So, a recent post on the facebook page really irked the hell out of me. “We support Staff Sergeant Robert Bales! Free him now!” At first I thought it might be one of us showing our ability to completely brush off the importance of an issue via snide and sick humor, after all we are Infantry and we don’t give a shit about people’s feelings. Even if this comment was just left by a random troll, whose whole intent was to stir up vitriol and debate, maybe get us to turn on each other, it raises a topic that affects us deeply to the roots of our fraternity.
This is not to discuss SSG Bales’ innocence or guilt, that is to be decided when the investigation occurs and the answers are found, this is to address an issue that, if founded to be perpetrated by one of our own, could very well shake our fellow Infantrymens’ trust in each other, shake the confidence our nation has in us, and place us in a dangerous light that we don’t want to be portrayed in. Regardless of the truth this action has already endangered our brethren down range, trust that was built and accomplishments completed are now worthless and encourage and embolden the enemy in their attacks against us.
Ever heard the saying “You can be a bridge builder your whole life, but suck one cock and you’ll be a cock sucker for the rest of it.” This applies to us, because of violent act we are now going to be portrayed in a light that depicts us as merciless killers of the innocent, depraved sociopaths with no conscience, war torn souls with no hope for redemption. And as if we haven’t already been fighting an uphill battle to keep support for our mission, whether we agree or not, a lot of great men have been lost in the progress to accomplish our mission!
Our Brotherhood stands on very solid principles, and I’m not offering you the whole Army recruitment crap either, but we do stand on our values.
Loyalty – We expect that each of us has the others back, through hell and back. This act has placed our brothers in danger.
Duty – Accomplishment of our mission, protection of each other, a sworn oath. This act is so far from duty that’s it not funny, it’s the exact opposite of duty.
Respect – We might be some of the most vulgar and crazy individuals to walk the planet, but we all have some sort of respect for life and how short it can be. This act showed a complete lack of respect.
Honor – What honor lies in killing the infants? This act steals the honor we have earned from being trigger pullers when our nation needed us to, now the honor is cheapened and sullied by ruthless violence.
I know, I know that sounded like recruitment but it’s true, and you know it.
This act has endangered us at home too, the Department of Homeland Security has us on a watch list as “potential threats”, police officers respond with swat teams when they learn they’re going to a veterans house who might be feeling depressed, people who are so against what we do for a living have killed veterans in their homes, vandalized their property, and slandered us….and now they all have a new reason to justify what they do.
So whether it was SSG Bales, or a whole platoon….Thank you for endangering us abroad and at home, thank you for pushing us back into the psychotic stereotype that we don’t want, thanks for betraying us.
Hard to say I feel endangered. As for SSG Bales, may he find peace between himself and the acts he committed in Afghanistan. Many of us know that who we are and what we do over seas is nothing close to who we are and what we do in the U.S. Even if it was all true, I would have his back. Never betray a brother.
There is no FREEDOM for someone who put our lives in danger on the lines. When he chose to walk outside of those gates and decided to take his frustrations out on innocent civilians. If it was myself I wouldn’t expect forgiveness. SSG Bales deserves what he gets, he has killed the loyalty of what we have gain from the locals and he has wasted what we might not get back. If he get’s one thing out of what can be said, then let it be this ” You might think you killed Afghanistan nationals, but you killed fellow brothers that are over there by killing relationships, that were bought with blood”.
I will support My Infantry Comrade in anything except a betrayal of My Countrymen or Our
Constitution
Hey, I’d be lying if I didn’t think about “doing the whole village” at some point during a deployment. I don’t think children would’ve been on my list during one of those escapades, but they did try and kill us a few times too. This guys case is simply one of many more that undoubtedly will unfold if we stay in Afghanistan with an idiotic and unsupportive ROE, an apologist attitude, and a CI doctrine that I whole heartedly disagree with. The level of anti-government sentiment from different levels in the military that I’ve seen in the past few months at many levels without repercussions is bound to make this more interesting as time goes on. I hope for the best in SSG Bales case. It sure is interesting to see all the clamor against him and the regular calls for an instant trial and death penalty, when Major Hassan of Fort Hood is still sittin pretty in his wheelchair in a cell somewhere.
You said it Mike. As much as no one wants to admit it, he did what every real grunt was thinking a million times over. It just gives us perspective on how carried away our minds can get over there.
I dont get it, I really dont. 15, 16 killed? man, he needed to control his fundamentals of marksmanship. He did what others had no balls doing – and many of us were frustrated over the ROE and other PC BS enough to fantasize about doing just that. Something snapped and he pulled the trigger, literally. We had a incident where a MRAP hit a hit with his sheep – yes, the family was more upset about the sheep than the boy.
I personally do not think he deserves death penalty, or a life sentence. But given the fact that US Army is becoming more and more politically correct – and with the elections are coming up he will be made a example of. What he did – to my wife and others who do not serve is despicable. To me? its bad marksmanship.
I know the guy, he’s a good dude, from what i’ve heard from friends is he did it so he wouldn’t deploy again…. i know doesn’t make sense to me either but…. he wasn’t suppose to deploy in the first place
Yes we have all thought about doing it but actually going through with it is a whole different story. None of us follow through on those thoughts because we know the repercussions it would have on our family our life but most importantly the lives of our Infantry brethren
What seriously bothers me about Bales situation, is the Obama went on TV immediately and did his “bottom of this” speech, then pressured the military to do a full court press on the young warrior. 3 tours in combat? yeah, something was going to snap.
Now when that shit-bird Muslim infiltrator Major Hasan shot up a room full of unarmed people in Ft Hood, that same Obama SAID NOTHING. This guy was obviously a terrorist infiltrator, who had NEVER been deployed, and supposedly he has (according to his government paid lawyers) PTSD from listening to real warriors who actually have PTSD? Give me a F’n break.
The difference in treatment is glaring and obvious.
Same with the Muslim infiltrator who was in 1/327, and threw a grenade into the command tent, wounding the SMG and the Colonel, and killing an Air Force liason. He was arrested, then soft-pedaled all the way.
This administration hates our soldiers, and it is about time the troops realized it.