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Originally Posted by Ranger
If US troops had been standing right there on the ground at the time, able to approach and disarm the guy, then it would have been proper to take him prisoner and give him immediate medical aid, if he'd have been willing to surrender.
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It wouldnīt be all that difficult to send over a med-evac chopper, and treat the guy, if they wanted. They could have even interrogated the guy, maybe find out important stuff. And besides, if this incident took place before the opening of full hostilities, then it would be safe to assume that Apache chopper wasnīt deep inside enemy territory, right? And thus close to support units.
The thing is, there are a bunch of unwritten rules of engagement and rules of warfare, that the US often accuses everybody else of breaking. But when itīs them on the accused chair, they dismiss it as "casualties of war".
Yes, war is brutal. But actions like these make it even worst, and dificult to break the cicle of violence. It proves the US didnīt want to win "hearts and minds" at all. Itīs incidents like these that have pushed the iraqis over the edge and caused them to rebel.
Do you think the iraqis who have seen this footage (and others like this) will think twice the next time they are faced with an injured US soldier? I doubt it.
They will remember this video, and put a bullit between the eyes of the next wounded man they lay their eyes on. Itīs barbaric acts like these that cause more barbaric acts, like burning the bodies of the fallen and hang them from a bridge. And can we blame them? If the "leader nation of the free world" does things like these, whatīs there to stop other less civilized nations from following suit?
Had the iraqis who took Ryan into custody had seen this footage, she would be probably dead. I say probably, because thereīs a good chance they wouldnīt, even after seeing such a thing, and even when the man in front of them is part of an invading force. And that kind of throws down the theory that they are cold blooded animals, doesnīt it? Infact, after watching such an immensitude of situations, iīm prepared to affirm that the iraqis have been slightly more "humane" with their enemies than the US. Just taking a look at that photo of the dead iraqis bearing a white flag, tells quite a tale, doesnīt it?
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War is harsh. Nobody has ever claimed otherwise. It's the breakdown of all the normal rules of civility. Survival and winning take precedence over just about anything else, including compassion. That's just the way it is. Everywhere. That's life. It's just a fundamental part of our basic human nature.
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I think you were "robbed" of your romantic ideals, by your first hand warfare experience. And if i saw war first hand, i would probably loose my own aswell.
Maybe thatīs why i still have this idea that just because war is brutal, it doesnīt mean we canīt be a little "chivalric" and correct about it aswell. I guess i still have that notion that being at war doesnīt excuse everything, and that some lines should not and cannot be crossed. Killing POWs and the wounded is one of those lines. Just like killing civilians.Even in the hellish of battlefields you can still find compassion.You just need to know where to look and what to look for.
We are not animals.But sometimes we are capable of behaviour suited for the foulest of beasts.
The US should be the first to make good examples for others to follow, if it expects to be treated as the "beacon of human rights" that it thinks it is.
But if even the worldīs self apointed flag bearer acts like a barbarian, to whom will the other nations look up to? Is this the role model they wish to pass along to all the other less "enlightened" nations?
