red states rule
Senior Member
- May 30, 2006
- 16,011
- 573
- 48
The liberal media is once again sliming the troops. God forbid if the troops do their job and prevent terrorists attacks and save lives
Yes, ABC News is more interested in the right of terrorists then stopping terrorist attacks
Poll: Many in Army OK with torture
11:31 PM CDT on Friday, May 4, 2007
From Wire Reports
WASHINGTON More than one-third of U.S. soldiers in Iraq surveyed by the Army said they believe torture should be allowed if it helps gather important information about insurgents, the Pentagon disclosed Friday. Four in 10 said they approve of such illegal abuse if it would save the life of a fellow soldier.
In addition, about two-thirds of Marines and half the Army troops surveyed said they would not report a team member for mistreating a civilian or for destroying civilian property unnecessarily. "Less than half of Soldiers and Marines believed that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect," the report stated.
About 10 percent of the 1,767 troops in the official survey conducted in Iraq in the fall reported that they had mistreated civilians in Iraq, such as kicking them or needlessly damaging their possessions.
"They looked under every rock, and what they found was not always easy to look at," S. Ward Casscells, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said of Army researchers who conducted the survey. The report noted that the troops' statements are at odds with the Army's "soldier's rules."
Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, the acting Army surgeon general, cast the report as positive news. "What it speaks to is the leadership that the military is providing, because they're not acting on those thoughts," she said. "They're not torturing the people."
But human rights activists said the report lends support to their view that the abuse of Iraqi civilians by U.S. military personnel was not isolated to some bad apples at Abu Ghraib and a few other detention facilities but instead was more widespread.
"These are distressing results," said Steven Shapiro, national legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union. "They highlight a failure to adequately train and supervise our soldiers."
The study also found that the more often soldiers are deployed, the longer they are deployed each time, and the less time they spend at home, the more likely they are to suffer mental health problems such as combat trauma, anxiety and depression. That result is notable given that the Pentagon has sent soldiers and Marines to Iraq multiple times and recently extended the tours of thousands of soldiers from 12 to 15 months.
The authors of the Army document argued that the strains placed on troops in Iraq are in some ways more severe than those borne by the combat forces of World War II.
And although U.S. casualties in Iraq are far lower than in the Vietnam War, for example, military experts say that Iraq can be more stressful. In Vietnam, some rear areas were considered safe, but in Iraq there are no truly secure areas outside big bases.
The authors recommended that soldiers be given breathers during combat tours and also intervals of 18 to 36 months between such tours, substantially longer than they are allowed now.
Overall, 20 percent of the soldiers surveyed and 15 percent of the Marines appeared to suffer from depression, anxiety or stress, the Army reported. That was in keeping with findings of past surveys, as was the conclusion that more than 40 percent of soldiers reported low morale in their units.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/050507dnintethics.372ee0d.html
Yes, ABC News is more interested in the right of terrorists then stopping terrorist attacks
Poll: Many in Army OK with torture
11:31 PM CDT on Friday, May 4, 2007
From Wire Reports
WASHINGTON More than one-third of U.S. soldiers in Iraq surveyed by the Army said they believe torture should be allowed if it helps gather important information about insurgents, the Pentagon disclosed Friday. Four in 10 said they approve of such illegal abuse if it would save the life of a fellow soldier.
In addition, about two-thirds of Marines and half the Army troops surveyed said they would not report a team member for mistreating a civilian or for destroying civilian property unnecessarily. "Less than half of Soldiers and Marines believed that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect," the report stated.
About 10 percent of the 1,767 troops in the official survey conducted in Iraq in the fall reported that they had mistreated civilians in Iraq, such as kicking them or needlessly damaging their possessions.
"They looked under every rock, and what they found was not always easy to look at," S. Ward Casscells, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said of Army researchers who conducted the survey. The report noted that the troops' statements are at odds with the Army's "soldier's rules."
Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, the acting Army surgeon general, cast the report as positive news. "What it speaks to is the leadership that the military is providing, because they're not acting on those thoughts," she said. "They're not torturing the people."
But human rights activists said the report lends support to their view that the abuse of Iraqi civilians by U.S. military personnel was not isolated to some bad apples at Abu Ghraib and a few other detention facilities but instead was more widespread.
"These are distressing results," said Steven Shapiro, national legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union. "They highlight a failure to adequately train and supervise our soldiers."
The study also found that the more often soldiers are deployed, the longer they are deployed each time, and the less time they spend at home, the more likely they are to suffer mental health problems such as combat trauma, anxiety and depression. That result is notable given that the Pentagon has sent soldiers and Marines to Iraq multiple times and recently extended the tours of thousands of soldiers from 12 to 15 months.
The authors of the Army document argued that the strains placed on troops in Iraq are in some ways more severe than those borne by the combat forces of World War II.
And although U.S. casualties in Iraq are far lower than in the Vietnam War, for example, military experts say that Iraq can be more stressful. In Vietnam, some rear areas were considered safe, but in Iraq there are no truly secure areas outside big bases.
The authors recommended that soldiers be given breathers during combat tours and also intervals of 18 to 36 months between such tours, substantially longer than they are allowed now.
Overall, 20 percent of the soldiers surveyed and 15 percent of the Marines appeared to suffer from depression, anxiety or stress, the Army reported. That was in keeping with findings of past surveys, as was the conclusion that more than 40 percent of soldiers reported low morale in their units.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/050507dnintethics.372ee0d.html
