well, that is a start. How the US handles this hot potato is being watched world wide and could make/ break relationships on multi levels. Technically this is an INTERNATIONAL CRIME..
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]Not anymore than Canadians worship first class surgeons that save lives on a daily basis... Moderation is imperative, as things get out of balance far too quickly
And do you consider yourself to be moderate?
A Vet’s Perspective on the Afghan Massacre | TIME Ideas | TIME.com
When I read about Staff Sergeant Robert Bales’ alleged massacre in Panjwai, just a few kilometers from that firefight, I thought about that little girl. I wonder how any grown man — an American soldier nonetheless — could stare down 11 children and even consider pulling a trigger. It pains me to think that perhaps even some of the children I helped in Kandahar would have been among the victims. My heart fills with hate toward this man, as do most Americans’.
But our generation of fighters is lucky enough to live in a society that is at least tolerant of our service members, if not passionately enthusiastic about us. Our military has had several soldiers engage in inhumane acts in combat over the past decade. But for the most part, our culture understands that these isolated incidents don’t represent the 99% of soldiers who are good-hearted people that have served honorably. And if we solely analyze this as an issue of character, then of course I wholeheartedly agree. But the problem is that this incident, and the ones that may occur in the future, are not simply issues of character, but of post-traumatic stress. And through this lens, I fear the “isolated incident” argument may leave several soldiers neglected.
Since I came home from Afghanistan, I’ve personally struggled through life-altering post-traumatic stress. I went through phases of nightmares, severe temper problems and antisocial behavior. I distanced myself from my parents and neglected my health. My outlook on life became cynical and toxic. I was an angry person to be around. And I did only one tour. More important, I’ve had plenty of time to realign my life, and I’m finally taking better care of myself. Had I stayed on the traditional Army career path, I would have been back on a plane to Afghanistan a few months ago, undoing months of progress and deepening the crevices in my emotional life.
Robert Bales was on his fourth tour in combat. I know the gravity of this commitment does not register with most people. It’s not simply a “one year on, one year off” arrangement. When you come home, some units get 30 days leave; some units in 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Bales’ unit) received only two weeks when they came home in 2010 according to a colleague who served in Iraq with them. When work starts again, NCOs like Bales show up to their American posts between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. Then come the battalion field exercises and brigade field exercises that each require weeks of training away from home. Then most units will spend a month at Fort Irwin, Calif., or Fort Polk, La., for a final pre-deployment exercise. That whole “one-year off” is not much of a break for any soldier or their families. With so much time away from home and focused on war, spouses leave, children suffer and mental health deteriorates.