SEATTLE (AP) — Those who have seen the photos say they are grisly: soldiers beside newly killed bodies, decaying corpses and severed fingers.
The dozens of photos, described in interviews and in e-mails and military documents obtained by The Associated Press, were seized by Army investigators and are a crucial part of the case against five soldiers accused of killing three Afghan civilians earlier this year.
Troops allegedly shared the photos by e-mail and thumb drive like electronic trading cards. Now 60 to 70 of them are being kept tightly shielded from the public and even defense attorneys because of fears they could wind up in the news media and provoke anti-American violence.
“We’re in a powder-keg situation here,” said Eugene R. Fidell, president of the National Institute for Military Justice and a military law professor at Yale University.
Since the images are not classified, “I think they have to be released if they’re going to be evidence in open court in a criminal prosecution,” he said.
Maj. Kathleen Turner, a spokeswoman for Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, where the accused soldiers are stationed, acknowledged that the images were “highly sensitive, and that’s why that protective order was put in place.”
She declined to comment further.
At least some of the photos pertain to those killings. Others may have been of insurgents killed in battle, and some may have been taken as part of a military effort to document those killed, according to lawyers involved in the case.
Among the most gruesome allegations is that some of the soldiers kept fingers from the bodies of Afghans they killed as war trophies. The troops also are accused of passing around photos of the dead and of the fingers.
Four members of the unit — two of whom are also charged in the killings — have been accused of wrongfully possessing images of human casualties, and another is charged with trying to impede an investigation by having someone erase incriminating evidence from a computer hard drive.
“Everyone would share the photographs,” one of the defendants, Cpl. Jeremy Morlock, told investigators. “They were of every guy we ever killed in Afghanistan.”
After the first slaying, one service member sent urgent e-mails to his father warning that more bloodshed was on the way. The father told the AP he pleaded for help from the military, but authorities took no action. A spokesman said Friday that the Army was investigating.
The graphic nature of the images recalled famous photos that emerged in 2004 from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Those pictures — showing smiling soldiers posing with naked, tortured or dead detainees, sometimes giving a thumbs-up — stirred outrage against the United States at a critical juncture. The photos were a major embarrassment to the American military in an increasingly unpopular and bloody war.
In a chilling videotaped interview with investigators, Morlock talked about hurling a grenade at a civilian as a sergeant discussed the need to “wax this guy.”
Morlock’s attorney, Michael Waddington, said the photos were not just shared among the defendants or even their platoon. He cited witnesses who told him that many at Forward Operating Base Ramrod in Kandahar Province kept such images, including one photograph of someone holding up a decapitated head blown off in an explosion.
That photo had nothing to do with Morlock, he said. It‘s not clear whether it’s among the photos seized in the case.
On Sept. 9, Army prosecutors gave a military representative of the defendants, Maj. Benjamin K. Grimes, packets containing more than 1,000 pages of documents in the case. Included were three photographs, each of a different soldier lifting the head of a dead Afghan, according to an e-mail Grimes sent to defense lawyers.
Later that day, before the documents could be shared with the defense lawyers, the prosecutors returned to Grimes’ office and demanded to have the packets back, Grimes wrote, according to a copy of the e-mail first reported by The New York Times.
The prosecutors cited national security interests and a concern that the photos could be released to the media.
Grimes said his staff initially refused to return the photos, but the next day, the Army commander at Lewis-McChord who convened the criminal proceedings, Col. Barry Huggins, ordered them to do so. They complied.
At a preliminary hearing in Morlock’s case Monday, Army officials confirmed that the number of restricted photos is 60 to 70. The investigating officer said he would view the photos in private.
Defense attorneys will also be allowed to see them if they visit the criminal investigations office on base, but they cannot have copies — an arrangement that did not satisfy Grimes. The defendants have been detained and cannot travel to see the photos to assist in their own defense, he noted, and most of the defense lawyers are based out of state.
Michael T. Corgan, a Vietnam veteran who teaches international relations at Boston University, said it should be no surprise that, even after Abu Ghraib, some soldiers take gruesome pictures as war souvenirs.
“They’re proof people are as tough as they say they are,” Corgan said. “War is the one lyric experience in their lives — by comparison every else is punching a time clock. They revel in it, and they collect memories of it.”
