Killings in Iraq

Let me say that I am sickened by the reports out of Iraq of American Marines shooting down civilians. When I heard of the atrocities at My Lai, I felt the same sort of gut-level disgust. There is no excuse for such things, even in war.

I volunteered for the American Army towards the end of the Vietnam conflict (as the US military likes to call it). I was trained in Basic and Airborne by men who had been to Vietnam. For every one I met, the experience was a “life changing injury.”
Each man dealt with the experience differently. Some preferred to simply hide it away from their lives, but the evidence was there day by day. Others found a home in the military, and moved on with their careers. My black drill sergeant in Basic seemed to be one of those.
Others suffered with the memories every day of their lives.
Becoming close to a few of these men, I learned a new meaning to the saying, “War is Hell”; and it lost all its romance for me. At best, war is a dirty business. It is a very human nature that perhaps someday we will outgrow.
In my idealistic moments, I remember dreaming that the Internet would make war pass from the reality of human experience. Perhaps someday, but for now it seems to be a too-real option.

Do I think America, the UK, Australia and the other nations of the “Coalition of the Willing” did the right thing in invading Iraq? Yes. Saddam was a living atrocity. He had killed hundreds of thousands and intended to kill millions more.
Do I think the reasons that were given were valid? No. Saddam had WMD. He used them against the Iranians and his own people. But he was only a supporting act to terrorists, and apparently had been frightened away from his dreams of millions of bodies killed by WMDs.
I still question where the WMDs went, and I’m in no hurry to find out.

The Marines who shot down those 21 people (or more?) in Iraq will find their lives haunted by their actions forever. Their children will share their guilt, as Lt Calley’s daughter recently discussed on American TV.
Those who are responsible should be tried by the military and punished to the full extent of military justice. And yes, last time I checked, the death penalty still applied in the military code.
Bitter as it is, I would approve of that punishment if they are found guilty. This sort of atrocity cannot be condoned by a civilized nation, even in war.

Paul