Over the last few months I have slowly been changing my outlook on Iraqis. Sure there are plenty of great Iraqis who are just like you and I. They have the same wants, needs and cares as Americans do. Then there are Iraqis who have no idea what the world is really like and I cannot rest the blame solely on them. They have only had three years of relative freedom with which to get in touch with the 21st century. They were oppressed most of their lives and had little access to schools, libraries, outside television and Internet. What they did have access to was for the most part controlled propaganda and the knowledge they have as a result of that propaganda is the cause of considerable disagreements between them and I on issues that seem relatively clear to me i.e. what actually happened during the Iran-Iraq war. “Umm I think you guys have it wrong, Saddam didn’t kick the Iranians butts like he told you he did.”
On a daily basis I defend myself from an onslaught of Iraqis who want to trade me a bayonet for my digital camera. When I tell them that the camera is worth slightly more than their rusty bayonet they reconsider and tell me they will throw in an Iraqi flag with the bayonet. I then have to explain to them that even though it isn’t their fault their money isn’t worth the same as ours I am not going to trade something like that with them. “I am sorry guys but if I gave all of my stuff away for a 99.9% discount then I would go broke in a week.” “Ok Sgt. Tim me understand. No problem. I give you Iraqi flag for new boots.” Sometimes I can’t win for losing.
What has brought these thoughts to light recently has as much to do with Americans as it does Iraqis. Specifically the recent media blitzkrieg concerning the “Haditha incident” has prompted me to reevaluate my patriotic optimism. I am still optimistic about Iraq’s future but I am starting to see the many hurdles that will need to be overcome before we see our hopes for Iraq come to fruition. What Haditha has made me realize is that politicians and media back home place many of these hurdles in the military’s way. If the incident in Haditha was only treated like the many atrocities committed by terrorists against the Coalition forces then the world would know nothing about it. However, since we are held to a different standard it is on every newspaper’s front page. Remember the 54 straight days of front-page coverage on the New York Times of Abu Ghraib? Brace yourself for round two: Massacre in Haditha (NYT why don’t you save yourselves some trouble and set that as your heading for the front page for the next month.)
As a result of the incident in Haditha and the subsequent media blitz I, as every other soldier in theater, have had to go through sensitivity training to in order to avoid making the same mistakes again. Yes I know I am not supposed to murder innocent Iraqis and I know it is shameful to handcuff a man in front of his family. Great I got it, completely understood. That’s a good copy army training leaders out there, wilco, Sgt. Boggs out. Thanks for sitting behind your desks and dreaming this stuff up for us, we will forever owe you a debt of gratitude.
As I sat through three hours of Operation Kill Brain Cells the other morning I couldn’t help but think about the parties that Iraqis have thrown in the past celebrating the execution of American civilians and soldiers alike. Sure we might kill a few innocent people in a fit of rage after knowing that those very same civilians just got done watching terrorists plant the bombs that they knew were going to kill us but we don’t celebrate afterwards. We don’t take to the streets and hang the dead bodies from bridges while shouting praise to Allah. We don’t rush to the presses and burn copies of executions on DVD so that everyone big and small can watch in the privacy and relative safety of their own homes as we die on their screens. The fact is once we (all U.S. service branches) do these things, i.e. killing of civilians or playing dress up with prisoners, then it has dire consequences for our country as a whole. Media blowhards like Chris Matthews, Michael Ware, and Larry King spend countless hours debating the finer points of an event that they know nothing about. They blast the military and the current administration for anything and everything they can and I am sure they get a sick sense of pleasure from occurrences like the one unraveling with the marines in Haditha. Then every Tom, Dick, and Harry blogs about what “really” happened and what should happen as a result. As a result soldiers undergo hours of “sensitivity” training in order to learn how to not offend anyone who might be trying to kill us. Worse than the classes we have to sit through are the convoys we have to sit through on a daily basis, nothing goes boom in a classroom. We suffer casualties as a result of faulty reporting because it emboldens the enemy to go on the attack because they see that even our own country isn’t behind us. Thanks a lot Murtha, the blood of my friends is now on your head.
