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Subscribe to RSSThe Obama administration is trying to contain the fallout from newly-published photos showing U.S. soldiers posing with the body parts of Taliban suicide bombers. MSNBC military analyst Jack Jacobs weighs in.
News commentary
Those who have been in combat will testify to the catastrophic insults to the body that modern weapons can inflict. War is horrifying, and nothing can prepare the novice for the destruction that it can cause. Nor do we easily get used to the images of it, and they stay with us forever.
Recently released by the Los Angeles Times, the grisly photos of soldiers posing with the remains of dead Taliban fighters have raised a variety of observations: From the notion that they are similar to the harmless pranks of adolescents to the assessment that their publication will be a catastrophe for the American mission in Afghanistan.
As with most extremes, neither is the case. We should also reject the argument that this incident, the burning of Korans and the deliberate murder of women and children, such as those allegedly carried out by Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, are all the same.
No excuses
Here are the facts: The pictures are about two years old and were of Taliban fighters killed when a bomb they were putting into position detonated prematurely. The photos were sent to the Times by someone who said he wanted to highlight the threat to our troops caused by the poor leadership of the unit, a part of the 82nd Airborne Division.
But, although the Times suggested that the concern was merely inadequate physical security rather than a climate of generally weak discipline, it is the latter issue that is the most striking.
When the Times notified the Defense Department that it had the photos, the Pentagon asked the paper not to publish them, arguing that they would incite the enemy to attack Americans. The Times responded that it had an obligation to publish them, citing their readers' right to be informed.
Pictures taken two years ago showing American soldiers posing with the severed legs of a dead Taliban suicide bomber are being condemned by the Pentagon. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
In my view, both the Defense Department and the newspaper are full of baloney: The Taliban don't need any encouragement to attack us, and a big part of the motivation of the Los Angeles Times is to sell newspapers.
More nuanced has been comment from some quarters that the troops, who were mugging for the camera, were letting off the steam that accumulates under the duress of war; that their actions were in response to having lost buddies to the mindless ferocity of the Taliban.
While these are understandable reasons, they are not excuses, of course, and the paratroopers' actions were publicly decried by government officials. Many cited long-standing rules, promulgated after similarly embarrassing episodes, stating that such antics are impermissible.
Lack of leadership
But the truth is that you can't merely legislate against dumb behavior. In and out of combat, good units get that way because they are well led.
Poor leadership can create poor units in a very short period of time, particularly under stress. While good leadership can bring any organization through the most horrendous circumstances with only physical scars.
The leadership of the brigade in the 82nd that is at the center of this photo controversy was evidently already known as weak by the chain-of-command above it. There are many military organizations that have endured more harrowing circumstances with less damage to discipline.
It is not easy being a leader in uniform, but there is a responsibility attached to it that is found nowhere else in society. Military service is a sacrifice and those who volunteer for it are our patriots. But service is no game, and because so much is at stake, standards of deportment must be extremely high.
We are frequently reminded of it, but it bears repeating nonetheless: a commander is responsible for everything that happens or fails to happen in his unit, and it is he who sets the standards in his organization. Accepting less than professional behavior will minimize the service and sacrifice of those who have taken seriously their responsibilities as the guardians of our freedom.
Col. Jack Jacobs was awarded the Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty” in the battle he describes above. His first assignment in the Army, in 1966-1967, was in Company C, 2nd Battalion (Airborne) 505th Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division, the same division as the troops in this incident.
Click here to read the complete Medal of Honor citation.
He is the author of a memoir: “If Not Now, When? Duty and Sacrifice in America’s Time of Need”
Leave a Comment:
Who really cares about the dead enemy? If it were not for that piece of @!$%# Bush we would be in a much better situation. We would not have the current commie piece of @!$%# obama.
The trouble now is there is no privacy, no way anybody can vent their pain, grief, fear, like that without some scumbag(s) with an ulterior motive using it to make a point. But the concept that we are supposed to be polite and friendly to our enemies is beyond insanity. To give the enemies information they can use to undermine our ability to fight a war borders on treason. Thes GI's were venting their relief that it wasn't them who got dismembered and mutilated. Give them some slack.
