US soldiers pose for photos with dead Afghan bombers, media frenzy to ensue

[Pyroponce]

That's an exercise of some really poor judgment on the part of the soldiers. I cannot imagine all the **** they have gone through on the ground but I think it speaks poorly of our leadership overextending our soldiers past the point of making good judgments.

The editors at the LA Times are idiots if they think they can publish any of these photos without further aggravating Afghan terrorists.

LA Times story with photos

 

[Colt556]

You'd think these guys/gals would learn to NOT TAKE PICTURES!

 

[Vic_Mackey]

Sometimes people just snap. I'm not saying what they did was right in any way, but I've seen some pretty jacked up stuff that seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Had a guy in my platoon that had a piece of scalp in a small Ziploc baggie that he said was "good luck" from a car bomber. Hard to explain why nobody cared because most people don't get it. After a few days I told him to get rid of it cuz it was creepy and stunk. He was one of the finest men I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. He ate his Glock last year after being out for several years and had a good job. I get it, what these guys were doing, but like I said most people don't. I chalk it up to way to many times over there, out of the wire, and too many close calls. You just kind of.....lose it. They need better decompression help over there, but most of the time you can't stop to see the shrink or even talk about it with someone. You just pick up your gear and keep moving. I'm done now, thinking about this crap makes me tired. Sorry if I came of like a nut lol

 

[ATOMonkey]

Sometimes people just snap. I'm not saying what they did was right in any way, but I've seen some pretty jacked up stuff that seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Had a guy in my platoon that had a piece of scalp in a small Ziploc baggie that he said was "good luck" from a car bomber. Hard to explain why nobody cared because most people don't get it. After a few days I told him to get rid of it cuz it was creepy and stunk. He was one of the finest men I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. He ate his Glock last year after being out for several years and had a good job. I get it, what these guys were doing, but like I said most people don't. I chalk it up to way to many times over there, out of the wire, and too many close calls. You just kind of.....lose it. They need better decompression help over there, but most of the time you can't stop to see the shrink or even talk about it with someone. You just pick up your gear and keep moving. I'm done now, thinking about this crap makes me tired. Sorry if I came off like a nut lol

You're not a nut, I get it too, and I complete agree that guys spend way too much time in theatre and outside the wire. The mental effects of combat have been studied extensively, and for some reason, we've been completely ignoring them.

There is nothing you can do mentally to prepare for that kind of stuff, and after you become accustomed to it, "normal" life seems...wrong, almost trite.

I'm a fairly empathetic person. I've read enough first hand accounts and seen enough interviews to understand what is happening and why it happens. I've sat down and talked with my brother after his deployment. I think I know where guys are coming from.

In my own experience, I've seen similar behavior when people are around animals for too long. Especially onry ones.

Having said that, it is never excusable behavior and always stems from a failure of leadership or an absense of leadership.

 

[HICKMAN]

What's the big deal?

They didn't blow these morons up...

 

[Westside]

You'd think these guys/gals would learn to NOT TAKE PICTURES!

 

[ATOMonkey]

You'd think these guys/gals would learn to NOT TAKE PICTURES!

These pics are 2 years old (according to the article). I would venture a guess that several are not even in the service anymore.

 

[88GT]

You'd think these guys/gals would learn to NOT TAKE PICTURES!

That was my first thought too.

Though I'm struck by the similarity of hunters posing with their kill. Victor over the vanquished. Frankly, I'm having a hard time condemning them. Sure, we like to pretend we hold ourselves to higher standards. But we don't. We can't. It's a violation of human nature not to display to the world the prowess of the warrior. No, we haven't evolved to the point of losing that.

 

[Hookeye]

Its OK to kill a combatant but not snap a photo of the result?

Gimme a break.

Anybody throwing away their Time Life "western series" books because the posse and relieved townsfolk are in the pic with the outlaw laying in a coffin by the barbershop?

Dead is dead, soul gone.........just a hunk o' meat.

It's not like they're leaving it out for the dogs to chew on.

I'm not into gore movies, or into western or modern real pics of the dead. But such pics don't bother me either.

 

[wizard_of_ahs]

Its OK to kill a combatant but not snap a photo of the result?

Gimme a break.

Anybody throwing away their Time Life "western series" books because the posse and relieved townsfolk are in the pic with the outlaw laying in a coffin by the barbershop?

Dead is dead, soul gone.........just a hunk o' meat.