If I sound angry it is because I am. I am sick of the double standards applied to the military. “You must treat everyone with the utmost respect even though by doing so you are going to cause more problems for yourself.” Why do we seek to change Iraq from the ground up but while doing so treat it’s people differently then we do our own soldiers? Why does the world at large overlook the atrocities caused by Iraqis against American soldiers and civilians while at the same time jumping on the Bush administration at the slightest hint of foul play in Iraq? I have my own answers to these questions and the word “agenda” is included in each one of them.
As I sat in that class the other morning one of the teachers started asking questions about the army values and which ones were particularly important to us. The army has a set of values that they teach to each new recruit and that all soldiers are supposed to live by. They are represented by the acronym LDRSHIP (Leadership just incase), loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. The instructor asked several soldiers what values were particularly important to them and while they were answering I could only think of one that stood out above the rest for me: Loyalty. If only our politicians were loyal to their military then incidents like Abu Ghraib and Haditha wouldn’t be international catastrophies. If our politicians respected their military and had the personal courage to defend them even when the times got tough then things might get better. If politicians like Murtha only knew what selfless service was then they would put their own careers on hold while they did what they could to get to the bottom of incidents like Haditha before announcing to the world that they know the outcome before the trial has even taken place.
Luckily my mom never told me what most moms tell their children: If you have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all. Thanks for leaving that option open for me mom.
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24 comments:
I can imagine how insulted you must feel sitting through these ethics refresher courses. As many people have already pointed out, if someone doesn't already know that killing children is wrong, a class on ethics isn't going to help them.
I am somewhat puzzled as to why you're taken aback by the fact the Haditha incident is taking up so much of the news. Of course this is a big story and you yourself pointed out one of the reasons why: It has serious consequences for our country as a whole. Aren't you concerned that the actions at Haditha might end up endangering you and other soldiers? That people might seek retaliation? That it could be a black mark on the U.S.?
Of course there are "double standards." U.S. soldiers are representatives of the U.S. government and are paid with our tax dollars. For you to say there are "double standards" for the U.S. soldiers and the Iraqi insurgents is like saying there are double standards for police officers and criminals. Should the police act like criminals? I guarantee you that if a bunch of NYPD officers went into a home in Brooklyn and killed every man, woman and child there because of suspicion someone from the home was involved in a police officer's killing, such an event would dominate the news for months. Why are you surprised that Haditha is a big story? War atrocities, because they occur on the world stage, are an even bigger story than crimes committed by public servants at home.
I forgot to add one thing: Looking over your post again, I realized that your contrast was between U.S. soldiers and "the Iraqis." You didn't even say "the insurgents." If U.S. soldiers are now thinking of all Iraqis as the enemy then whatever it is the U.S. military is trying to do in Iraq is doomed.
Thanks Sgt. Boggs. You men are doing a fantastic job and we thought it a political thing making you all take that class. They would rather seem to be kissing ass than to support our men and give them some credit. We figured it would be a downer and an insult to our men when we first heard about it. Your feelings were probably felt by many. There is a double standard. Liberalism has placed a double standard in every area in America. Criminals in this country get much better treatment than do policemen who are protecting us. Trust us on this one - -we have been there!!! And policemen aren't all that happy about it either. The creeps of this world have more rights than their victims. This is no way to fight and win a war. Being fed Propaganda in this country has produced some strange birds as well as it has in Iraq. But you are right that once the truth comes to light there is no excuse for clinging to the propaganda. You men have all done a great job and the good news today about Zarqawi getting his just dues proves it one more time. Ignore the propagandists and the MSM. Strykeraunt is right on. Most Americans are with you and understand what you are facing over there. And more and more are waking up to these things in spite of the polls saying otherwise. We are grateful to you all, Sgt. Boggs. Every last one of you!!!!
Sgt Boggs, you're certainly not the only one who's furious at the double-standards which are being applied to you and your fellow soldiers and for obviously such self-serving purposes as political gain and advertising revenues. My only consolation for not being able to vote against Rep. Murtha is that I get to instead vote against Bernie Sanders. (Hell, we only elected him in the first place because he can do less damage in Washington DC than he can in Vermont.)
