The Mistake We Won’t Make This Time.
By amba | Related entries in Military, WarThe last time this nation was bitterly divided over a war, the blameless got the blame. Soldiers who were selflessly serving came home to be reviled for their service by those whose self-interest in staying safe aligned — conveniently or coincidentally — with their opposition to the war. Even those who remain convinced that America’s war in Vietnam was wrong and evil now acknowledge that they were wrong and evil not to honor those who could not or chose not to avoid service in that war.
Have we now had “Iraq’s My Lai” — a deliberate killing of civilians,including women and children, by U.S. Marines enraged at the death of one of their own? It’s too soon to know, but notice how the careful new note is struck in Mighty Middle’s consideration of the question:
[I]f there is guilt it attaches to individuals not to American marines or soldiers in general.
If there are guilty parties, they have to be punished. But when your kids ask you about the men and women in uniform they sometimes see in shopping malls or more often, airports, it is still right to answer that those are American fighting men, defenders of liberty, and heroes. [ . . . ]
The case against the war does not rest on demonizing men and women who risk their lives in an attempt to faithfully execute a political policy. Attacking the policy is fair game; generalizing about the military is not. [ . . . ]
It is important to remember that if this story turns out to be true, there will be no one angrier about this atrocity than the vast majority of the American military.
In the same vein, there’s a stirring Memorial Day post up at Diner Wisdom that speaks directly to the heart of the emotion of gratitude we owe to soldiers even when we bitterly disagree over the wars they are sent to fight. I hope this post will be widely linked and universally read on all sides of the debate. It does not take a stand for or against the war in Iraq; the writer’s feelings on that score (perhaps mixed?) are held in reserve. It takes a stand in a place where we can all be as one: “Soldier’s Circle.”
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May 19th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
If we have a “My Lei” situation in Iraq, I blame this administration for putting our soldiers in this type of situation. I suppose the individuals who murdered bear some responsibility, but I would never assume what my behavior would be in such extreme circumstances. I support the troops absolutely because they had no choice in the Iraq invasion, and they had no say in the poor planning that went into it. The type of psychological stress war puts on men and women is probably incomprehensible by anyone who has not been in it. If you wonder about that, watch the Nick Berg execution and see how many days it takes you to stop feeling f’d up.
May 19th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
“I suppose the individuals who murdered bear some responsibility…”
Ya think?
You are exactly the type of person who needs to be dismissed from any jury pool, ever. You shift the blame from the individuals to a higher entity because it is easier to believe the evil big heads have more influence over someone’s actions than the people themselves.
“The type of psychological stress war puts on men and women is probably incomprehensible by anyone who has not been in it.”
Including you. You blame the “administration” for this lovely Vietnam reference with the same passion as you probably did with the Gitmo prisoner fallout.
Don’t try to get people off the hook for thier reprehensible actions because you hate the Prsident.
May 19th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
I didn’t say they should be off the hook. I do think they should be dealt with in an appropriate manner, one which should probably involve both the criminal justice and mental health systems. However, if those “evil” people had never been placed in a position to watch the brutal executions of their friends, they might not have behaved that way.
“You shift the blame from the individuals to a higher entity because it is easier to believe the evil big heads have more influence over someone’s actions than the people themselves.”
Yes, I do shift the blame, but not because I have a hard time believing people should take personal responsibility for their actions. And, you’re damn right I blame this administration for Gitmo, as well as Abu Ghraib, and that’s because this administration essentially sanctions torture by not setting out clear boundaries on what is and is not acceptable, and by only prosecuting the lowest on the totem pole, without really investigating whether the higher-ups had knowledge of what was going on. That’s a whole other topic anyway.
“Including you” – You’re right. I don’t know what they are going through. However, I have been a victim of a few violent attacks in my life so far, and I will tell you that extreme violence really messes with your brain, in ways you would never have thought possible. Also, we have seen from past wars that this stuff always happens during a war. So, yes, damn right I blame the administration because they put those troops in a traumatic situation when there was no need for it.
May 19th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
I agree with what I think Meredith is saying. The troops themselves are responsible for their misconduct, and the superiors are responsible for its misconduct. That is military thinking – it’s not good enough to settle on a few individuals to punish; you have to think systemically. Civilians think in terms of individuals. Military people think holistically; misconduct on the part of troops is prima facie proof that their leaders are culpable.
Meredith, there are good reasons to prosecute the troops. One reason might be on abstract moral grounds; that is all metaphysical and not very compelling. (Not becaue moral reasons are not complelin, but because discussions of morality are almost always circular and pointless and inconclusive.) One reason might be to placate world opinion; let’s be real- world opinion means European opinion the way most people use the term, and the Europeans have their own corrupt and bigoted reasons to hate us whatever we do. The final and valid reason is that however horrific and psychologically challenging combat is, self-control is the only way to survive, and troops who cannot control their base urges are doomed and useless. This is the real purpose of military discipline.