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Comments (126)
raven66
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:54amOkay folks on the scale of horrible things that happen in war, this is so minor it doesn’t even register. I suspect most of you who think this is terrible have never been in combat. We take our young men and hone them into efficient and effective killers of their fellow man send them into battle in our names where they see and experience atrocities the average American will never comprehend. Then some of you act outraged because a few of them “gloat” over the fact they were successful in wiping evil from the face of the earth and chose to document it with some pictures. In WWII solders were cutting out gold teeth and ears of our enemy. Some of you need to refocus your outrage on leaders who send our young men to battle then say fignt it humanely, fight but don’t be to violent. If you want a war over quickly they way to do it is fight more violently and ruthless then your enemy and make the cost so unacceptable they quit. In the long run this is what saves the most lives.
Report Post »firstHat
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:50amHi Raven66,
Nope, I’ve not fought in battle. But my father and his 3 brothers did fight in WWII. One didn’t make it back and the others were probably scarred for life from the experience. Most of the WWII veterans I know who were deep in combat, never talked about for many years or talked about it in a very cursory manner. They certainly never crowed about it.
It has been difficult getting real stories from them because for years they have remained silent. When asked about medals or honors they usually joked about the event that provoked it. For years all my Dad would say was that he got his medal “saving the booze from the officers tent” all the while years of night sweats and nightmares told the real story. He did finally begin to tell some of his real stories to my husband, but even then it was subdued and quiet and with much dignity and sadness remembering those lost and the lives damaged.
I remember my brother bringing home some war souvenir one of the neighborhood kids got a hold of and my father’s response was revulsion. In the end we found out the parent who was crowing about the token of war had not himself been in combat. Nope, he bought it off someone else.
I’m rambling, but what I think I want to come around to is that those who treated war seriously as something that had to be done in order to preserve humanity always held humanity in high esteem or became animals themselves. What is the point of fighting inhumanity if we only become inhumane ourselves.
Report Post »BeingThere
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:53amIt’s ok to shoot people with a gun but not with a camera? The rules of engagement should be search and destroy, nothing more, nothing less.
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:49amClearly there is a top down problem.
Solders are supposed to be trained for the situations they will be placed in, not just to win; but, to do so with honor.
At the moment our troops in Afghanistan seem to be failing on both counts.
I don’t know how far it goes or how many are involved; but, this article makes it sound like it’s more than just a select few bad apples.
If it’s only a few, then, well, stuff happens; but, if it’s more than that, then maybe some generals need to be up on charges.
Report Post »SamualACarver
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:21amWhat is wrong with you? Sure it is easy for you to sit at your computer and negatively judge our soldiers. The same soldiers that are willing to give their lives to protect other people from these, crazed, murderous savages. Would you try to gently handle a rabid dog? Or would you kill it and get it over with? What happens when our soldiers take trophies of the evil they have destroyed? First it helps them to feel good about what they did, instead of people like you filling them with guilt, plus it discourages our enemies. When our enemies are faced with our brutality and know that their death will not be swift and will not be honorable they will be a lot less likely to fight. And the ones that are encouraged by this to fight, will show themselves and be easier to kill. If you were a soldier would you fear an enemy that was gentle and kind and didn’t want to kill you and if they had to would make it quick, painless and give you honor? Or would you fear an enemy that was brutal and would give you a slow painful death with no honor and would mutilate and disgrace your body?
Our enemies over there believe fully that when they die at our soldiers hands they will be going to paradise. They can’t wait to fight and die. They know our soldiers are restrained, they dont think “Oh those Americans are so honorable, I don’t want to fight them.“ They think ”Stupid Americans trying to be honorable, honor is a weakness that I will exploit.”
Report Post »Slayer
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:49amI have no problem with our soldiers posing next to corpses. Considering that those corpses would be posing next to our soldiers’ corpses if they had won the fight instead. This is a bunch of Liberal handwringing nonsense. Who cares what the Liberals think. Fight the war to win. Fight hard, fight dirty the way the Muslims fight. And ignore everything that the Liberals say.
Report Post »Silat
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:42amGood soldiers do their jobs, kill the enemy and move on. Next!
Don’t give the terrorist-press something to bitch about. We are fighting three wars, Iraq, Afghanistan and the US Press.
