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Soldier Refuses to Return to War

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 11:58:36 AM EST
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Sgt. Kevin Benderman of Georgia refuses to return to Iraq. He's had enough of viewing bodies stored in mass graves and children's burned limbs. [Via Raw Story.]

Benderman is seeking conscientious objector status. Here's what he saw in Iraq:

He told of bombed out homes and displaced Iraqis living in mud huts and drinking from mud puddles; mass graves in Khanaqin near the Iranian border where dogs fed off bodies of men, women and children.

He recalled his convoy passing a girl, no older than 10, on the roadside clutching a badly injured arm. Benderman said his executive officer refused to help because the troops had limited medical supplies. "Her arm was burned, 3rd-degree burns, just black. And she was standing there with her mother begging for help," Benderman said. "That was an eye opener to seeing how insane it really is."

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    Soldier Refuses to Return to War | 52 comments (52 topical)
    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#1)
    by Andreas on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 12:28:12 PM EST
    On January 8, 19-year-old Andres Raya, a US marine, killed one police officer and seriously wounded another before being shot dead in his hometown of Ceres, a small agricultural community near Modesto in northern California. The apparent motive was Raya’s determination not to return to duty in Iraq. Raya, who fought in Fallujah last spring, returned from Iraq in September for a holiday visit. His mother, Julia Cortez Raya, told the Modesto Bee, “He came back different.”
    “Suicide by cop”: Marine provokes police shootout to avoid return to Iraq By Kevin Kearney and John Andrews, 15 January 2005

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 12:35:03 PM EST
    This might be the first war in history where volunteers in the military have sought conscientious objector status. Of course there are occasional individuals who deserve that status in the time of a draft, but at present, our military consists entirely of volunteers. If you volunteer and are paid all through peacetime, you can't just declare yourself a conscientious objector as soon as there's trouble. Agree with the war or not, this guy is abusing the goodwill of antiwar Americans just as he is abusing the system that allows conscientious objectors freedom from conscription. You can't volunteer and then say that, all of a sudden, you're against war in general because it's wrong. That's ludicrous. This guy is 40 years old to boot. He's not a kid.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#3)
    by Che's Lounge on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 01:27:12 PM EST
    There will be much more of this. In all wars soldiers witness horrendous events and sometimes participate in them either voluntarily or because of circumstances. But the big question, which was never necessary during clear cut conflicts like WWII, but will always haunt veterans of illegal wars like Nam and Iraq is, FOR WHAT?

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 02:18:29 PM EST
    Why are the soldiers that refused to help that little girl not being tried for crimes against humanity? How could that soldier let himself be ordered NOT to help someone like that? It sounds like an illegal order to me. Is that an order that he must obey and where is the line drawn? My God! If he is forced to go back he should help everyone he can.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#5)
    by cp on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 02:25:01 PM EST
    sorry, he volunteered, he wasn't drafted. noone, who is sane anyway, enjoys war and the horror it brings. that, however, was a risk he took knowingly, that he could be sent into combat. if he doesn't obey lawful orders, he should be subject to courts martial. the very huge difference between vietnam and iraq is conscription. none of the people currently serving were drafted, they all volunteered. this same thing happened during the first persion gulf conflict, people who had enjoyed peacetime duty, pay and benefits, suddenly got a conscience. it just doesn't wash. if he's suffering from combat fatigue, he should seek medical attention.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 02:51:45 PM EST
    DrewDogNJ - Very good point. I wonder how many other countries had all volunteer armies? Well, there's Britan and Canada. Others? -C

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#7)
    by glanton on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 02:54:10 PM EST
    cp is right that the one difference between Iraq and Vietnam at this point has to do with conscription. Certainly, though, one cannot differentiate between the two in terms of legitimacy. Zero then, zero now. Che's Lounge is right of course but being reight means nothing anymore. There's no point to the war, and more and more soldiers are going to rebel as the thing lasts and lasts and lasts and lasts.... And one cannot blame them. They signed up to defend their nation, not to kill and die to help an Administration save face.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 03:08:15 PM EST
    If our "volunteer" army is so free and everyone there is so of their own free will, why can they not quit whenever they wish? Any other job you can quit if it isn't working out. It seems once they brainwash them into joining they are under indentured servitude. Now they cannot even leave when their contract is up. They may as well have been drafted. The man in question certainly should not be branded a coward. He has already been to Iraq for one deployment.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#9)
    by glanton on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 03:12:49 PM EST
    Good point, One World

