Posted on 03/11/2006 5:43:21 PM PST by blam
SAS soldier quits Army in disgust at 'illegal' American tactics in Iraq
By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 12/03/2006)
An SAS soldier has refused to fight in Iraq and has left the Army over the "illegal" tactics of United States troops and the policies of coalition forces.
After three months in Baghdad, Ben Griffin told his commander that he was no longer prepared to fight alongside American forces.
Ben Griffin told commanders that he thought the Iraq war was illegal
He said he had witnessed "dozens of illegal acts" by US troops, claiming they viewed all Iraqis as "untermenschen" - the Nazi term for races regarded as sub-human.
The decision marks the first time an SAS soldier has refused to go into combat and quit the Army on moral grounds.
It immediately brought to an end Mr Griffin's exemplary, eight-year career in which he also served with the Parachute Regiment, taking part in operations in Northern Ireland, Macedonia and Afghanistan.
But it will also embarrass the Government and have a potentially profound impact on cases of other soldiers who have refused to fight.
On Wednesday, the pre-trial hearing will begin into the court martial of Flt Lt Malcolm Kendall-Smith, a Royal Air Force doctor who has refused to return to Iraq for a third tour of duty on the grounds that the war is illegal. Mr Griffin's allegations came as the Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, visiting Basra yesterday, admitted that Iraq was now "a mess".
Mr Griffin, 28, who spent two years with the SAS, said the American military's "gung-ho and trigger happy mentality" and tactics had completely undermined any chance of winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi population. He added that many innocent civilians were arrested in night-time raids and interrogated by American soldiers, imprisoned in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, or handed over to the Iraqi authorities and "most probably" tortured.
Mr Griffin eventually told SAS commanders at Hereford that he could not take part in a war which he regarded as "illegal".
He added that he now believed that the Prime Minister and the Government had repeatedly "lied" over the war's conduct.
"I did not join the British Army to conduct American foreign policy," he said. He expected to be labelled a coward and to face a court martial and imprisonment after making what "the most difficult decision of my life" last March.
Instead, he was discharged with a testimonial describing him as a "balanced, honest, loyal and determined individual who possesses the strength of character to have the courage of his convictions".
Last night Patrick Mercer, the shadow minister for homeland security, said: "Trooper Griffin is a highly experienced soldier. This makes his decision particularly disturbing and his views and opinions must be listened to by the Government."
The MoD declined to comment.
What does SAS mean?
I thought his spiel sounded like it was written by Cindy Sheehan. Great job Southack!
See post #65 - Southack's got the goods on this goon. He's a Sheehan-bot.
It is odd...the body of text states that its the 'first time' an SAS has done this...
Don't worry though...the MSM will apply exponential algorithms to the number 1 to try and turn it into a million...
Still, technically speaking that was not a defense from invasion on British soil
Only mildly so - Brits use day/month/year dates.
http://democracyrising.us/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=386
International Anti-War Movement Builds at UK Conference
(Tuesday, 13 December 2005) - Contributed by Kevin Zeese
Major Worldwide Demonstrations Planned for Third Anniversary of Iraq War
Among the soldiers that spoke were Ben Griffin who served 8 years in the Army but became a conscientious objector
after seeing what was really happening in Iraq. He described Iraq as "like a gold rush, indigenous people having our way
of life forced on them brutally while multinational corporations plunder their resources." He was particularly critical of
"production sharing agreements that pass Iraqi oil onto multinational oil companies." He said "Blair promised an ethical
foreign policy and now we've become the lap dog of American imperialism." He said "I volunteered for the Army and went
to Iraq of my own free will but I did not volunteer to be lied to, to fight an illegal war and protect the interests of
multinational corporations."
Read it all.
"We do not have all the facts."
Including whether or not fraud was perpetrated to get this coward the label "SAS soldier.”
Actually, "Who dares, wins" is the SAS motto.
But it does make them pretty like the US. For parallels look to Monroe Doctrine, Removal of the Cherokee, "manifest destiny", Nisei internment, Tuskegee Experiment - not even mentioning that slavery thing.
The American Empire behaves as empires always have
America never looks where she treads.
Always her heavy hooves fall,
On our stomachs, our hearts or our heads;
And America never heeds when we bawl.
Her sentries pass on—that is all,
And we gather behind them in hordes,
And plot to reconquer the Wall,
With only our tongues for our swords.
That's not true. The SAS can come from any regiment of the Army. The SBS (Special Boat Squadron) require soldiers to come from the Royal Marines. There have been talks to combined the two because of the similar nature of the missions.
The major complaint of the SAS is that they spend too much time on fundamentals. Stuff the SBS assumes that their candidates know before serving.
What is it that isn't true? I couldn't tell from your post. I've never spent time with the SBS so I don't have any personal opinions on them.
"...imprisoned in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, or handed over to the Iraqi authorities and "most probably" tortured."
The key words here are "most probably". In other words he really doesn't know with any certainty if the allegations are true.
uh i doubt any of you would even qualify for SAS service. Maybe he got sick and tired of being in a war zone, and in a conflict with no end in sight. Iraq is a mess, and is it a total failure. Without expanding the war into Syria and stopping the flow of foreign fighters, the war will drag on, and bombings will still continue. Sorry to say folks, but I this guy earned his "out" he spent a career in northern ireland, afghanistan, and macedonia/kosovo. I bet half of you arm chair quarterbacks haven't spent a day in the mud.
For obvious reasons, the identities of SAS, SBS and other elite troops are kept secret.
Andy McNab (Bravo Two Zero) is not the end-all, be-all but even retired/deceased unit members had their photographs censored in his books.
Surprising, then that this individual would be so open and/or be permitted to do so. Something is a bit fishy, but this did appear in the Telegraph and not one of the (anti-war) red tops.
Yes the SAS actually was founded before the delta force, and the delta force was modeled and copied after them. They are some hard up mofos. I can tell you, the US is practically paying the SF community thousands of dollars in bonuses to stay in, they are losing them. Iraq war among the SF community isn't very high on the list. I don't speak for all of them, but I have met a few who say that Iraq is lost. If we wont fight this "war" like how it should be fought its going to drag on with no end in sight. They are increasing the SF community by 70% to try and get more people in their ranks because the above average elite soldiers see through the conflict, and are getting out in droves. Look it up.
They are not all paras. Any body in the British Military can "try out" for the SAS. That's why they teach their candidates how to use a compass with map.
Sorry about the misunderstanding, I shuold have been clearer.
Uh, "outs" are when you injured and can't return to your ranks. Why not fail to reenlist?
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