He was on his 4th or 5th deployment. He snapped. People can't be in combat that long. Many come home and commit suicide. The military and CIC needs to get a clue - people can't take that kind of stress for long periods. It's sad for the victims and him as well. It's a testament to the caliber of our troops that this hasn't happened more.
The key is to be aware of exactly who these so called "Al-Quedists" are and who they are working for. Early in the Iraq war, a pack of British special forces personel were caught red handed dressed up like Arab terrorists shooting at US freindly Iraqi policemen in Basra. They were arrested but coalition forces stormed in and freed them. Al-Queda is in reality Al-CIAda, Al-Mossada, and Al-MI6a. Whenever peace threatens to break out in the region these ********s are deployed to make sure that the region is kept in a state of chaos, which is conducive to their objective which is to stay as long as possible to milk their cash cow for all it's worth. http://www.theinsider.org/news/article.asp?id=1556 British special forces caught dressed as Arab 'terrorists' British soldiers have been caught posing as Arabs and shooting Iraqis in the occupied city of Basra in southern Iraq. A group of them was caught yesterday by Iraqi police. They were driving an Iraqi car, wearing Arab clothing, and carrying weapons and explosives. The Iraqi police were patrolling the area looking for suspected "terrorists" or "insurgents", and they noticed that the men were acting suspiciously. Suddenly, without warning, the suspicious men started shooting at people, but the new Iraqi security forces managed to capture some of them before they could escape. Obviously, if these men had not been caught, the mass media would now be reporting the incident as just another attempt by evil "terrorists" to create civil war in Iraq. There have been a number of incidents in this area and throughout Iraq in which police and civilians have been targeted and killed by "terrorists" or "insurgents". But this is the first time that any of those responsible have been caught in the act, and it is now clear that at least some of them are working directly for the occupying forces, as many Iraqis have openly suspected all along. A few days ago, in a statement unreported in the corporate mass media, Iran's most senior military official specifically linked the instability in Iraq with agents of the US and its allies: "we have information that the insecurity has its roots in the activities of American and Israeli spies." The post-war violence in Iraq is always been blamed on "Islamic extremists" or "rival ethnic factions". Yet in the history of the country, nothing like this has ever happened before. The problems began precisely when the US and UK seized control. The Iraqi police arrested the men and put them in prison. Unfortunately the police never had a chance to question the men and find out exactly what they were doing, because within minutes the UK sent in six tanks and an elite SAS unit to break their terrorists out of jail.
Haha I am so glad you aren't in the military, and from the looks of it have no intentions of ever joining. Please continue to preach to others like yourself to not come anywhere near a recruiting station. Theres a little concept called fight for your side. We fight on America's side, not the Taliban side. If I were the Taliban I would be pissed off too if America invaded my country. I would be trying to kill us too. But I'm not a Taliban, I am an American and even though we might be "wrong" for being in Afghanistan, I will put a bullet in any person over there who tries to harm a fellow American soldier. Right or wrong goes out the window in war. You fight for your side and your fellow soldiers to keep them alive. You think us troops are fighting for the cause? For the reasons that the government says on TV? Hell no, ask anybody who ever served in war and almost all will tell you they dont give a crap about the big picture. We don't care about bringing peace or stealing oil or whatever we are there for. We care about surviving and making sure our fellow soldiers survive and come home. Period. So when bullets start flying and one of my guys goes down you expect me to just leave them there to die because well we were wrong in invading in the first place so he deserved it. But to directly answer your question yes I understand 100% why a Taliban would behead a soldier. I understood 100% why the Taliban put a chemical bomb in the road that left me with permanent injuries. I understand that they are mad, but mad or not or justified or not if they try to kill me or my fellow soldiers they are going to die. Whether we deserve their wrath or not.
