Posted on 11/19/2004 6:41:50 AM PST by Imnotalib
This is just one story most don't hear:
A young Marine and his cover man cautiously enter a room just recently filled with insurgents armed with AK-47s and RPGs. There are three dead, another wailing in pain. The insurgent can be heard saying, "Mister, mister! Diktoor, diktoor (doctor)!" He is badly wounded, lying in a pool of his own blood. The Marine and his cover man slowly walk toward the injured man, scanning to make sure no enemies come from behind. In a split second, the pressure in the room greatly exceeds that of the outside, and the concussion seems to be felt before the blast is heard. Marines outside rush to the room, and look in horror as the dust gradually settles. The result is a room filled with the barely recognizable remains of the deceased, caused by an insurgent setting off several pounds of explosives.
The Marines' remains are gathered by teary-eyed comrades, brothers in arms, and shipped home in a box. The families can only mourn over a casket and a picture of their loved one, a life cut short by someone who hid behind a white flag. But no one hears these stories, except those who have lived to carry remains of a friend, and the families who loved the dead. No one hears this, so no one cares.
This is the story everyone hears:
A young Marine and his fire team cautiously enter a room just recently filled with insurgents armed with AK-47s and RPGs. There are three dead, another wailing in pain. The insurgent can be heard saying, "Mister, mister! Diktoor, diktoor (doctor)!" He is badly wounded. Suddenly, he pulls from under his bloody clothes a grenade, without the pin. The explosion rocks the room, killing one Marine, wounding the others. The young Marine catches shrapnel in the face.
The next day, same Marine, same type of situation, a different story. The young Marine and his cover man enter a room with two wounded insurgents. One lies on the floor in puddle of blood, another against the wall. A reporter and his camera survey the wreckage inside, and in the background can be heard the voice of a Marine, "He's moving, he's moving!"
The pop of a rifle is heard, and the insurgent against the wall is now dead.
Minutes, hours later, the scene is aired on national television, and the Marine is being held for committing a war crime. Unlawful killing.
And now, another Marine has the possibility of being burned at the stake for protecting the life of his brethren. His family now wrings their hands in grief, tears streaming down their face. Brother, should I have been in your boots, I too would have done the same.
For those of you who don't know, we Marines, Band of Brothers, Jarheads, Leathernecks, etc., do not fight because we think it is right, or think it is wrong. We are here for the man to our left, and the man to our right. We choose to give our lives so that the man or woman next to us can go home and see their husbands, wives, children, friends and families.
For those of you who sit on your couches in front of your television, and choose to condemn this man's actions, I have but one thing to say to you. Get out of you recliner, lace up my boots, pick up a rifle, leave your family behind, and join me. See what I've seen, walk where I have walked. To those of you who support us, my sincerest gratitude. You keep us alive.
I am a Marine currently doing his second tour in Iraq. These are my opinions and mine alone. They do not represent those of the Marine Corps or of the U.S. military, or any other.
"...restraint in war helps..."
Your "restraint in war help" get another American KILLED!
either you have never been in the military or you have been trained at the USAF Academy where they teach that war is NOT to CLOSE IN and DESTROY the enemy.
If you want a war won, SEND IN THE MARINES!
The problem is that too many of these "journalists" are watching thw war thru their agendas, and not as objective observers,
How can they NOT see the difference between these IslamoNazis and what is right? They are so blinded by their loyalty to liberalism that they see a situation such as this, a situation created by war conditions and the duplicity of a dishonorable enemy, and make it seem worse than the murder and mutilation of innocent non-combatants.
Get rid if the embeds, let them in after the business of war is done.
"Oh crap, he's breathing!" BLAM!
Is that what you're saying?
You know, if the Marine, who is the subject of Kevin Sites' video, were to see Sites in trouble today, he would place his own life on the line to save him.
Even after all this crap.
