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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! July 16, 2006 Young GunsBy GreyhawkWhenever young people are accused of committing heinous crimes, you'll find newspaper interviews with their friends and families detailing what great kids they always were. Here's the one for the Iraq Rape Squad. Posted by Greyhawk / July 16, 2006 7:56 PM | Permalink 25 Comments |
November 26, 2010America@war [Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit. That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary. From their about page:
"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation: The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism. Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented. I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are. "Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result. Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web... And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed. The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down. But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:
Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down. If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real. And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale. We've already made history, it's time to save it. (More to follow...) Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink |
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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house. I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  Tending Distant Far from hearth and home, watching What tales we'll tell When things grim Some distant sunset, vision fading Saluting fallen friends whose names - Greyhawk, Baghdad, December 2004 |
Greyhawk-
Hope all is well with you.
How is the stoopid mistake of Hezbollah affecting the Iraqi situation. I was hoping that the Iraqi people can see that bad manners and deceit will lead to bad things. Do you think the people of Iraq are getting it?
I found the apparent intent of this article to be to create bad feelings between the families of the Fallen heroes David J. Babineau, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker and the families of those who are accused in the rape of an Iraqi girl. It added little else to the story. Just another example of drive-by journalism where the innocent by-standers are the families of all involved. I think Greyhawk's analysis of the NY Times story was right on.
What's the deal, Greyhawk? Did milblog wingnut central tell you that it's safe to convict these people before their trial?
By the way, Charles, would you care to tell us just how Israel expects to improve things by destroying Beirut? I think it's time that the U.S. tell Israel that they're on their own. I am tired of us acting as the guarantor of their borders and the de facto shield for their outrageous behavior.
WW - Your comments here and in the previous post show your agenda. We get it - You hate Israel. You hate the President. Now STFU and go back to wherever it is that oozes people like you to seethe in quiet desperation.
The little girl was TWELVE YEARS OLD!!!
Why the consistant lying in the press about her age?
I don't hate Israel. I wish them well. But they're a foreign country, and I think they have accumulated too much influence. I strongly disapprove of the Liar-in-Chief, but I do not hate him.
"I strongly disapprove of the Liar-in-Chief, but I do not hate him."
Posted by WW at July 17, 2006 04:28 PM
Thanks for clearing that up, because the rest of us certainly can't tell the difference from your speeches.
Subsunk
No, subby, you lying drunk here's how it goes: The wingnut fringe (TM) defines intense criticism as "hate" as a means of evading the criticism. It's what you liars do.
"No, subby, you lying drunk here's how it goes: The wingnut fringe (TM) defines intense criticism as "hate" as a means of evading the criticism. It's what you liars do."
Posted by WW at July 18, 2006 07:14 AM
The difference between your definitions of "intense criticism" (to the point of namecalling and vituperation and spit running off your computer screen) and "hate" continues to escape me. But according to you, I'm too stupid to know the difference, so I'll just keep on thinking you're an asshole.
As far as evading criticism, it doesn't seem to have shut you up, so I guess we wingnuts need a new evasion plan. How about you go cut off your own head. Then we'll be able to evade criticism. As long as you are alive, you'll always criticize us nutscratching, drunk, drug addled, crazy, retired and unretired vets who have an opinion. Whether it is valid criticism is another matter.
Bye.
Subsunk
Drunk Nutscratcher in Chief, and totally unmoved by criticism of any kind signed by Willy
Did I miss the part where it was proven that these guys actually did what they're accused of?
mariner, the wingnut milbloggers have gotten permission to convict this particular set of defendants before their trial. Stop asking inconvenient questions.
"Did I miss the part where it was proven that these guys actually did what they're accused of?"
Posted by mariner at July 18, 2006 10:09 PM
"mariner, the wingnut milbloggers have gotten permission to convict this particular set of defendants before their trial. Stop asking inconvenient questions."
Posted by WW at July 18, 2006 10:47 PM
mariner,
Actually you just missed the sarcasm in GreyHawk's post. Obviously the WaPo has convicted the soldiers in absentia, but we haven't drawn conclusions yet. Here we recognize the seriousness of the charges, expect our military to do the correct and lawful things required to investigate, find guilt or innocence, and punish accordingly when guilt is judged. The MSM has another agenda.
And Willy, our resident troll, injects himself into the conversation in violation of the 2 minute rule. Ignore him. He won't go away, but he has nothing intelligent to add either.
Subsunk
If you were gonna guess, which do you suppose is the higher number? WW's age, or his IQ?
Personally, I think they're both about 17, and I don't understand why he's allowed by management to hijack the site as frequently as he does since he brings absolutely nothing other than uncreative snark to the party.