It's not like they're leaving it out for the dogs to chew on.

I'm not into gore movies, or into western or modern real pics of the dead. But such pics don't bother me either.

 

[IndyDave1776]

That was my first thought too.

Though I'm struck by the similarity of hunters posing with their kill. Victor over the vanquished. Frankly, I'm having a hard time condemning them. Sure, we like to pretend we hold ourselves to higher standards. But we don't. We can't. It's a violation of human nature not to display to the world the prowess of the warrior. No, we haven't evolved to the point of losing that.

The part I love is that something on the order of 20% of the world's population did all but scream "KEGGER!" on 9/11, and the only reason for that restraint was religious prohibition against alcohol, and our troops get nailed to the wall for memorabilia of a local victory over people actively trying to kill them. Someone needs to be directed to go straight to Hell and get over it.

 

[rambone]

I can't wait till these jaded warriors come home and become public servants.

 

[halfmileharry]

I guess I'm still having a brain fart over this kind of stuff.
I read about winning minds and hearts but IMHO, screw the enemy and no remorse.The enemy does not have my respect and I have no hard feelings about seeing pics of dead enemy combatants.I wouldn't mind seeing a lot of dead enemy pics actually. I have no respect for them and could care less.
In this day and age of political correctness and kiss the world's arse journalism "LEAVE THE CAMERAS AT HOME" or at least hide the darn pics please

 

[IndyDave1776]

I guess I'm still having a brain fart over this kind of stuff.
I read about winning minds and hearts but IMHO, screw the enemy and no remorse.The enemy does not have my respect and I have no hard feelings about seeing pics of dead enemy combatants.I wouldn't mind seeing a lot of dead enemy pics actually. I have no respect for them and could care less.
In this day and age of political correctness and kiss the world's arse journalism "LEAVE THE CAMERAS AT HOME" or at least hide the darn pics please

Indeed. When in world history has a war been won by kissing the a**es of hostile militants and a population which on its best day is merely semi-hostile? Really? What the hell is this, Dr. Spock's War?

 

[strahd71]

ooooooohhhhhh i when i said stuff like this in the pissing on the bodies thread i got called names.............. you guys better watch out..... words hurt on the internet

jake

 

[mike8170]

It is against regs to take photos of enemy KIA's and EPW's unless in an official capacity. Did they break the regulation? Yes. Did most of us outside the wire break the reg? Yes. The difference is most of us keep them to ourselves for our own reasons. In todays digital age, we are going to see more of this, and others griping about it. Forty or fifty years from now, historians will be wanting these photos to show the true face of war, just as they are now looking for WW2, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam photos and movies taken by individual soldiers (and Marines, Sailors and Airmen, not gonna leave you all out).

 

[IndyGunworks]

I can't wait till these jaded warriors come home and become public servants.

Jaded warriors huh? I am so glad you sleep well at night. You didnt even have the balls to stand up for your ron paul sign, yet you condemn the men that make some bad judgements while going through what is possibly the most difficult thing a man can do?

Do hunters not take pictures of their kill because they are proud of it? Should a soldier not have the same feeling when he survives a battle and triumphs over an enemy that is trying to kill him? Not saying the pictures are politicaly correct, but thats just the thing, they are politically wrong, not neccessarily moraly wrong.

The only thing i am upset about here is that the pictures got leaked. Someone deserves one hell of a soap party. or a "code red" for you that think the military is like civilian life and hollywood.

 

[J_Wales]

I DO NOT CARE



http://www.aztlan.net/pearlvideo.htm

 

[JStarr]

The ones who care about this kind of stuff are the ones who PROBABLY would not have survived the battle.. Our soldiers didn't kill the one guy. He blew his own bumb a$$ up.. NO REMORSE. Dead is dead.. Just like the way the Geneva Convention says that we can't use certain rounds(JHP), but the enemy can use whatever they want.. Not to mention all of the heads of our people they have cut off on camera and soldiers they have blown up.. War is war. Fighting is NOT fair I will do whatever it takes to overwhelm you and prevail..

 

[pirate]

Meh...as others have said. Who cares...Pictures after the fact is the last thing I am worried about when thinking of our Military. Against reg's? Sure. Deal with it because of that...but not any other reason.

I always love how official statements come out during these times that say something like, "This doesn't represent the thoughts or mindset of the rest of our Military."



Right.......War is war, what's with the PC?