Precisely. It is a result of a lack of leadership, and thus of discipline within a climate of non accountability. In fact this sustained sequence of events is emblematic of a culture of lax discipline within the military. One cannot alone blame the military as with all government related elements they tend to absorb the prevailing governmental culture - which does not look good if one considers the GSA, the secret service ( and please do not tell me that was a once off by a few bad apples - the excuse used for everything ), the practice of pre wiring of 'open' solicitations put out by the government, 'insider' trading by members of congress, the fact that no Blackwater ( or whatever name generation applies ) employee was ever found guilty of gross actions, the fact that the only lad charged with the Haditha massacre got off with an honorable discharge and so on and on - sadly. At the end of the day, whether one likes it or not the governmental culture is set by the 'CEO', in this case President Obama - and he has clearly not demanded accountability as otherwise it would not have played out this way.
Bob, put both oars in the water. Goolem the american fighting man in Vietnam by Mike Rice and maybe you'll get a clue.Khe San 68 The Walkin' Dead.
Try imposiing discipline on young men taken from the bottom of society briefly employed in a job providing little in the way of attractiveness but requiring frequent overseas tours in situations where they are hated by locals. There's not much that can be done.
I object to your characterization of our military men and women as taken from the bottom of society.
Ditto, Brian. I graduated from Middlebury and served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as enlisted (SFC) with my first MOS being 11B (Rifleman). I didn't do this because I had no other options; I did so because I am an American. I have a buddy who has a MA from the Univ. of Illinois, and he started out as an 11C (Mortarman). There are more people with college degrees than you would imagine.
We would not hire an electrician to do heart surgery. So tell me why we hired an under-qualified, completely inexperienced pacifist to lead our military. The lack of leadership starts there and it is not his fault we put him there. So if we are going to point fingers and place blame we need to look beyond these soldiers, beyond their command, beyond their Commander in Chief and look in the mirror. So when we vote this November WE need to do some very serious thinking about who WE want to have leading our military and representing us on the foreign front because when it comes to these issues WE AS A PEOPLE blew it last election.
BOb W , Romney's the guy,really?n What are you an Eagle Scout?
Romney may not know much about wars or foreign affairs but he has lots of money. And his wife has worked very hard at telling the servants what to do.
so what's your point Jim S... beyond your jealousy?
Lack of leadership? Definitely. Starting with the Commander in Chief.
We sure had great leadership in getting us into the mess in Afghanistan. And the mess in Iraq. And the mess with the economy. That was leadership we could count on. We need more tax cuts for the super rich. To hell with everything and everybody else.
i don't care what kind of leadership you have, there will be this type of incident in all wars. my father was a highly decorated vet of ww2 and Korea and he said there were tons of incidences. i was in Vietnam and it was the same. these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are legendary for incidents. my advice is, if you can stay out of wars especially if you have not been attacked, stay out of them.
joe,Semper Fi RVN 3 tours
mrbill42 - sounds like you have a real problem with yourself. It might require a psychologist to help. However, a look in the mirror and a stint of six years in the military might instead be the right prescription. That goes for all those who decry what the military does. And the dregs of society never make it in the military. Basic training, or boot camp as it's sometimes called, takes care of those who have no discipline or decide that it doesn't apply to him/herself.
Leadership speeder-ship. This is the face of war. Not because you never heard of atrocities before does not mean it never always happen in wars. Maybe we should tell all the war mongers. War is a messy thing.
The first battle of the Civil War was fought just outside of Washington D.C. Everyone loaded up in their carriages, dressed in their Sunday go to meeting clothes, packed a picnic lunch, and went out to the battlefield to watch "our" boys whip "their" boys! Leadership? Look how far we have advanced as a people and a country!
Is this any different than during WWII, Korea and Vietnam when troops took photos of dead enemy bodies? I don't think so. Get politics and political correctness out of the military and let them do what they have been trained to do without having to worry how the general public will view what they do.
This is why I can't be in the military.
Soldier will you piss on the enemy? Sir Yes Sir
Soldier will you crap on the enemy? Sir Yes Sir
Soldier will you dismember the enemy? Sir Yes Sir
Soldier will you shoot the enemy after he surrenders if you find out that he only surrendered because he ran out of ammo? Sir Yes Sir
Soldier will you treat the enemy with any respect? Sir Hell No Sir
The only problem I see here is with you, whimpy moron!
@Bob, KCUF YOU you stupid ignorant rekcuskcoc
If US abandons the current policy of pursuing hegemong, world domination and being the world policemen, there would be no need to maintain current obscene large sum on defense spending. Also it would not be necessary to engage wars of aggression leading to the death of US military personels which are nothing but cannon fodders for the mighty military industrial complex and the moral breaking of US troops.