Report Post »LarrySinger21
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:39amThats what I’m talking about, let them take all the pictures they want and make copies and distribute
Report Post »them, enough is enough, kill or be killed!
LinearAxis
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:39amThe taking of enemy trophies (flags,swords,guns,and body parts) has happened in every war ever fought. Its an “I’m alive and your not” kind of thing. The time to worry about it is when they start cutting the fingers off before they kill them.
Report Post »firstHat
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:33amThank you! Linearaxis (interesting name BTW).
Look, yes war is hell, and yes we need to fight to win. HOWEVER, we keep talking about American Exceptionalism. One of the things that has always made us exceptional is not only that we stood strong, but that we always questioned ourselves and tried to take the higher road. Killing happens as a part of war. Dismemberment of remains is not. It is the sort of thing we fight against (and have to kill because of). It does us no good to fight and then become that which we fight against.
Do bad soldiers happen? Yes. Do we sometimes need to rely on gallows humor to make it through? Yes. But soldiers who forget that respect and freedom are what we fight for are not what we take away by fighting and those who blur the line between gallows humor and loss of respect for life are not what we want to promote.
HAVING SAID THAT, I also agree that our leadership is partially responsible. That soldiers who are not allowed to truly fight to defend our principles (not to mention themselves), who are being robbed of their freedoms at home, who are told time and again by their leaders that their home country is evil and nothing to be proud of, these soldiers WILL have to become animals in order to fight and kill. Otherwise, they have no other reason.
Report Post »faktchekr
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:35amFight to win or get the hell out…knock off all this ***** footing around with ridiculous engagement policies and get this thing over with for the love of God. Enough is enough.
Report Post »jimhill58
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:31amI say douse the dead terrorists bodies with pig blood. In the gulf war we dug trenches with a bull dozier and barried the bodies in mass.
Report Post »ChazzArtist
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:29amNow there’s an interesting idea…
What IF each round of ammo contained pig’s blood? That way, what doesn’t kill you will keep you from from the big mosque in the sky and your 72 virgins.
Report Post »SamualACarver
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:22amI dont see anything wrong with it at all. I think they should display the dead enemy bodies regularly. We need to let them know that America is Hardcore when it comes to war. Our enemies see our news and they know that our soldiers have their hands tied behind their backs and they take advantage of that. What ever happened to all is far in war? They should give out fliers with dead enemy soldiers piled up with pig blood and guts spread over them. So that the enemies know they arent going to their “heaven” just because they died fighting Americans. Our enemy has no fear when they believe they will go to heaven when they die at American soldiers hands. We should come up with a way or at least say we came up with a way to have pig blood in all of our munitions (Muslims believe they won’t go to “heaven” if tainted by swine). Also the argument that we will further inflame them is a joke. They are already a raging inferno we can’t make it any worse, and if by chance we did, well that would be good, so that we can draw them out and kill them quicker. Probably every single one of those enemy soldiers our troops killed have, stoned a woman, raped a woman, and would love nothing more than to torture and kill any non-muslim. So why do they deserve any restraint when fighting them? They are pure evil, and need to be wiped off this planet. They attack and run in a mosque. Blow the damn mosque up! They will stop doing that in a hurry. We need to fight like we mean it and get it over with. Who cares what the rest of the World thinks. Any country that sympathizes with our enemies to hell with them. Thomas Jefferson said (paraphrasing) “I would rather have just an Adam and Eve living in freedom than a whole Country under oppression.” Meaning he would destroy the whole country down to only two people left if that is what it took to bring freedom. (Think about the future generations) On the other hand anyone that takes our side should be given an equal amount of help and kindness as our wrath would be if they were against us, everything that we can dish out.
If you had a garden with weeds growing in it choking out and not letting the good plants grow their best, and you were to try to pluck the weeds out individually what would happen. First you would never get them all before new ones grew back and there would always be seeds for more weeds to grow, plus you are going to step on and kill some good plants in the process, and in the end you will forever be fighting weeds and the garden will never grow its best. Instead if you just burn the entire garden and kill everything. You can replant with good plants and not have to worry again about weeds and the garden will grow better than ever. It is the same thing we are fighting right now, and we are trying to pluck the weeds, it will never end.