Well the military is getting better at shortening deployments and giving people more dwell time between deployments. Before it wasn't uncommon to see soldiers with 4 or 5 tours within 7 years. And tours back then used to be 18 months, then it became 12, now its 9 for the Army. The Marines do 7 months while the Air Force and Navy do 6 I believe. It is a testament to the caliber of our troops that more people haven't gone crazy from all of that combat time.
Have you considered the distinct posibility that you are being used as a tool by a greedy pack of dickheads who couldn't care less about you, your family or your country? If so, is that ok with you? Here are some thoughts from a two time Congressional Medal Of Honor winner: http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm Smedley Butler on Interventionism -- Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC. War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses. I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag. I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket. There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism. It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
Nope. Sorry. If the "wrong" is sneaking around at night executing women and children in their beds, that solider is on their own, and the USA does not have ANY business keeping that soldier from justice. If we can't keep that from happening, then we CANNOT do what we have done in those countries.
Granny says, "Dat's right, it ain't his fault - the war made him crazy... Many willing to cut Afghan shooting suspect slack 18 Mar.`12 - He is accused of the kind of crime that makes people shiver, the killing of families in their own homes under cover of night, the butchery of defenseless children. Under normal circumstances, Americans would dismiss such an act as worthy of only one response: swift and merciless punishment. See also: US rampage soldier saw friend's leg blown off the day before he attacked villagers... US soldier accused in Afghan massacre had been upset at casualty in unit, lawyer says March 16, 2012 | The day before the rampage that killed 16 Afghan villagers, the U.S. soldier accused of the mass killings saw his friend's leg blown off, his lawyer said.
We need to see what comes out about his actual brain injury from the medical doctors before we jump to conclusions. This could have serious implications, and most likely will in his trial.
I agree that he shouldn't have been sent over there. It was wrong and he was probably already suffering mentally. BUT - he didn't 'snap'. He left in the middle of the night, and walked to his destination, and let fire on those people. That isn't the defintion of 'snapping'. That's well thought out, premeditated murder. He planned his crime. If he did 'snap' when did he unsnap? After he killed those people? When he was caught?
It explains how some people are willing tools and are fine with it. Sad really. It is like a black guy being proud of being a slave. It is almost such an incredibly ignorant way to think that it leads me to believe they are either stupid or brainwashed. Either way it doesn't look good for people with that mind set.
So being smart enough not to serve the military when it has nothing to do with National Defense is being a coward? Interesting take.....
Some of us have been trying to vote in politicans to get our guys HOME and not fighting in bull(*)(*)(*)(*) wars. Keep voting in the same (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)s....
I'm curious why anyone is defending this guy...because "it's only" a bunch of Afghani's he killed? 16 people's lives ended, and by all accounts these were non-combatants.... Imagine if an Afghani killed 16 Americans on U.S. soil? Would the same excuses emerge? The media is portraying this Sgt. as more a victim than anything else; frankly I think they've run out of excuses. He should never have deployed, but the fact he did does not excuse a murderous rampage. If being passed over for promotion and financial woes, excuses murder now a days that's a sad state of affairs.
I've been an advocate for immediate withdrawal for years. Even more so after I got there and saw just how hopeless and pointless it was to shed American blood in that god forsaken hell hole country. There is not a single thing in Afghanistan worth the blood of an American soldier. Not one. I've made it loud and clear, we should leave there tomorrow and let the Taliban drag Karzai's sorry unloyal ass to hell with them. Karzai wants us out after this incident. For some funny reason he thinks his rag tag military and police can protect his nation from the Taliban onslaught. I'm very eager to let him see how just well he does on his own. The Taliban can march in and establish whatever twisted laws they want, they can take over the government for all I care. It's simply not our problem and Im sick of seeing our troops dying for that unloyal piece of crap Karzai.
Bales Defrauded Ohio Couple Who Say He Owes $1.3 Million http://www.politicalforum.com/1061035593-post1.html
Remember he is an honorable man though. He went to war so it is excusable to commit fraud and murder children.