Yeah I think you did miss the part about these pedophile scumbags being guilty. The military "leaders" only found out about the incident when ONE OF THE SCUMBALLS CONFESSED. CONFESSION EQUALS GUILT. It is too bad that the scumballs only felt guilty about their actions after their three buddies were killed in revenge for the rape, torture, and murder. If the pedophile psychopaths actually felt bad about raping a young girl and killing her family, then maybe their buddies would be alive today. But they are not. Anyway, has anyone asked about the fate of the two boys who no longer have a family? Will our Fort Campbell "heroes" take care of them? Will our "heroes" build Abeer a memorial in washington? Our heroes are fake heroes fighting a fake war. The american flag has taken on a new and filthy meaning because of soldier scum raping and killing in cities throughout Iraq. To take pride in the flag without acknowledging the blood of children on it is to delude yourself.
You're right Soldierscum.
4 soldiers (that aren't convicted yet) out of over a million veterans is an astronomically high percentage. Who's deluding themselves again?
Uneducated and wrong about a subject with the arrogance to imply you are above men exponentially better than you makes you the worst kind of idiot. STFU and go away.
What's up WW, been a while. Glad to see you are consistent if nothing else....
To clarify to Soldierscum,
I meant that the veterans that have served are exponentially better, not the men on trial (if convicted of course). And for the record, IF they are found guilty, I agree that they are not human and think they should get the death penalty.
If friends and family are to believed, then there would never be any crimes committed ever.
The best is when they interview the mom of an accused killer who claims her son can do no wrong. Happens all the time. The media seeks these people out.
Hey PC I'm waiting for the interview with the father of an accused serial killer who says something like, "The little a-hole! I tried to teach him how to do it without even getting caught, but nooooooooooo!"
I do have to wonder how many returning Iraqi vets are going to be joining police forces and torturing the hell out of criminal suspects now.
"Hey PC I'm waiting for the interview with the father of an accused serial killer who says something like, "The little a-hole! I tried to teach him how to do it without even getting caught, but nooooooooooo!"
"I do have to wonder how many returning Iraqi vets are going to be joining police forces and torturing the hell out of criminal suspects now."
Posted by WW at July 24, 2006 11:31 PM
Probably just as many as did after VietNam. Almost none of the combat vets did, and very few of the 2.5 million men who served in VietNam ever committed any crimes. Those who say PTSD is a phenomenon related only to combat are stupid, wrong, and misguided. PTSD requires a traumatic stress, not combat. And yet, the human mind manages to overcome quite a bit of trauma and allow its owner to lead a normal productive life in 99.999% of the cases, including cases of PTSD caused by accidents, war, divorce, domestic abuse, and death of anyone's loved ones.
And it has been overwhelmingly proven that homelessness, mental diseases, and crime has a lower statistical prevalence in combat vets than in the general public (and that includes VietNam vets and every conflict afterwards). The so-called homeless VietNam vet exists mainly in the mind of liberals who want your money. True vets aren't drunks, drug addicts, homeless, or jobless any more than non veterans are.
And the myth of flashback crazy killers returning from war and rampaging through a defenseless society because the "military made killers of 'em" is an excuse manufactured by Willy and liberals to get more money for health care and psychological studies supporting their need for government money so they can line their pockets with your tax money. See, its about the money and power to them.
Are there folks who return from combat and need mental counseling and mental health resources dedicated to help them cope? You bet. But they get such help today. The prevalence of murderers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan and VietNam, and the Gulf War is much lower than the prevalence of murderers in society in general and much less than the Willys of the world hope and pray they will be able to point to and identify as the reason the United States military should be abolished.
Why is it less, you ask? The answer is that Men and Women who face so much Death and destruction daily have a deeper and greater appreciation for what is important, how to get things done, and what success looks like. They are doers and not folks who sit on their asses when something needs done. They succeed far more than they fail. And they aren't as likely to expect their government to baby them for eternity when they've been tasked to show other cultures how to stand on their own feet and make their own lives work.
People who think veterans are lazy, on the dole, crazy, murdering fools have never met a military person they liked.
Because we all know from what Willy says that he thinks the military is good for nothing but making killers and torturers out of soldiers. And, of course, it was all a nefarious plot by the Evil Bush Administration to turn soldiers into criminals to turn loose on the unsuspecting people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and America to serve Halliburton/Exxon/Pfizer's private security armies and man the black helicopters of the anti-UN and the Illuminati which oppress the world in the name of Bush.
I'll take a combat vet in my organization any day. And I'll leave a doom and gloom "take care of me -- it's too hard to do myself -- the sky is falling" whiner like Willy along the side of the road so the dogs can piss on him.
That's gonna leave a stain Willy. I'd wash it out if I was you.
Subsunk
When the U.S. finally gets its ass kicked out of the Green Zone, whose fault will it be? Cindy Sheehan's? Powerful lady!
Glad to see who you really cheer for, Willy. Osama is proud of you.
Subsunk
I cheer for the Seattle Mariners. Or at least I did on Sunday. Hell of a game. Now what we're you banging on about, subby, you nut-scratchin' old drunk?
Nothing Willy. Go back to your ball game.
Subsunk
Reaches for his vodka and beer chaser so he can continue to slur his words, all the while wondering how Willy ever follows the game of baseball since he only knows one pitch and it continuously curves in on itself, never reaching the plate.
The reason that they allow willie in here is to be a foil for your humor.