Report Post »RoAdFiXeR
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:17amWhat a much a do about nothing…War is ugly there is no real way to kill people politely…after hearing from many WWII and Vietnam vets when you see your buddies killed around you in what ever manner it changes you for life some can deal with it some can’t.
Report Post »Some need to read up on the history of this countries wars and you will realize this is the reality of war people get killed…
Sister_Mary
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:15amIt’s hard to fight a 10 yr old war with two hands tied behind your back … everyone complains about all the innocent dead but if we wen in full force we would have been done like ah 9 years ago … They would have known not to screw with us again … The taibahn has an endless supply of KIDS that are now 20 yrs old .. 10yrs ago you could not kil them and now they are 20 ?? Go in full force – do your job and get he hell out !!! Those kids usually tune nto men at sometime ….
Report Post »LastManStanding1
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:13amApplying progressive politically correct sensibilities in a part of the world in which the killing of women in the public square by throwing stones while the spectators cheer is just another example of the apologetic stature the current administration hs relagated America to.
Th Afghanastan people fear the Talilban, that is what drives their loyalty, our soldiers must do the same to have any chance of success within ght rules they are trying to operate within.
A gruesome a it may be, that is what the tribes of Afghanastan understand, the true crime here is that our young soldiers will be thrown under the buss by the progressives rather than being provided the help they will need.
Report Post »DrammyCoke
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:11amMy uncle has similar pictures from WWII. They should tell the muslims to get over it and go on about their day.
Report Post »MarieHillTut
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:04amTo me, this is disgusting and can’t dwell on it..I wonder how I would act in the face of death and had to kill my fellow man?..Does something snap inside your head? I think it must..to think keeping trophies of the dead makes you a warrior..very sad and so disappointing. I always like to think we are above acting this way, more civilized..but no one knows what happens to a man in battle..only they do..God Bless them all.
Report Post »ChazzArtist
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:22amCivilization is built on the bodies of the dead. In order to go from barbarians to civilized, the barbarians must be defeated, and they don’t go quietly. A picture is a trophy is a medal is a story. What we need to realize is that we train our soldiers to do the thing we are not willing to do ourselves. I believe that we owe respect to those who put themselves through living hell to keep us fat on the creature comforts of home. God Bless ‘em for protecting our God-given rights.
Report Post »veteranmarine
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 5:36pm“I wonder how I would act in the face of death and had to kill my fellow man?..Does something snap inside your head?”
Yes…the thing that snaps in your head is your skull because you didn’t fire first. It is easier to think of it in these terms [in the next few seconds, one of us will be alive and the other will be dead...I want to live]
Report Post »veteranmarine
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:55amI was in Al-Anbar in 2004-2005, and I lost three of my friends: Kolda, Holloway, Rodriguez Velasco. I’m not down with the execution of innocent civilians part of this, but I’m not really interested in winning their hearts and minds either. There is a hell of a lot thin skins that look at a charge of “accused of wrongfully possessing images of human casualties” and think that our war fighters are some kind of sick twisted animals who have lost their humanity. The problem isn‘t that we’ve lost part of our humanity, the problem is the thin skinned can’t appreciate that it is a good thing. The last mistake you will ever make is hesitate pulling the trigger.
I think everyone who has served in these wars have carried this saying:
“I’d rather be judged by twelve than carried by six”
Well…now they’re being judged by twelve
Report Post »barbaraw62
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:37amIs it any wonder …… we hear so much about suicide of our dear young soldiers when they return to this country…. WAR IS HELL, listen to the soldiers and what they deal with and stop making judgements…. rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6…. You are correct in saying this… SEMPER FI
Report Post »BeingThere
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:58amWell, if I was one of the twelve these soldiers would have nothing to worry about. Thank you for your service.
Report Post »wingedwolf
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 11:20amThank you for your service. Let the soldiers alone to deal with what they’re having to do in their own way. Veteran CSI people have macabre rituals and ways of dealing with the stuff they have to see and do that would make your teeth curl up and fall out. You don‘t tell someone how to grieve and you don’t tell someone how to deal with the ravages of war, either. Shame on all who judge.
Report Post »AU Patriot
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:52amNot Good. We wouldn‘t want our enemies posing with our soldier’s bodies. War is horrible but this is not what we sent our guys over there to do.