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 03:34:25 PM EST
    OneWorld writes - If our "volunteer" army is so free and everyone there is so of their own free will, why can they not quit whenever they wish? Any other job you can quit if it isn't working out.." Well, for starts there is this little matter of a contract. You may not be old enough to have ever signed one, but let me assure you that when you do, the other party will expect you to perform to the terms. Hope the above brings you back to the RealWorld.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#11)
    by glanton on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 03:49:56 PM EST
    Of course, there's also the little matter of people being held post-contract, solely because of a mess created wholly by people forever out of range (Ah, the bravery of being out of range!), but I guess that doesn't really matter to bloggers and media outlets cozening up to the military-industrial 'teet.'

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 03:53:15 PM EST
    oh, by the way, PPJ, Nazi SS officers were just fulfilling their contracts as well. Reasonable objections to service could nullify a contractual obligation.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 04:23:22 PM EST
    your mama: I don't believe you about SS officers having a contract. link it please. Prove it.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 04:46:28 PM EST
    Wile E - Good shot, but you know he can't. ;-) your mama - As an ex-Repro Man, let me tell you that wouldn't work. (Yes, children. In edats goneby, I would sneak around at night and steal cars from people who hadn't met their contractual obligations...Nasty job, but we didn't have Pell Grants in those days.)

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#16)
    by glanton on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 04:52:06 PM EST
    Wil E: "I don't believe you about SS officers having a contract." I don't quite know what to say to that, except that it's inane.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 05:10:13 PM EST
    I suspect that we are going to see a lot more of this. Not only should we support these valiant souls, we should encourage more to act on their consciences. New horizons in civil disobedience. Plus, where are the attorneys!!?? If I were the ACLU, I'd be all over this w/ all sorts of novel arguments about breach of contract and denials of equal protection. Fight the power!

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 06:20:38 PM EST
    link I just went to the Selective Service homepage to see what they have to say about conscientious objection. I found nothing in their discussion of the issue that refuted the possibility that a person could feel that aggression and combat could be reasonable and necessary sometimes but wrong at other times.
    WHO QUALIFIES? Beliefs which qualify a registrant for CO status may be religious in nature, but don't have to be. Beliefs may be moral or ethical; however, a man's reasons for not wanting to participate in a war must not be based on politics, expediency, or self-interest. In general, the man's lifestyle prior to making his claim must reflect his current claims. SERVICE AS A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR Two types of service are available to conscientious objectors, and the type assigned is determined by the individual's specific beliefs. The person who is opposed to any form of military service will be assigned to Alternative Service - described below. The person whose beliefs allow him to serve in the military but in a noncombatant capacity will serve in the Armed Forces but will not be assigned training or duties that include using weapons.
    It does state clearly that a person's views and lifestyle before seeking CO status should be consistent with his current claim. But if a person were to believe that a "just war" should be fought and that an "unjust war" is wrong, and if that person were to believe that this is an unjust war, then he might be an enlistee who later claims CO status reasonably.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 06:37:12 PM EST
    ppj, Bet you've got some great stories from your repo days. Would love to hear them.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 06:49:31 PM EST
    Posted by Poker Player: "Well, for starts there is this little matter of a contract. You may not be old enough to have ever signed one" Snicker, snicker. Oh how you love to condescend. "but let me assure you that when you do, the other party will expect you to perform to the terms." Yeah, oaths of office are like that too!! And an illegal invasion will NEVER be anything but an illegal invasion. When Bushliar swore to uphold the Constitution, that didn't include LYING the country into a needless war. Contracts require an exchange of value. In the case of soldiers, it is the value of LEGAL orders, which they are promised in exchange for their potentially-grave sacrifice. An illegal war is wall-to-wall illegal orders, and no one can be held to a contract based on illegality. As for SS contracts, Hitler famously extracted written loyalty oaths from his commanders (in violation of the German constitution), just like Bush/Cheney did during their absurdly-ineffectual campaign last year. Of course, conspiracies already have loyalty oaths implicit in them. It's the honor among thieves part that is so hard to come by. Another STOLEN election will NOT COVER UP THE BLOOD. --

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 06:55:53 PM EST
    your mama - One time I went down to pick up a car that had been used as collateral for a loan. I couldn't find it. Finally, second time around, I found it. Setting on blocks in the back yard. No hood, no windows, honeysuckle vines growing up through the motor. Thinking about the obscene interest rates the owner was probablhy paying to loan company, I think the screwed had become the screwee...

