Of War and the Cost

To all,

We are seeing in the news that United States Marines are under the microscope for possibly commiting war crimes of shooting and killing innocent civilians in Iraq. The President promises punishment for those breaking the law, the Pentagon will conduct the investigation, the Iraqi government denounces the act and many wonder why it took so long for these incidents to come to light. Hmmm... a powerful thought indeed.

As a former soldier, I can understand the power given to so many in terms of weaponry and authority. I can understand, as many can, the need to "even" a score when one of your own falls victim to attacks. My entry is not designed to address the guilt or innocence of those Marines nor is it to demand justice for the innocently slain people in Iraq. Then what is this entry for, you might ask.

It is simply to state the obvious. It is to restate a sentiment that is always stated when addressing issues surrounding war-War is hell.

In war you have the unleashing of powers designed to destroy. One can wonder if you possibly can build peace while simultaneously fighting a war. War fighting requires an edge of its fighters to snuff life out of the enemy. Somehow, we expect those who fight viciously to also know when to stop and shut it off. Hmmm. . . I think we have heard this before.


They say the Marines who may have done this were seeking revenge for the killing of one of their own from an explosion of an IED. It is also said that the commandant of the Marine Corps went to Iraq to begin talking to his Marines so that they can begin to get some "sensitivity" training on how to interact with Iraqi civilians. Hmmm. . . another interesting thought indeed. It is said that the "insurgents" pop up to fight and then blend in with the civilian population. They tend to do this over and over again-somehow I have heard of this before-perhaps a John Wayne movie where "Mr. Sulu" from Star Trek fame states that he has VC on his own strike force. Hmmm. . . this sounds so similar.

I do not know what the truth is with those Iraqi civilians nor do I know the truth about the Marines in question. What I do know is that for the commanders who were relieved of their commands and responsibilities (I commanded and Army unit) they will live with a pain few of us will understand. If those Marine commanders and Non-commissioned officers have had to bury their Marines, theirs is a pain many more will not understand. And if this is all the result of fabrication of fact, personal desires and elitist agendas-then the souls of those who have died~military or civilian~need to mess with the plush and comfortable existence of those who have pushed their subjective reality onto the backs and trigger fingers of others.