Report Post »troyvar
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:29amThey do every chance they get. When an IED kills our soldiers, we’re the first ones there. If we were not, you could count on pictures be published as publicly as it comes.
Report Post »rightwingwacko
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:50amAnd you think the enemy isn’t doing the same to our troops? They are beheading civilians and putting it on you tube. They are hiding behind women , children ,holy ground and using explosives hidden and killing our troops in a manner of warfare they aren’t trained for or ready to deal with.
Report Post »No, this doesn’t make it right but when you have to deal with the junk they do, well you have to“ blow it off” the best you can so you can deal with it another day. Soldiers have been these types of barbaric things since the beginning of wars.
dheard
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 1:53pmi think we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. there should be no tolerance for soldiers who desecrate the dead and kill innocent civilians. just b/c that‘s how soldiers have always acted in wars throughout the years doesn’t make it right when our soldiers do it. we need to encourage all our brave soldiers to act honorable and upright no matter the circumstances. religion is one of the ways these concepts used to be instilled into people and a deficit in true, humble religion is becoming a problem throughout the world.
Report Post »smugsmiley
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 3:00pmExactly. We’re well aware that those things have always happened and, with any probability, will always happen in war. But we cannot just let those soldiers go unpunished if they commit acts like this. That would be like saying “Well, people are going to murder each other no matter if we punish some or not, so why bother?” We must always stay vigilant.
Report Post »veteranmarine
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 5:44pm@Dheard
Sir,
In war there is no “higher standard”…only “higher ground” “higher volume of fire” and “higher attrition”
If I may quote John Stuart Mill
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”
Report Post »Smith357
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:49amCongratulations to our soldiers for a job well done. Heres to them killing even more terrorists in the future.
Semper Fi
Report Post »Philo Beddoe
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:48amWhy should this matter to a population that regularly stones people to death, tortures people and cuts of hands, feet, ears and noses’
It is distasteful, some call it disgusting. I call it bravado.
When you have slimy terrorists holding up the head of a just beheaded western prisoner as a trophy
the followers rise up and cheer.
There are times when we must jump into the cesspool with the filth of the earth and let them know we do not respect them in life or death.
This is the only thing the terrorists understand.
Report Post »starman70
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:17amWhile you are right in many respects, we are supposed to hold ourselves, as Americans, to a higher standard than the barbarian goons which make up the Taliban and most of the other islamic terrorist groups. They, the Islamists, hang bodies of Israeli troops from lightpoles, show videos of beheadings, stonings and other barbaric acts all in the name of Islam.
War is a brutal exercise. It sometimes makes the best of our troops go off the deep end. It has happened in every war we have ever fought. In the past, the press didn’t publish such information.Now however the news media gloat over stories like this one. Very few of todays news publishers and anchors have ever faced an enemy on the battlefield. They either “Colleged out” or bedamd reservists when the draft was in force. After the draft was repealed, they just didn’t joun the military. They don’t know the horror our men and women face every day.
While such actions are inexcuseable, they are a fact of war.
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 8:30amI disagree – we are better than that and if we crawl into the cesspool with them, then we are no better than the people who piloted planes into buildings on 9/11. America needs to stand for something – show that we are a cut above the rest of the world. I am sorry that these solders are that distraught from war that they had to do that but if it was a normal problem in war then everyone would be doing it and they are not. So they need to be punished in some way as well as get help for their problems. http://wp.me/pYLB7-aZ
Report Post »Rob
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:38amShould make a necklace of the ears to wear…. we are too wimpy and politically correct today, the point of war is to put the fear of God in ‘em.
Report Post »AzDebi
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:55amFirst thing I say to myself is, “Why is AP reporting on this in the first place?”…then I go backtracking to TRY to decipher the REAL TRUTH in the story…everything that used to be Right is now Wrong and everything that used to be Black is now WHITE…I give up…I do know that I’ve seen many pictures over the years of American soldiers standing around piles of enemy bodies…that part just doesn’t seem unusual to me me? God only knows if the rest of the article is even true!
Report Post »clayusmcret
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:37amThe photo on the Home page identifies the image file name “marines”. The webmasters should correct this immediately.