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 06:59:54 PM EST
    Paul In LA - You know, you're gonna blow a gasket. Do your friends know how to indentify a stroke victim? One of the tests is to: Smile.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 07:45:18 PM EST
    I understand they signed a contract. When we work, in exchange for what we do, we get paid. That should not be an instrument to hold that person in unwilling servitude. They work and received said pay..if they do not they do not get paid. If money for college is promised and the person does not keep to the agreement they should not receive the college money.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#23)
    by kdog on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 08:10:37 PM EST
    I'm sure when most signed their contract, they assumed they would only be asked to kill and die as a last resort. The Iraq occupation, the legality of which is debatable, could (or should)be grounds to void that contract. I wish this guy all the luck in the world, especially since he has already been put through the ringer once. He fulfilled his contract by going for his first tour. I respect him for standing up for himself and for what is right by refusing to go back.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#24)
    by cp on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 08:26:20 PM EST
    the standard military enlistment contract includes a clause that allows the government to retain you beyond the normal term, if necessary. whether or not this is an illegal war is irrelevant, because it isn't even a declared war. congress, under the powers prescribed by the "war powers act" authorized bush to use whatever means he determined necessary to prosecute action against iraq. bush didn't ask, and congress didn't formally declare, war against iraq. this guy is basically toast. the aclu isn't going to jump on the bandwagon of a clearly losing cause. one of the other clauses in the standard enlistment contract is that you agree to become subject to the ucmj, and it is the rare civilian court that will ever overrule the military courts. in fact, no civilian court would even have jurisdiction. i don't happen to agree with us being in iraq, but that is beside the point. this guy is 40 years old, he wasn't some 18 year-old newly minted high school graduate when he signed up. presumably, he knew what he was potentially getting himself into, and already served one tour in iraq. he's going to have a tough roe to hoe to prove he's a conscientious objector, versus just not wanting to go back.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#25)
    by wishful on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 09:44:37 PM EST
    Are enlisted men supposed to obey illegal orders?

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 11:53:04 PM EST
    I understand they signed a contract. When we work, in exchange for what we do, we get paid. That should not be an instrument to hold that person in unwilling servitude. They work and received said pay..if they do not they do not get paid. If money for college is promised and the person does not keep to the agreement they should not receive the college money.
    OneWorld: It would seem you're overlooking one very important aspect of military service in the U.S. armed forces... the military spends significant money training new service members. This is, in part, why service contracts are required. You can't just say "hey, let's call the whole thing off" and not expect Uncle Sam to balk at breach of contract.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 12:26:07 AM EST
    He should just tell them he is gay and is attracted to his commanding officer.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 01:02:24 AM EST
    "Posted by Poker Player (aka Jim) at January 16, 2005 07:59 PM Paul In LA - You know, you're gonna blow a gasket. Do your friends know how to indentify a stroke victim? One of the tests is to: Smile." You're a racist, Jim. Your lying party just slaughtered more than 100,000 civilians, supposedly to bring 'democracy' to a naked colonial takeover of a sovereign state. It's genocide, and you 'smile.' We already saw those smiles back in the thirties, and we wiped them off in '45 with a lot of our own blood. Smiling in this face of the GOP graveyard of racist murder in Iraq is the act of a sociopath, Jim.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#29)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 03:26:48 AM EST
    In this case I totally agree with PPJ. The idiot signed the dotted line, now he has to face the consequences. Period. What part of "imperial army" he didn't understand, anyway? As for the SS: yes, they signed a contract. Once a SS man, always a SS man. Some of them are still around.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 05:01:42 AM EST
    Dearest No Name - Are you Paul In Disguise? Thought so. Same wild attacks. Same wild comments. One more time, learn to use a dictionary. Racist: " : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race 2 : racial prejudice or discrimination - rac·ist /-sist also -shist/ noun or adjective" Notice that engaging in war with a country is not included. And you are up way to late.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#32)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 08:03:17 AM EST
    “Dearest No Name - Are you Paul In Disguise?” It is most likely Paul if the post contains three or more of the following; BushCo Rethuglican $Rs Racist Genocide Un-elected liar Fascist (fascist overlord!) Blah,blah,blah; insert any of a number of inane, bizarre, and empty rhetorical rants here. Example; “The Sharon racist policy is certainly genocide, under the same 'collective guilt' theory of Rush Limbaugh, pigwiggle, Adolph Hitler, Stalin, and a bunch of other evil 'genociders.'” Really, how can we take Paul seriously with this kind of garbage? Stalin, Hitler, … pigwiggle? These theatrics are more fitting a histrionic adolescent girl.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 08:53:10 AM EST
    DA - Good point. I think he lives in Never-never Land. pigwiggle writes - (Paul In LA's) ".....theatrics are more fitting a histrionic adolescent girl." Would you please quit insulting histrionic adolescent girls?!