A large portion of the defense spending could be diverted to fundings on the nation's health, eduaction and inftrastructure development which will bring long term benefit to the nation.
These brave troops have been in country wayyyyy to long and are forced to fight not knowing when one of Afghan partners will turn and kill them, or when our so called Afghan allies allow Taliban to infiltrate our bases.
The lack of leadership is that there is no Afghan plan. Not from Bush or Obama because the defense contractors are calling the shots. As long as there is war they make money.
Get the troops out now!
If you saw the movie Troy...or read the timeless classic it was based on, called The Iliad...you will remember Achilles dragging around his enemy Hector's body tied to his chariot. Some things never change.
Except maybe that you are quoting from mythology and the photos are of actual events?
We tied scalps, women's pubic hair, and vaginas to the horses and uniforms of calvary soldiers during the Indian erradication plans of the 1800's! FACT!!!!!!
Cassandra......Maybe there weren't any tin cans available for Achilles to use?
Thanks MrKnowItAll, Eric Holder's right on it and is investigating US Calavary archives to arrange for indictiments!
The article by Col. Jack Jacobs is great for younger viewers and smart move to make this such a shock under President Obama. But for many millions of Americans this was done as far back as the Kennedy years by both CIA, Secret Service and FBI. It is to funny to read this as Col. Jacobs knows this was reported when Kennedy was President. We can move forward to Nixon don't forget Hoover. Reagan attended Heidi Fleiss events with Henry Kissinger. President Bush senior and his mistress Jennifer Fitzgerald, Clinton midlife crisis Monica and GW with his acts of feeling on the Germany President. Dick Cheney on the DC Madam list and Senator Vitters/Senator Craig. Leaders are the example to those who follow. Ask Ollie North about how prostitution was used. Now all those who know its been done for longer the Obama has been alive are now acting like it never happen before. I wish someone would just tell the truth just once.
These soldiers are like the cast of Jackass but with with machineguns, helicopters, and tanks. The WH and the Congress are like Ivy League frat boys arguing with eachother while bilking their rich parents' checking accounts. Similarly immature and both lacking morality and adult qualities.
I love the military and the folks in it. I was a GI, but, would you like to know the difference between the military and the Boy Scouts? The scouts have adult leadership.
These guys are not children..should these U.S. soldiers have babysitters with them 24/7?? The blame is theirs for not having morals..you can train them, but you can't give them morals..that's something those individuals lacked. Probably TeaParty patriots!
During the Viet Nam War I watched Walter Cronkite show fighting, deaths, wounded soldiers daily on the TV. I also saw the picture of POW's in Tiger Cages and those that had been tortured. I see no difference in Soldiers today posing with dead bodies. Gruesome, War is Hell.
Feel we're over-reacting, consider the hours we have been in Afghastan versus afew goof ups with our troops. If you look at it this way. You will realize our military soldiers are doing an outstanding job. This is what we, the media, Congress,the President should be making news about. As a Vietnam war vet, I'm very proud of our soldiers in Afghastan. We seem to honor afew and condemn afew, while all the other outstanding soldiers get very little headlines. It's time all of us Americian be very proud of them.
In Vietnam it was ears - trophy strings of ears. Sometimes penises. Armies represent the cultures from which they are drawn. There's every indication these troops did what they did thinking they had moral support from their home culture. Thinking about how many ways our society endorses this behavior; vid-games, nasty politics, and a lot of the folks who comment above. "Who really cares? Yup, 'bout sums it up. Morals - any morals is about caring - about something. Be as mean as you can be - what fruits will it bear?
Repeatedly deploying the same troops has lead to this type of behavior.
We don't have any other troops. I wonder who they will deploy to Iran if Romney wins?
Let's talk about leadership, our leaders send soldiers to a foreign country to kill and maim in the name of democracy. We fight a war in which we are easy targets for insurgents who dress as civilians. These things are difficult to cope with but at the core of who we are as humans,we know the difference between right and wrong.
Every single person on the planet has the ability to make choices in what we do, say and think. If everyone chose to do the right thing, there would be no need for war and conflict. I think thats the worst thing about these days, people just don't get it. It doesn't matter who you pray to, because if God is there to hear your prayers, he's also there to see what we are becoming. I think it's fair to say, he's disappointed in us.
The leadership may be the blame but it may also be the exhaustion of the soldiers. The air of the war is toxic which may not be good for the soldiers to be sent again.
Bring back the draft, and the wars will end as the public revolts against the millionaire chickenhawks.