A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
After Graner was convicted in the Abu Ghraib, I made it clear he got off easy. I personally thought – and think – that those involved in the prisoner abuse scandal should have been tried for homicide for getting troops killed through their actions.
Now, we have another scandal brewing, this time in Afghanistan. I don’t have inside information about the photos published in Der Spiegel and NO ONE, let me repeat that, NO ONE has all the facts surrounding the photos. So, I’m going to speak generically about them and my thoughts. But, first, a little insight into the mind of a Soldier that COULD lead to the stupid actions depicted in these photos.
I’ve gotten many emails and comments about this photos. The most common question is “why did they take off his clothes?” Again, I don’t have the answers, but this is somewhat common. One of the possible reasons is that the clothes were removed to ensure that the corpse was not wired with explosives. The Taliban and AQ have hidden explosives on their bodies in just about every location on the human body. In order to ensure that corpses are not rigged to explode and kill innocents.
Some stories have mentioned that the bodies were those of innocent people. I’m not going to comment one way or the other about that because it doesn’t matter. Innocent or Taliban, Soldiers are trained that “trophy photos” taken with dead bodies is prohibited. Innocent or not, the photos are despicable in my opinion. So, the question then becomes, “why do Soldiers take photos with the dead at all?”
We are at war with the most disgusting, vile, evil, and inhumane enemies that this country has ever face. They don’t hesitate to use human shields, kill civilians, or violate traditional laws of land warfare. They don’t abide by Geneva Conventions. They don’t treat our dead with respect and don’t give any rights or privileges to our troops that are captured. In short, we don’t look at them as human. Because we see them as animals, the mentality in some Soldiers is that they aren’t really people. They’re no better than animals, so some troops may not looks at their actions as somehow no different than showing off a trophy deer or hog taken down during a hunt.
But, it doesn’t matter. Whether the individuals in the photos are “innocent civilians” or the Taliban, taking photos of those killed during operations is forbidden. There is no such thing as “I didn’t know.” We are briefed on these issues PRIOR TO any deployment during our Rules of Engagement and Laws of Land Warfare training.
Personally, regardless of who is the target of my kinetic wrath, I never took pictures of my kills intentionally. When I returned and had my photos developed, I noticed that some of the photos I took had dead bodies in them. I destroyed those photos, except one. I took a picture of a destroyed tank and burnt to a crisp. What I mistook as charred metal behind the tank ended up being a completed burned body. Someone else pointed that out to me. It’s the only photo I kept.
I took this picture outside of Baghdad in early April 2003, prior to the fall of the city. Looking at it, you would think it’s just a photo of a couple of puppies on the side of the road. The truth is that these photos are feasting on the body parts of a dead Iraqi Soldier. However, it was a strong image I wanted to document without disrespecting the body of the poor soul who was killed and providing a lunch to these dogs. I vowed to respect my enemy, no matter how disgusting their actions leading up to my decision to kill them.
If these Soldiers are found guilty of killing innocent Afghanis – which I’m not convinced they did at all – then I would openly call for their execution. However, experience tells me that it’s possible these people weren’t innocent civilians as the media has tried to portray. Remember that the Taliban don’t have uniforms. Al Qaeda doesn’t wear uniforms. When we kill one of them, their Information Operations cell could easily try to give the impression that those killed were innocent civilians. They actually count on this and use it to their advantage. It’s a conscious effort and taught to most combatives. Remember the Haditha Marines that were castigated in the media and by the left, only to be found innocent? Remember the Navy Seals?
So far, the only thing I see that these Soldiers did wrong is take and share images of themselves with dead bodies. It’s contrary to our values and these Soldiers should be disciplined for this at a minimum.
Finally, just as what happened in Abu Ghraib was in NO way the fault of George HW Bush’s policies, these photos are NOT the fault the President Barack H. Obama. These are Soldiers that violated their values and disobeyed military regulations and policies. Period. No general officers or political entities bear the responsibility for this lack of discipline besides the Soldiers themselves and their immediate supervisors.
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Steve
Nice misleading headline. All Der Spiegel did was reprint the photos(just like you are doing), they didn’t take them. Der Spiegel did not disgrace the troops, they merely reprinted photos those soldiers took. Those soldiers disgraced themselves with no help from Der Spiegel.