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#34)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 09:45:20 AM EST
    You folk are here week after week spouting the most obscene kind of racism, and you wonder how >I

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#35)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 09:46:30 AM EST
    That's good enough. Even a fragment of commentary on your trained-seal racist applause is more than you are worth. --

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#36)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 10:05:32 AM EST
    Posted by Scott at January 17, 2005 12:53 AM You can't just say "hey, let's call the whole thing off" and not expect Uncle Sam to balk at breach of contract. Unless, of course, you're a snotty drunken cokeheaded son of a congresscritter who doesn't feel like playing Top Gun any more, and who might get thrown into the hoosegow (or the meatgrinder) because he came back to the base a little too coked out one day...

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#37)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 10:09:23 AM EST
    "Racist: " : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race" They hate us for our freedom. If you don't think assuming the right to kill people en masse, at will, based on their race isn't racism, that's hilarious. "Notice that engaging in war with a country is not included." Engaging in war with a country? How about an illegal preemptive invasion that comes up with NOTHING. The country never declared war against us, and never did anything to us (as a nationality) either. The only thing the most of the people 'did' was get born Arab. And if you think that killing them for that isn't racist, that's because you're a racist. You should look up the law on occupation. It does not include destroying entire towns because of the theory of collective guilt ("racism").

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#38)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 10:17:32 AM EST
    “If you don't think assuming the right to kill people en masse, at will, based on their race isn't racism, that's hilarious.” The obvious problem with this reasoning is that war is waged against nation, most of which are a collective of one ‘race’, hence nationality. For example, the US waged war on Japan and consequently Japanese folks; racism was a byproduct of the war but certainly wasn’t the reason for the war. You are going to need something a bit more substantial than pointing to the large Arab population of Iraq.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#39)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 01:42:21 PM EST
    We have, for over a thousand years, however, assumed the right to kill, en masse, at will, based on religion (or perceived lack thereoff).

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#40)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 01:43:15 PM EST
    (cont.) We, being Western Civilization and the evolution of a code of conduct for war based on Western Culture.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#41)
    by john horse on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 03:00:06 PM EST
    According to the Pentagon, more than 5,500 servicemen have deserted since the Iraq war began. The individuals who were featured on 60 Minutes aren't against all wars in general. They are against this war in particular. How can we ask people to fight and die for a pack of lies (by the way, the team investigating WMDs in Iraq quietly closed up shop in December after spending a billion dollars finding nothing).

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#42)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 03:15:15 PM EST
    billion dollars finding nothing Hey, that's a whole weeks' budget in Iraq, jh. Are you some sort of Commie, suggesting that we've been looking for WMD in all the wrong places?