The problem is that the "elizabeths" of the world are only able to comprehend a fraction of what is at play here -- an important fraction, but a very incomplete portion of the picture. I'm not going to outline it; she's already done it quite nicely.
But where their common sense fizzles out and their political agendas kick in is that in any war zone, Haditha-type incidents are going to happen. It's not a question of "if?" but of "when?" and "how often?" Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, incredible stress, a blood-thirsty enemy unrestrained by such concepts as "fairness," "civil liberties," "human rights," or "The Geneva Convention"...
Ladies and Gents, like it or not, we're headed up Mount Improbable and unfortunately, a few of us are going to make it to its grizzly summit. It has happened in every war in human history and will happen in every war in the future. That's not to condone it -- it's simply stating a fact. Human nature can be fought with only so much success.
So to the fair-minded amongst us, the issue really comes down to how much we're doing to prevent war crimes and how do we deal with our soldiers who commit them. Do we see that Justice is served? Or instead do we go to the extremes of either sweeping it all under the carpet or panicking and overreacting?
Clearly, some would simply like for us all to forget that our soldiers can and do make mistakes and plow ahead as if nothing had ever happened and these people are wrong. But they're no less wrong than those who would use this as a justification to throw up our hands in defeat despite the consequences for us, Iraq and the world as a whole... all before the military can even conclude its investigations much less conduct a trial.
It's ironic and sad that there are those amongst us who clearly feel as though they are enlightened intellectuals, who clearly have read A People's History of the United States (and probably a lot of Chomsky's inane political crap) and yet are so incapable of balancing the ghastly historical precedents with today's comparatively mild and isolated events; of separating their political aims from seeking JUSTICE, not only for the victims but also for their killers; of seeing past the ugly nature of war to the importance of victory.
IF these Marines are guilty (and I think they probably are, but again -- they have yet to be tried), then they have earned themselves a very harsh punishment. But to politicize this (at the expense of justice, the integrity of the investigation and trial, and the war effort) or to not show the same outrage at those who commit the same crimes against us...
That is indeed something one can justifiably seethe over.
Stay safe, Sergeant, and stay focused.
And remember, you ARE being heard here on the home-front.
There was an excellent column in the Wall Street Journal last week about the toll on both troops and American civilians from the relentless media focus on things like Haditha and Abu Graib. The author spoke of the futility that seeps into those who fight and those who support - a feeling of "damned if you do" (follow ROE in successful missions that never get talked about and having to attend redundant classes because a few lost control) and "damned if you don't" (no WMD; no Bin Laden captured, blah, blah, blah).
Boggles my mind - a teacher in a public school is convicted as a sex offender and other teachers are not immediately deemed sex offenders nor is their integrity questioned because of the behavior of a fellow teacher. But let a few troops lose control (in what can only be hell on earth) and the media casts aspersion on all troops.
You bet you've got double standards, and your job is exponentially more difficult and dangerous because of it. Nevertheless we must continue to uphold our standards, because in the end it is the integrity with which we defend our freedoms that, in part, makes them worth fighting and dying for.
Do not get discouraged, Sgt. Boggs. We all know you don't need to sit in that classroom, and we all know that even when there is nothing close to a level playing (fighting) field, YOU are the good guys. And you will get 'er done. We are with you every step of the way.
Elizabeth- I think you are misunderstanding what I said in my post. I am concerned about the incident in Haditha but what I am more concerned with right now is the way it is being treated in the news. The media has already decided that the marines are guilty and all this before the trial has even taken place as I have said several times before. If the marines did murder civilians in cold blood then it is a terrible thing but we know nothing about what actually happened right now. No matter what you think you may know you actually know nothing. The media talks a big talk and they don’t even know anything. All anyone knows is that 19 or so people are dead that probably weren't combatants. That is it.
On another note I am not referring to insurgents in my post. If you read it again you will notice that in one of the examples I give-celebrating after the killing of American contractors- the average Iraqi citizen was celebrating on camera. How many times does that make now that we have witnessed Iraqis celebrating in the streets after something bad has happened to the U.S.? What my point is is that we don't do that. We don't go out into the streets and celebrate the killings at Haditha, instead we publicly denounce anyone involved in such acts and then try to get to the bottom of what really happened so that we can punish any guilty parties.
