War is always hell. With very few exceptions, all veterans will tell you that war is a terrible business. Killing people is ordinarily considered a pathological thing to do. Well adjusted citizens will not kill anyone, for any reason, except to protect themselves or their loved ones from harm.
When our soldiers found out that Iraq was not a threat to harm America, it caused a serious problem. To kill people that were no threat is anti-social behavior. It is somewhat comforting to realize that, while they were not a threat, they are a threat now. But for many soldiers, that is not enough to atone for the guilt they feel:
“What I concluded last summer when I was waiting to transfer to NSA was that not only were our reasons for being there lies, but we just weren’t there to help the Iraqis. So in November of ’04 I told my commander I couldn’t take part in this. I would have been sent into Fallujah, and he was going to order me in to do my job. I also chose not to go back because the dropping of bombs in urban areas like Fallujah are a violation of the laws of warfare because of the near certainty of collateral damage. For me, seeing the full humanity of Iraqis made me realize I couldn’t participate in these operations.”
Tharp goes on to say that he believes there are still Vietnam vets who think that that was a necessary war and adds, “I think it’s because that keeps the demons at bay for them to believe it is justified…this is their coping mechanism. We, as Americans, have to face the total obvious truth that this was all because of a lie. We are speaking out because we have to speak out. We want to help other vets tell other vets their story…to keep people from drinking themselves to death.”
Read the whole article, here. People that volunteer to serve in our military do so trusting in the wisdom of our civilian leadership. They should never be sent to kill anyone that doesn’t threaten to harm America, or its citizens.