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#43)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 07:13:35 PM EST
    hey what happened to cp, he/she has the most well resoned comments on this forum? for example: "i don't happen to agree with us being in iraq, but that is beside the point. this guy is 40 years old, he wasn't some 18 year-old newly minted high school graduate when he signed up. presumably, he knew what he was potentially getting himself into, and already served one tour in iraq. he's going to have a tough roe to hoe to prove he's a conscientious objector, versus just not wanting to go back." any thing more than this line of reasoning is best left for some other discussion. i think maybe we forget that decisions have consequences, good or bad, and if we make a decision then we need to accept the consequences of our actions.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#44)
    by Kitt on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 08:23:58 PM EST
    I think that's 'rough row to hoe' - roe = fish eggs (yuuck) I don't agree with you that he can't make his argument for not wanting to go because he's older - "he knew what he was potentially getting himself into, and already served one tour in iraq. There is nothing wrong with experiencing something and then deciding that this isn't for you. Many people in the military do the same when they don't re-enlist. Others reach their decision over a longer period of time.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#45)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 09:32:40 PM EST
    i think maybe we forget that decisions have consequences, good or bad, and if we make a decision then we need to accept the consequences of our actions. i think when you sign a contract, you need to read all of the fine print and understand that just because bad things aren't happening when you sign on the dotted line, that doesn't mean that you won't be expected to follow through on your commitment when the bad things start to happen. having said that, however, i can sympathize with the guy for wanting out. it's a terrible war with no end in sight.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#46)
    by kdog on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 08:31:49 AM EST
    Bottom line, he must answer to his own conscience first, like all people. Maybe jail is better than seeing more Iraqi children with charred limbs in his eyes.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#47)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 11:58:37 AM EST
    Posted by: kdog on January 18, 2005 09:31 AM Bottom line, he must answer to his own conscience first, like all people. Maybe jail is better than seeing more Iraqi children with charred limbs in his eyes. You think??? anyone that would return to such an environment should have thier head looked at.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#48)
    by kdog on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 12:04:34 PM EST
    Good point anon.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#49)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 12:26:32 PM EST
    The way I see it, he likely signed up to help, then found out first hand what was going on. He doesn't want to play that game anymore. These people see it differently... http://www.rightnation.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=65443&st=20 maybe i just dont understand the difference between being a coward, and being a human.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#50)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 19, 2005 at 05:04:42 AM EST
    Andreas, Are you keeping up with the story on this guy Raya? It seems a lot of the original details are "no longer operative".

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#51)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 11:06:11 AM EST
    I'm so sick of hearing everyone whine... I was there for nearly a year as a FRONT LINE combat medic. I saw it all, too. If you had the sack to sign, you need to have the sack to serve. War is bad, yes. This is a widely known fact. But, there has to be those that will go where others won't. It's called courage... and to be honest with all of you I'd rather these whiney pansies were at their houses cowering with thier mommies than being in a foxhole with me or any other man worth his salt. I say let them fag out of it... their punishment is that they get to walk with the shame of their cowardice pasted to them and the thought of blood of the brave spilled in their stead ringing in their heads until what they're really afraid of comes for them...their own demise.

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#52)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 12:57:06 PM EST
    OK... so I can't just let it go...you people that seem to think that the United States is the main culprit "burning little girls arms off" need to take in consideration that the soldiers representing us in IRAQ are the best highest trained forse in the world. But, more importantly... they are HUMAN. Laws prohibit us medical types from stopping by the roadside to open free clinics for the Iraqis to treat their usual mundane injuries....and, trust you me - I personally treated wounded Iraqis everything from full evicerations to splinters. The job of the medical personel in the services is to provide for the soldier. There are hospitals and the such sprinkled generously over every square mile of the country... I have also worked/instructed in these and they are capable of taking care of the indiginous population. The soldiers over there are after the guys who hurt these people - can they get a minute to get the bad guys before your bleeders cry that we're not handing out enough candy?

    Re: Soldier Refuses to Return to War (none / 0) (#53)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 11:48:08 AM EST
    Shifty_Caliber, I have no objections regarding giving out candy, thats not your job. I think thats the easter bunny's job. I do however think your handing out a few too many bombs, bullets and blood. While we are on the subject, I also dont like it when people go and kill a bunch of people, then say they are "helping" them. I personaly find this behavour quite offensive. It almost makes me want to "help" some people that fail to understand these things.

    Soldier Refuses to Return to War | 52 comments (52 topical)