You are ignoring war atrocities committed by terrorists against the U.S. and Iraqi civilians and only holding the U.S. responsible for them. That is exactly the double standards that I am talking about. I bet you feel the same way about Abu Ghraib but I was there in 2003 and something the news failed to report in their whole "Iraqi men have been shamed" thing is that those same men would rape and fight each other day in and day out. Those same men also attacked soldiers from time to time and are hardly innocent men who were made to do some stupid things.
What the non-military types like you don’t understand is the big picture. You only get what the media tells you and that is often only half of the story. You don't see the day-to-day stuff that leads up to these events and therefore cannot fully understand them. That is really no fault of your own but what is your fault is the judgment passed on your behalf of incidents that you are not qualified to pass judgment on.
Everyone else thanks for the encouragement. I won’t let things get me too down but it is frustrating at times to have to not only deal with a difficult job but also with people that want to see you fail. However, going through these things only makes us stronger so I am not too worried about it. I have been through crap before and this is just one more thing to endure for the time being. Every hardship is temporary and I know that so don’t worry about me.
William-I agree with you completely and thanks for posting. I know that there are a TON of people back home that support us and I will never forget it. I think more people are behind soldiers in this war than there have ever been in any previous war. Thanks a lot.
Until they dig 5.56mm rounds(only used by Americans) out of these Iraqis exhumed bodies, or the accused outright confess, you're gonna have a hard time convincing me Haditha is anything other than a setup.
Seriously, how hard would it be for a group of insurgents who are already ambushing a Marine patrol to simply waste a couple families and pile up their bodies in a couple houses. It's not like they haven't done it before. The guy that filmed the aftermath didn't do so until the NEXT DAY.
So far, I've heard ZERO evidence or "witness" testimony that has even remotely passed the smell test or the BS meter.
I'm not going to say the accusations are "impossible" to have taken place, but I find it highly unlikely. I've never served with ANYONE who was capable of executing a 3-year-old at point blank range -- much less an entire squad "snapping" all at once -- no matter what the conditions or circumstances.
What are you people so quick to judge going to say when they pull 7.62mm AK-47 rounds out of those bodies? (Probably that the Americans must have calculatingly used captured AKs in their uncontrollable rage).
But if it turns out they are not allowed to exhume them, then there's basically no case whatsoever. Iraqi "bystanders" have zero credibility in any court of law, even their own. They've destroyed it with the last three years of ridiculous hyperbole and exaggeration at every turn.
I'll second Buck Sargent. I am stunned that so many people seem to believe those marines are guilty. There hasn't even been a trial! We haven't been shown any proof. What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?
I agree completely with what William had to say so will not make this a lengthy post. I just want to thank you for what you are doing for your country and the world at large in this fight against global terrorism. I'm a former Canadian Soldier who is too long in the tooth now to get back into the Army. And oh how I wish I could. Thanks again. Stay as safe as you can. Godspeed.
My Granny, being the genteel Southern lady she is always offered me this advice: "Joanie, if you can't say something nice, you better get used to the taste of a fist in your mouth." I think we have some politicians (and protesters) who should have been raised by my Granny.
Keep up the good work and stay safe out there.
Well, Boggs, if you think all the Iraqis hate Americans and rejoice in their killing, how do you square that with the U.S. forces being in Iraq, since obviously, the U.S. cannot accomplish anything in Iraq without the cooperation of the local population?
I think you need to think more clearly before you put things down on paper--I mean in cyberspace. I think you are engaging in a stream-of-consciousness type of writing which is well suited to memoir and fiction but not to analysis.
Elizabeth-
The only response I have for you is that I believe you need to learn how to read. I never said all Iraqis hate Americans. Where did you get that? That is exactly what is wrong with people like you who keep coming back for more from my blog: you read into what you think I said and don't listen to what I actually say. Until then I am done responding to your comments. Unless you make a valid point responding to your mere rhetoric is a waste of my time.
Thank you, Sgt Boggs, for addressing Elizabeth exactly as is warranted. You are on the most important mission of your life, my life and the life of all Americans. Distractions by those who simply want to pick a fight with you & the rest of my soldiers is a waste of EVERYONE'S time and I do hope Elizabeth finds someplace other than your blog to while away her idle time: this is no time or place for those obsessed with fiction.