Report Post »UPSETVET
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:37amUCMJ, Uniform Code of Military Justice should have jurisdiction over this and all military matters. No civilian court, state or federal, should should interfere. Let the military clean it’s own house.
Report Post »rightwingwacko
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:51amDitto
AzDebi
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:48amAmen!
Report Post »Loyal9
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:29amThis is what happens when you put good men in a situation where they aren‘t allowed to do what they’ve been trained to do…when they are not allowed to use their full potential to WIN and come home.
Report Post »B.S. ROE and the growing apathy of the Islamitization of America, quite frankly would make me snap as well! This is the fault of American Politicians. I will except no other excuse.
JGP
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:36amDittos Loyal.
Report Post »valerie68
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:46amI completely agree. Either let them do their job or let them come home. Personally, I think we should level the whole place then call it a day.
Report Post »dheard
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:59am@loyal9
Report Post »i’d disagree. good men don’t do this sort of stuff even when they are under the circumstances that our military are in. the real problem w/ this is that we have a generation of soldiers who have grown up w/ very little religion or God in their lives. religion teaches people to respect life and that no matter our nationality we are all children of the same Father. some people say a similar thing happened to the japanese in WWII which caused them to be so brutal. they had exterminated real honor in their society years before when they outlawed samurai and the bushido code (essentially the west’s code of chivalry, look it up and read the precepts). war doesn’t cause people to do these things, i think war just enhances whatever attributes are already in a person, whether they be heroic or demonic.
DrammyCoke
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:08amUnleash those dogs we call the US Marines and let them finish this. Give them a reason to fear us.
Report Post »TBud13
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:42amSo because their actions are regulated by Washington, good men will murder civilians and brag about it? Your ignorance is astounding. However, you are right that Washington does bare some responsibility, but it is due to the ill defined objective. We are not Nazi Germany sir, we are not there to exterminate and entire population. Get real with your expectations and your view of “good men.” There are many MANY good men and women in our military, do not include these guys into that category.
Report Post »watchful
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:24amIf you want to see something REALLY hidious and barbaric, watch the video taken of the muslims stoning a young girl because she didn’t want to marry the old man her family had arranged for her. There‘s another one recently showing muslim men taking a truck and running over a little boy’s arm because he stole some food. I can’t even imagine being in the situation our troops are in, but shouldn’t we keep our priorities straight? Most normal people would go ballistic if they knew they were involved with barbarians that treated their animals the way the muslims treat women, children and ‘infidels’. Seeing their despicable and ungodly behavior of the muslims made me wish someone would blow the group of murderers up that were maming and killing that little boy and young girl. If we were all honest, we’d have to admit that most of us would feel.
Report Post »Loyal9
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 6:12pm@DHEARD I disagree. A. Our Godless generation doesn’t volunteer to give their lives for their country. Instead they become drug addicts or just general menaces to society.
Report Post »B. Weren’t those guys who flew planes into buildings very religious?
Make no mistake these people would do this to us or worse if they had their way. I saw the video of them sawing the American Contractor’s head off with a Rambo knife in the name of religion. Our choice is simple, exterminate these people now or have them do the same to our grandchildren.
grnhrn
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 8:29amIf it is true truly reprehensible. The need to kill the enemy is real, the need to gloat over it is sad. I am glad I do not have anyones life on my hands-but if I have to it will be as quick as possible and asking god for his forgiveness and understanding.
Report Post »drhunt
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:41amGimmee a break. One of the problems in America is that civilians don’t have the stomach for the brutal nature of war. Perhaps those that find war offensive should watch the beheading videos of Nick Berg, Daniel Pearl and Eugene Armstrong. Taking the enemies’ fingers is over the top, but everything else in this article indicates to this reader that the pussyfication of America continues. ROE? Medals of Honor for Restraint? Gimmee a break.
Report Post »Lesterp
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 9:52amGreenhorn, This happens in every war. The only unfortunate part is that they took photos! When I was 16 a friend of mine showed me pictures of his brother sitting on top of dead Viet Cong. Is it pretty? Hell no! It is however how you must detach yourself from the gruesome task of war. I cannot condemn them for something I only read about or see in movies. I only wish they had photos of them pouring pigs blood on them!