The Iraqi insurgent with the grenade in the first incident was responsible for the shooting death of the second Iraqi. He may as well have pulled the trigger himself.
And another thing, while I'm riled up... lol
Online, you can read accounts of American Marines fighting an enemy who is fanatically determined to kill us, and is more than willing to fight and die for his god. Sound familiar? I'm not talking about Iraq - I refer instead to the pacific campaign of WWII, over 60 years ago.
15 seconds of research with Google shows that in the battle for the island of Iwo Jima, there were 21,000 Japanese soldiers. Only 212 were taken prisoner by men in what we now call "the greatest generation".
In Fallujah, over 1000 out of an estimated 5000 enemy combatants have been captured approx. 20%. I'd say that if the Marines charge this man with murder, then every American Marine that served in the Pacific theater should be investigated as well.
Fletcher J
Good SOP...
The context of the situation appears to be beyond your comprehension.
Also the MSM forgets that there is a wounded terrorist lying just to the Marine's right, he has been bandaged and has surrendered (if yiu watch the entire video clip), he tries to speak with Sites...
For those of you who don't know, we Marines, Band of Brothers, Jarheads, Leathernecks, etc., do not fight because we think it is right, or think it is wrong.
This is the kind of statement that worries me.
People who pick up a gun and kill others should have a clear understanding of why.
The left grabs on to this kind of attitude and points at the "mindless killers", taking the focus off the real issues.
People who don't have a clear understanding of the moral strength of their position have no business carrying a gun or being in battle.
If they have no reason for their mission they could just as easily be turned on our own people.
We have the moral high ground.
We are the defenders of freedom and liberty and the protectors of the innocent and weak.
I think this is the first and most important point to teach any man who goes into the military.
As for the young man in question, I've made it clear what I think.
He did his job.
We, the American people, have asked him to go to a foreign land and kill the terrorists that want to kill us. And to stop them there, before they can harm us.
We have asked him to do that, and we have asked him to return home alive.
If we let forces of the left use this technique to question the actions of men on the battlefield their blood will be on our hands.
We will lose more of our sons and daughters unnecessarily.
It's fair to debate policy, should we be there? How long should we stay? What are our goals?
But the moment an American solder hits the ground that solder is due the unwavering support of the people who sent him.
The enemy has defined the battle. There are no innocents
On the field. As long as they chose to use the wounded as weapons, and hide behind women and children the blood is on their hands.
I want every American solder to come home alive.
What ever it takes.
What side would they fight on? I doubt it would be ours.
Perhaps, restraint is important to the eyes of "The World" who can judge our actions...
but who cares nobody is paying attention to US use of restraint.
The marines are warriors, the guys they are fighting are animals.
Hey that guy Sites was complaining that he had gotten a lot of hate email. (I think some of us on FR did that) :)
As has been pointed out already, to use a religious building for military purposes or to feign death in combat when you are not indeed dead, ALL OF WHICH THE TERRORISTS HERE WERE DOING, are already violations of the Geneva Convention.
As the writer of this article so clearly states, the primary objective of a soldier in combat is to protect himself and the lives of his buddies.
That is precisely what this Marine was doing.
"Embedded newsmen" should be forbidden. No one can carry on a successful military operation with the entire world looking over your shoulder.
The U.S. military establishment, by merely INVESTIGATING this incident, is pandering to the anti-American media, demoralizing troops in the field, and encouraging future media miscreants.
Instead of this Marine being taken out service, Rumsfeld should go. He's the man at the top calling the shots here and he's way off the mark.
Good! The stupid a$$hole deserves it. He should revert to his freelance reporting without any protection afforded by our brave Marines.
Rose (of the Pittsburgh-based Rose and Quinn show) just read this on the air. Very compelling.
Yes, and he further stated that it was so bad that he shut that sight down; now, isn't that a stinking pity.
Agreed. We must do whatever we can to help. Right now the court of public opinion is where we can help. Educate people what the situation is, just like this does.
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