Know that the real Americans back home love you, respect you and are eternally grateful for your service.
The 12 year old Pro-Saddam Sunni Iraqi girl already screwed her story up 3 times.
Last time she told the reporter she "covered her ears before the explosion boom" that cut a U.S. Marine in half.
She said her Father went to antoher room to "pray" for her familiy's safety when the explosion went off.
What??!! Real men don't leave their family.
Your family might be in danger so you leave them and go to another room to pray?
It has been reported AK-47s were recovered. Was her father insurgent who went to the bedroom to fire the AK-47 at the Marines??
It all stinky.
Haditha is Pro-Saddam Sunni Triangle territory so any "witness" the media talking about come from that Pro-Saddam Sunni City.
I sat NOT GUILTY. U.S. Troops are fair and hold fire when children are in line of fire.
A most interesting comment by Ali Kafir. I assume Ali Kafir is an Iraqi citizen. It would be interesting to know. At any rate he seems to know more about the American Soldier than does Elizabeth. I for one thank you for your comment. He also seems to know about fathers, children, circumstances in Iraq and how easy it is to pull the wool over the eyes of the news media. Thanks again, Ali Kafir.
Ann
The CNN had reporter know the Haditha Marines.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/30/damon.iraq.btsc/index.html
I watch the CNN, also.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0605/30/sitroom.03.html
The CNN reporter Chilcothe say Safa change story. The interview is bottom transcript.
She say have prior knowledge of plan to explode IDE as American convoy was passing by house on morning Nov. 19, 2005. Did Father build IDE?
In the CNN interview Safa Younis say she get ready for school as the Marine Humvee passing.
-------------------------------
"I was planning to go to school. I was about to go out of bed. I knew the bomb would explode so I covered my ears,"
"The bomb [then] exploded," she explained. "The bomb struck an armored vehicle. I don't know if it was a Humvee or an armored vehicle. When the bomb exploded, they came straight to my house."
-----------------------------------
Younis say after the bombing killed Marine, Americans broke down the front door of house.
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"And my brother Muhammad was hiding under the bed when the U.S. military hit him with the butt of the gun and the started shooting him under the bed. The U.S. military then shot me and I was showered in blood. We couldn't leave the house because the U.S. military surrounded the area with a large number of soldiers."
-------------------------------
Younis said she live by pretending dead.
Did Mohammed push button for IDE bomb? Was why he hide under bed??
American Media is useful idiot terrorist propganda tools.
Terrorists kill more Muslims than American Forces. American Forces show care about innocent Iraqi children.
Terrorist do not.
Saddam Sunni-Muslim, al-Qaida Sunni Muslim, Zarpig Sunni Muslim, Haditha witness Sunni Muslims.
Haditha Pro-Saddam Sunni Triangle area. American useful idiot media stupid.
I hate terrorist pig Zarqawi. Good riddance. Thank American Forces.
Once again, Well Said, Sgt Tim. Thanks to you and all your brothers who do such a fantastic job. You do us PROUD!! I also have to second Buck Sargent's comment with a loud AMEN! Last I knew, those Marines are Innocent until PROVEN guilty! And no one will ever Really know what it was like for them in Haditha that day--except them. I say God Bless them--and all our troops!
ps. Keep running your mouth Boggs! We need it!!! =)
Great post t.f. and great comments from all...mostly all. Anyway, as is their MO the media and folks like Murtha just love flapping their gums. Problem is they just don't get it, to declare these Marines guilty without proof is beyond reproach. Buck Sargent hit it right on the head as usual.
ali kafir thanks for those additional links. Something smells in Haditha and I don't think it's the dead.
Stay safe t.f., sorry the PC police made you go through sensitivity training... Hang tough you guys ARE doing a great job and many of us back home know it and support you AND your mission.
Oh yeah, the best thing about al z's death? He was alive when found...and knows the US got him. Burn baby burn....
t.f.boggs - I will admit to worrying about you for the last couple of days after reading your initial blog. Follow-ups by you to those posting clarify your position so I will go on from here and state - there are millions, and millions, and millions of us here back home who "have got your back" as you have ours!
