Washington Post – July 30, 2006:
Over a mess-tent dinner of turkey cutlets, the bony-faced 21-year-old private from West Texas looked right at me as he talked about killing Iraqis with casual indifference. It was February, and we were at his small patrol base about 20 miles south of Baghdad. “The truth is, it wasn’t all I thought it was cracked up to be. I mean, I thought killing somebody would be this life-changing experience. And then I did it, and I was like, ‘All right, whatever.’ “
“I shot a guy who wouldn’t stop when we were out at a traffic checkpoint and it was like nothing,” he went on. “Over here, killing people is like squashing an ant. I mean, you kill somebody and it’s like ‘All right, let’s go get some pizza.’ “
But no level of combat stress is an excuse for the kind of brutal acts Green allegedly committed. I suppose I will always look back on our conversations in Mahmudiyah and wonder: Just what did he mean?
I’m not going to give you a history lesson all this is well documented and he had the ability to skirt a criminal charge. Maybe your too young to remember all this or maybe you just want to believe what want to.
Anyway this thread is getting too long and Bill Clinton his history.
Try to catch up with the rest of the world and stop living in the past.
I did not serve, my Dad and Brothers did (WW2). I poise this question to those that DID serve : I recall reading a Robert Heinlein novel as a teenager where only those that had served in combat could become : cops, firemen, politicans, and of course run the military : I’m curious what your opinions are on “it is a requirement for all politicans to have served for 8-10 years in the military”
#14, d223e, I don’t think you were in the Marines. I wasn’t a Marine, but I do know some. You made a couple of errors that gave you away.
…I was a Marine and the men I served with …
A true Marine would have said “…and the Marines I served with…
…sure there was bravado but all I encountered were just decent Americans just doing a job…
Again, a real Marine would have said
“…sure there was bravado, but Marines do as they are taught”. The Army have a job to do.
I ran this by two retired Marines I know. Both said a real Marine will always respect his service and agreed that it is very possible you are trolling. But this would have been the most lucid post you have made yet.
#18, Does anyone here read and remember anything? This is Stephen Green, the soldier who raped and murdered a young Iraqi girl and her family. WE KNOW HE’S A PSYCHOPATH.
He does not represent all military members. Keep that in mind.
Comment by malren — 7/31/2006 @ 10:33 am
#19, Right, how many of these “journalist” have been shown to be nothing more than fakers that make up their stories to save their sorry little careers. Just because it’s in print or video doesn’t mean it’s true. But we really just don’t seem to remember this.
Too many of these journalist have a political axe to grind. But that’s what humans do, lie and get other humans to buy it. I’ll wait to make a decision, and try to get more information on the stories I read, see or hear. As for this second hand, “I heard someone say” stuff, either produce the solider or remain labeled a liar
Comment by traaxx — 7/31/2006 @ 11:06 am
hey traax, just read the post right before yours. It answers your question. I agree fully with malren on this. I would add the word alleged to his crimes, but that is just me.
The thing to remember is the journalist is from the Washington Post. While that doesn’t guarantee total accuracy, it is a damn sight better then your old stand by, Fox Spews.
Well, im not surprised. This guy is from Texas, i wouldnt expect any better.
Mr. H. Fusion, you’re generalizing. You know two marines that are loyal to the corp…but I know several that hated it, break bad about it all the time and don’t say anything about “the marine I served with” blah blah blah. I guess they weren’t “real marines”…even though they served in the corp.
All people are different, so making a sweeping generalization doesn’t work.
Awake…..if you wwant to make a point…..you didn’t…..you apparently are typically blind as are a lot of zealots.
If you were intellectually honest you could have filled many pages with preachers, and Republicans as well as Democrats who have served their country more than honorably. As far as anyone is concerned you lost the argument the minute you left off Sen. John McCain and Sen. Chuck Hagel, Sen. Bob Dole, President Eisienhower, commander of the European theatre in ww2……and I could go on for hours.
Geez….you piss me off as much as someone who should know better.
This guy was a total nut job and he was discharged as such. It was after the discharge that they connected him to the rape and murders.
Exactly. Yes, he got past the screeners initialy, but they caught him and discharges him. Unfortunatly, the psycho already ruined a poor family’s life.
Not that it would have mattered if they *had* caught his mental ilness at screening. If they never let him in, he would have done thing to someone, somewhere. He was going to hurt someone regardless of the Marine Corps.
Stephen D. Green has created a debt he can never repay, to a family in Iraq, to the Marine Corps and to all military members everywhere. It only takes one screw-up to ruin a thousand good deeds.
One of his squadmates felt so guilty about what they did that he turned himself and the other 7 guys in.
What many of you may not know is that Stephen Green’s platoon was the same platoon that the two Marines who were kidnapped and tortured recently were in. 9 men altogether, two were murdered, one was discharged for conduct and mental health and the other 6 are in jail as we speak. The buzz is, Stephen was doing bad shit and got the others to cover for him a number of times. Those two murdered marines, who were savagely and brutally tortured, may have paid the price for something that Stephen did. Time will tell…The Marine Corps has promised transparency on this case.
[edited — read the commenting guidelnes]
What a shame! We need to get all of our boy home, because 3 Aug 2006 the nuke blast in Isreal will change everything
[edited — because responding to out-of-bounds post in the 1st place]
44 Your right Confusion…Tick-Tick-Tick
Mr H. Fusion – I believe that there are alternatives to to accusing someone of being a troll, disputing their claim, and calling them psychologically unfit. That’s fairly rude on many different levels, and you can’t blame D223E for being defensive.
Why can’t we all just get along? :\