thier commanders in letting these event occur and not push that we all live in an ethical world, even as soliders or sailors or Marines in service of our country.
posted by Southern Air Pirate at Monday, July 10, 2006