You and I and we suffer from that segment of Americans (their information media-enhanced as it fits media-agenda)who are anti-Bush, anti-military. My hands ache from the need to wring some necks!
As I watch the Haditha story seemingly begin to crumble - thanks to bloggers - I hear in my head lines from a poem written by Dylan Thomas. He urged his dying father to keep up his courage to the end.
"Do not go gentle into that good night............Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
The millions I spoke of above - will not go gentle into that good night........we will rage!
Trust us as we trust you.
Keep safe, thank you for your service.
God bless our military and their families who give so much.
Andrea
Everyone click on the last link by The Real Ugly American because it will lead you to the emerging truth about Haditha. Shame on those in the media and those who listen to them. It is the same as it always is apparently. Politicians like Murtha see a golden oppurtunity to promote themselves and reporters see another story that will keep them on air for another day. Despite all else they push forward and leave truth and reason behind in their wake. Everyone who has believed what they have heard in the media about the marines should be ashamed of themselves. Of course I am preaching to the choir but how dare anyone not qualified believe the media over the marines. There is a reason the military is one of the most trusted institutions.
Thanks, Ugly American, for posting the links I would have posted in a comment to this post. I've been following those myself with much interest. It's disgusting that the media has been on a feeding frenzy while the investigation is ongoing and creating news rather than reporting what is actually goin gone.
It took awhile, but I'm not surprised to see the "baby killer" label being used in response to your post...what-to-the-ever.
For those of us who can read and comprehend, we understand what you're saying and share your frustrations.
You rock in my book so keep on fighting the good fight & writing when you can.
Sgt. Boggs,
I had written the response below the night before this latest posting, and and saved it because the site wasn't exactly working all too well that night. I thought it still applies...
Hey Sgt.,
Great questions for 24...
I also wanted to chime in (late as I am) on your "Of Marines and Congress "men" ". It was a great post, one that, like all of your writing, comes from the heart and is full of a passion for a perspective you know needs to be represented, and staunchly.
As the sister of a Marine, and a fervent supporter and FRIEND of ALL our troops, I am beyond exhausted from being exposed to the espousals of an ignorant media and a defeatist left wing(if the shoe fits, Elizabeth), who would rather slime up our troops for political gain than garner up the courage to get a backbone and stand for what's right.
I don't know what happened in Haditha, I wasn't there. And while I wouldn't condone any purposeful killing of civilians, I certainly can respect the fact that those of us here at home have NO CLUE what it is to serve under the stress of combat as you so aptly described. Furthermore, no one knows for sure what REALLY happened.
Those who would have our military condemned without due process are the same morally deficient and spineless wimps who think child molesters are more deserving of due process that the brave men and women who fight to PROTECT that right.
Back to today, umm, yeah, 19 June 2006. Boggs, you do have every right to feel so frustrated. I for sure will never understand why so many of us who feel the way we do and support you guys to the fullest are so damned unable to bust through the iron curtain known as the U.S. media and get the TRUTH told. I sometimes even find it difficult to resist getting down with all the crap they shovel out on a 24 hour basis. But the good news is that you do have the power to change a lot of that, and you have. You, Buck Sargent (kudos, Buck, on your response here) and all you military bloggers have gotten attention. And while it is not generally covered by our media, the truth does eventually find it's way out. That most likely would not be possible without you guys.
All I know is I fight for you all back here with every ounce of me and I won't ever back down. That is one thing I can guarantee you. If it means coming to blows with memebers of my own family (and believe me, it has multiple times), then I'll do it. Keep the faith, Sgt. And, thanks, for everything.
My Grandson is in Iraq, I am ashamed of those who judge without knowledge. Every military man and woman in Iraq are doing their jobs to the best of their ability.
If you didn't have ethices you wouldn't be over there fighting for what is right
Sgt Boggs,
I've just discovered your blog, although I did read your letter to the NYT not too long ago.
First of all, from Oz, have a fantastic happy Independence Day!
Next, keep up the good work, stay safe, and please know that here in Australia we appreciate the work you guys and girls are doing (and our guys helping you with, too).
God bless and look after yourself.
nilk
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