“We are at war with the most disgusting, vile, evil, and inhumane enemies that this country has ever face. They don’t hesitate to use human shields, kill civilians, or violate traditional laws of land warfare. They don’t abide by Geneva Conventions. They don’t treat our dead with respect”
That’s a two way street. Afghanis probably say the same things, and now they have photographic proof. Those American soldiers also killed civilians, violated the law of land warfare, didn’t abide by the Geneva Convention and didn’t treat the dead with respect.
“Some stories have mentioned that the bodies were those of innocent people. I’m not going to comment one way or the other about that because it doesn’t matter.”
But then you did comment on it…extensively.
“However, experience tells me that it’s possible these people weren’t innocent civilians as the media has tried to portray.”
Yea, it’s the left wing media trying to make the patriotic soldiers look bad. Except the media is just reporting the claims of Morlock and Winfield.
concretebob
Good post, CJ. Thanks for echoing my thoughts.
Devildog
Good post – although trophy pictures are as old as cameras. Young soldiers are going to take those kinds of pictures, and other trophies as well. Can’t get too worked up about it. It’s gonna happen.
Got to point out that our enemy in the Pacific during World War II was every bit (if not more) as savage and inhumane as any we face in Iraq or Afghanistan. War without mercy, without rules. The Japanese considered Americans to be subhuman, and Marines & soldiers returned the favor. See Sledge, Manchester, Lieke et al…
Steve
Rolling Stone has an article concerning this very incident.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-kill-team-20110327
I believe I covered the use of drop weapons back on your article about the Gaza Flotilla massacre and murder of an American citizen by Israeli’s.
Steve
“If these Soldiers are found guilty of killing innocent Afghanis – which I’m not convinced they did at all – then I would openly call for their execution.”
Two days after you posted this Morlock plead guilty to the murder of three Afghan civilians. Why are you not demanding his execution? You promised! Your word is your bond.
Steve
They have a plead or been found guilty! Call for their execution. You should be outraged the leader can be paroled in ten years. THE TRUTH MORE THAN A THEORETICAL CONCEPT! Come on make some more excuses for the murderers, I know you can.
Steve
It’s nice to see that convicted thrill killers are still your brothers in arms but any veterans that show up at the OWS are dirty hippies unworthy of your support.
Slobyskya Rotchikokov
“Rolling Stone” is hardly an authoritative source for anything other than asswipe paper which smudges your butt; the anti-US, anti-military bias of the rag has been consistent since Wenner first learned there were enough stoners out there who could pilfer money from Mom’s purse to buy his product. Presumably that is still the target market.
As for the Gaza al-Queada armament mission, a useful idiot was whacked while committing a prohibited act against a sovereign nation? Waah.
Maybe if human smugglers in Somalia or Ivory Coast wore T-shirts with daisies and peace signs, we could all call them humanitarians, instead of slave traders, and just sing kum-ba-yah as they saied past with their human cargo.
Israel actually showed restraint, instead of sinking the whole terrorist group,
Slobyskya Rotchikokov
BTW – unless we are talking about women, toddlers or old men on crutches, who is to say who is a civilian in a combat zone? I never saw a fourteen year old or a twenty year old wearing a T-shirt or a name tag reading,
‘HI! My Name is Tran! I am Viet Minh and I Want to Kill YOU!” But a teenager could put an AK round through your heart just fine, as could an attractive young woman.
Likewise I am fairly sure that not ALL of our guys get killed by properly uniformed muzzies wearing a tactical outfit from “IEDs R Us”, so if I was young enough to be over there now, I assure you that anyone who pointed a weapon at me would be considered military, NOT civvie. Unlike the US and Allied forces, the murderers called muslims do not wear uniforms for the most part.
Steve
“Rolling Stone” is hardly an authoritative source”-even a broken clock is right twice a day.
“Israel actually showed restraint, instead of sinking the whole terrorist group”- just like they showed restraint with the USS Liberty.
“unless we are talking about women, toddlers or old men on crutches, who is to say who is a civilian in a combat zone?” VS “But a teenager could put an AK round through your heart just fine, as could an attractive young woman.”
So which is it are women are threat or not?
The guy admitted he intentionally killed what he thought were civilians. He is not claiming he accidentally killed someone he mistakenly thought was a threat.
“I assure you that anyone who pointed a weapon at me would be considered military,”
But that is not what happened in this instance. The innocent civilians did not point a weapon at them.