Report Post »MAULEMALL
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:01amI say God Bless em… As a former Drill Instructor I got to say Good Job..
You have proven yourself to be the Highly trained proffessional killer My brothers and I worked so hard to instill in you.
Just because the CinC is to much of a beatch to go face to face, You make me proud.
Report Post »Veritasvincit
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:19amTrust no photographs that could have been altered. The media is not neutral with these matters. Perhaps the military justice system will be.
Report Post »Falconer
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 10:53amThe pussyfication/feminisation of America began long ago, with the dumming down of Americas youth.
Report Post »Maybe that’s why we are on the verge of no longer being the land of the free. Because for the most part, it is no longer the home of the brave. Veterans, ALL VETERANS! YOU ROCK! You truly are Americas finest. These soldiers have done what they were asked to do. They have killed the enemy. Drive on!
WalterSobchak
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 11:13amSo we want them to protect us, fight like hell…and oh by the way, be politically correct at the same time. An old saying: You can tell me what to do AND you can tell me how to do it — but you can’t do both.
Report Post »yankee03
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 12:36pmHaving been forced to kill a half dozen enemies personally (and who know how many thru indirect fire, airstrikes) I have no sympathy for them (the enemy)-I also do not have any tolerence for those that gloat over, use trophies or do anything other than dealing with the bodies as required (for identification or disposal/turn over to locals for burial).This is immature behavior by those that are not capable of understanding what life and war are about. It is not needed nor should be tolerated for anyone to conduct or allow this tye of behavior. If the serviceman/woman is a true warrior, they will just do their job and learn from that enemy action. The only way to ensure that the few weirdos that will always get thru to any unit, is to punish them seriously to deter the next weak minded individual/s that might be tempted to do this.
Report Post »BrightAndSunnyDay
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 1:45pmIt is sad that these actions were taken after the death of these people who are our sworn enemies. But what is also sad is how Americans (in the comfort of their own safe homes) sit back in their comfy sofa-chairs and call for the judgment of these men and women who defend us–soldiers who have seen horrific things that will haunt their dreams and souls for the rest of their days. How does anyone expect a person to keep their sanity after killing other humans (even if they are enemies), and seeing beheaded men, women, and children laying in the streets?–or worse, finding the decapitated body of one of their friends? This is the price of war–a war started by terrorists, and will be finished by us. If these men/women who defend us with their very lives are caught doing despicable things, they should be dishonorably discharged from the military, and NOTHING MORE. The only time our soldiers should be jailed is if they murder one of our own, or purposefully murder children without cause.
Report Post »WestOfThePecos
Posted on October 2, 2010 at 5:03pmWatch “World at War” on the History channel. WWl, WWll, Korea and Viet Nam. War is hell and it is sometimes very sickening to watch on TV (or HD DVD). Imagine being there. I was in Nam and I was lucky to NOT see the worst of the worst. What I saw was enough for my life time.
Report Post »mrsdawn
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 1:23amThis is not a new phenomena. My friend is a vet and has pictures of those he killed. My grandfather’s friend has pictures from WWII. They were not gloating, however, they were documenting. I am not sure why some need to have these photos but they had to kill or be killed and I don’t want the soldiers to have to weep for the enemy. Maybe we should ask why they did it before we condemn them for gloating. No law has been broken and these pictures are now historical documents. Maybe it helps them in a time of war. I don’t know what it would be like if I had to kill people or die trying. Maybe it helps them somehow?
Report Post »Beckofile
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 9:25amI always take a photo after a good kill when elk hunting. It is the reason a soldier exist, Kill people and break things. Too bad they are not able to get the hell out of there and come home because the politicians are screwing this one up just like Vietnam.
Report Post »hiramsmaxim
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 9:25amYou work your butt off and track the elusive enemy. Your boot camp through additional specialized training makes you tougher. You are sent to a land to kill the enemy not police the streets like a metro cop. Last but not least you have friends and others that are getting killed on a routine basis, therefore you will take pride as you should for killing the enemy. It seems sick and twisted to the “soft” and peaceful American.
Report Post »We have always needed to fight this war to win.
FreedomOfSpeech
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:19pmWho cares? It’s war. We should be napalming Afghanistan, then there won’t be anything to pose with. Problem solved.
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