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April 13, 2006
Reporting for [strikeout]Duty[/strikeout] Abuse
Greyhawk
Several mainstream news sites - The Washington Post, the NY Times, Fox News - now feature military blogs, with bloggers deployed to Iraq. This is admirable.
The Post's MilBlog is called Reporting for Duty. It's author, CWO2 Bert Stover, is a Virginia Army National Guard member curently serving in Iraq.
...a 29-year-old, single male resident of the District of Columbia and the owner of a one bedroom condo. I work in the civilian sector as a computer programmer for Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI), the publisher of washingtonpost.com. In the military, I am a member of the Virginia Army National Guard performing the duties of a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. I have no professional writing experience.
His latest entry relates the story of a helicopter crash. Nothing deep, certainly nothing political, just an account of human events at the Tactical Operations Center as news of the accident spread.
The blog also has a comments section. Of course, having milbloggers on mainstream news sites means opening those comments sections to people whose worldviews are shaped by mainstream news:
The United States lost one more airplane. Imagine the feelings of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have lost family members as a result of the US takeover of their country.Posted by: Uncle Sam | April 12, 2006 01:51 PM
That airplane could have been useful to the Iraqi people, or in devastated New Orleans, or elsewhere. Unfortunately, it was being used for war and also unfortunately, the antiwar majority will be forced to pay for its replacement.Posted by: Bring them home alive | April 12, 2006 02:17 PM
I think you're a criminal. I know you didn't plan this invasion yourself, and that you are a small cog in a big machine. But the project of which you are apart is criminal.Posted by: Anon | April 12, 2006 02:31 PM
You and your collegues went half way around the world to invade and occupy a country that posed you no threat. In doing so you broke the most important of international law (the UN charter) and set the example of 'might-is-right' for all the thugs of the world.
The Iraqis who oppose your presence are right to resist you. I would set IEDs for you if you invaded and occupied my country (Ireland) - and so would most people in most countries.
Many of us around the world had thought that the days of colonialism and imperialism were over. America has returned the world to this nightmare and people like yourself will kill and die until it returns to civility and the rule of law among nations. What a waste and what a crime.
More:
There can be no discussion of any human experiences outside of their historical context. The historical context of Bert Stover's experiences is the violent invasion of Iraq by the United States in violation of the foundational principle of international law as expressed at Geneva and Nuremberg: the prohibition against unprovoked aggressive war and the affirmation that illegal orders have no legal standing.
Posted by: Anon. | April 12, 2006 05:57 PM
Moreover those Nuremburg principles clearly state that uniformed soldiers should not be excused when they participate in illegal acts.
That's why we hanged hundreds of uniformed soldiers after WW2.
'War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders." '
G.W. Bush, addressing Iraqi military, March 17 2003
Posted by: Not in my name | April 12, 2006 06:18 PM
One interesting comment is signed "I hope you crash them all". Some eye opening stuff for anyone who thinks the Left's "support the troops" mantra is earnest or sustainable. Those wanting to add a few words of simple thanks for the author's efforts (and not further bog down the comments section already clogged by this type of sewage) are encouraged to do so here.
Posted by Greyhawk at 10:48 PM
