Some marines got a little gun happy...

[Zakk]

Heh Dex, settle down and go read my post again. My point was, you took 3 lines out of my entire posting and made an issue of JUST THAT BIT so I did the same to you.  It was supposed to be rediculous (sorry you missed that).  My sense of humour seems to be a little too high brow, I'll stick a silly smiley in there next time for you.    

[DrewKaree]

Zakk, try this one.  It may be easier to see



 

[Zakk]

Thanks Drew. Subtlety is a lost science I think (and I really didn't think I was being that subtle!)  

sub

[TA Pilot]

I will always give the benifit of the doubt to the trooper on the ground.

Always.

[DYNAGOD]

i swore to myself i would stay away ,but i have one more thing to add..

I think the party most at fault in this fiasco is the Pentagon and the NSA....
This is a serious breach of national security that has ultimatley put US/Coalition troops and citizens around the world at increased risk..
embedded news crews are not on US soil and they have no right to free press over there...the NSA and the Pentagon should be jointly screening all footage before its released to the public ensuring that any film taken during combat operations isnt displaying conduct that could inflame the resolve of the opposition..

this is ultimatley an internal military matter and should never have made it the public arena..

I hope that reporter can sleep good at night knowing that his pulitzer prize stunt may cost the lives of innocent US/Coalition soldiers and citizens worldwide, and equally the Pentagon and NSA should have had the foresight to prevent it from being released and becoming a catalyst for increased aggressions..
the NSA and Pentagon dropped the ball..
it was an isolated incident,and it should have stayed just that...
isolated

[Floyd10]

people! Get out while you still can!!

[Crazy Cooter]

"...the NSA and the Pentagon should be jointly screening all footage before its released to the public"
Are you serious?  That's wrong on so many levels...

It amazes me how much I've heard (from several people) arguements regarding freedoms/liberties/rights in relation to location.  America is supposed to stand for freedom.  Everywhere.  All the time.  We're supposed to play "by the rules".  Everywhere.  All the time.  That's why we're "the good guys" in this twisted movie of life.  That's true patriotism.  Being proud for holding ourselves to higher standards.

[DYNAGOD]

this is a war, not an episode of the real world..
again, this footage is not taken in America.. its taken in a coalition held militarized zone..
the rules of freedoms/liberties/right simply dont apply there..
its martial law..

[TA Pilot]

why? are they above the law?

No...  because they are the guys on the scene, with their lives on the line.

-I- am not so arrogant to think that I, several thousand miles away, have a better assessment of a situation than the guy that was there.

Especially in a combat situation.   Have you been in combat?

So, until its actually shown that the guy did something wrong, I'll reserve judgement.

[locash]

Reserving judgement seems prudent in this case.  If the stories are true, this marine witnessed a buddy of his get killed the previous day by a booby-trapped corpse.  He may have believed he was being set up for the same fate by someone who was feigning death.

However, reserving judgement and "always give the benifit of the doubt to the trooper on the ground" are two very different things.

[TA Pilot]

However, reserving judgement and "always give the benifit of the doubt to the trooper on the ground" are two very different things.


Not really.
I'm not at all willing to condemn him right now - especially as I wasnt there.
Thats giving him the benefit of the doubt -and- reserving judgement.

[saint]

TA, you and I could not be farther apart on most any issue we've posted about so far . . .

But you're dead on the money here.

No matter what you think of how we got there or if we belong there, the American Serviceman on the ground deserves nothing but our respect, gratitude, admiration, and support, until proven that they as an individual specifically do not deserve it.

War demands that doctors, lawyers, teachers, sanitation workers, food workers, etc.... shed the mein of civilization and become warriors. I can't imagine the mindset you have to be trained to and live in 24x7 to be able to pull the trigger and kill someone, but you can't be a soldier without it. It'd be nice if we lived in a world where soldiers weren't needed, but I'm not that naive.  My father was a soldier, my wife's grandfather was a soldier, my father-in-law was a soldier, my best friend was a soldier. They are all honorable, decent, loving peope... but they all had to learn to be able to pull that trigger should the time come.

Was the time there for this soldier to pull that trigger? I don't know, I wasn't there. I saw the footage, and I still don't know. It doesn't look good, but I don't know. I'm not over there, The only ones who can truly know are the ones who were there.

If it wasn't a justified shooting, then let the process work it out. If you don't like the results of the process once the facts are out, then voice your opinion about that. But unless you've been standing in that soldier's shoes, anyone rushing to judgement should be asking themselves who they are to judge.

--- saint

why? are they above the law?

No...  because they are the guys on the scene, with their lives on the line.

-I- am not so arrogant to think that I, several thousand miles away, have a better assessment of a situation than the guy that was there.

Especially in a combat situation.   Have you been in combat?

So, until its actually shown that the guy did something wrong, I'll reserve judgement.