Date Posted:05:17:26 02/27/07 Tue Author: Cricket Subject: well....brace yerself In reply to:
Jay
's message, "Perhaps I'm starting to see . . ." on 17:15:39 02/26/07 Mon
In this instance, the end doesn't justify the means. To slander a whole group for the actions of a few is like saying that all Germans supported Hitler. Or in light of recent events, all French are Vichy, simply because Chirac
doesn't want to go along with the US.
As to the culture of 'desensitization' that people seem to think is rampant in the military, I disagree. It is the other end of the same point. Having seen up close and personally the type of training recruits get in BASIC, I would have had NO hesitation in entrusting the combat training of my children to the drill instructors. I have also witnessed first hand what is taught in AIT combat
MOSs.
But now if you want to talk about these 'bad seeds,' I will tell you that they do come in like that, from their homes and society and American culture. The military does their darnedest to weed them out. And that goes for the officer corps down to the NCOs. The hardest thing my husband told me he would ever have to do would be to order
an attack because people (both the enemy and his troops)
would die. That is a terrible burden placed on troops, knowing they have the power of life and death over others.
Which brings me to the next point. There are people who are in the hot spots who do not lose their cool. They know who the enemy is and they still do their jobs. They
treat the Iraqis with kindness and respect, and when possible, help them with developing their infrastructure.
Mr 'Rambo' Raimondo talks about the typical American denial of responsibility. Well, it didn't come from the training and indoctrination in the profession of arms. It came with them when they went in. Isn't our culture all about avoiding accountability when something happens? That we place the blame on the victim rather than the perpetrator?
