Iraq Soldier Discusses His "Kills" (VIDEO)

In the spring of 2007, a conference was held on the outskirts of Washington, DC. Entitled Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan, it hearkened back to the Winter Soldier testimonies held three decades ago during the Vietnam War. Of the testimonies we filmed, this one, by Iraq War vet Jon Michael Turner, was the most compelling and intense.

Watch the video below:

Find more stories and video from the American News Project here.

Comments

[macintoshsauce]

Over 4080 Americans dead and President Bush gives up golf to honor the dead - bloody priceless.

[whagerbaumer]

What happens to the psyche of a soldier who kills an innocent person? What happens if he is further treated as a hero for doing so? What happens if he is treated as a hero by someone who does not know he killed an innocent? What happens when he comes stateside and recruits others to go over and do the same?

Can these not all be sources of PTSD, suicides, civilian homicidal activity, and a source for brutal police recruits?

[LarsGruber]

I like candy and flowers.

[OverCoffee]

Sad beyond words...

[kobanc]

It's really unbelievable how the mainstream media hasn't managed to show the real war to the public! That's the biggest shame! There's no clean war! War is killing, torture, humiliation. Is that what people say in USA 'Freedom of press'? USA should be better than China and North Korea! 5 years we don't see the real war, but some censored version of clean operations. It's a shame. Very unbalanced reporting.

[Rendon76]

I'll tell you man that America doesn't give a damn about stories like this. Let me repeat, they don't give a damn. Most Americans have no conscious otherwise Bush would not have had a second term. This nation is stupid and dumb for the most part. A 12 year old boy with his head blown off. I could cry, I could cry right now, in fact my eyes are welled up. But you know what? America for the most part doesn't give a damn and I really really hope I'm wrong.

[CitizenLegislatorCC]

I think you are wrong, Rendon76, if it helps any - see the comments on this thread.

America's (big) problem is the lack of information we are given by those who control the national airwaves and newspaper wires, HUGELY exacerbated by an unresponsive Congress which will not investigate to drive coverage, or to enforce standards of behavior worthy of the American people.

This hearing took place in March, 2008 (not 2007 as the introduction states). Kudos to whomever at HuffingtonPost decided to feature this video now to help get the word out. The horrified reactions here are an encouraging sign of how the American people would respond IF they had easy access to this information through television or newspapers [which they do not - all the "news' is slowly coming out in book form, instead, while Congress continues to play depraved partisan party games of name-calling for political advantage with some of the most momentous issues to ever confront our nation].

There're three more hours of this sort of wrenching testimony, given more recently on May 15, 2008, here:

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=205390-1

SIX Members of Congress showed up for that INformal hearing - Lynn Woolsey of CA, Maxine Waters of CA, Barbara Lee of CA, Sheila Jackson-Lee of TX, Keith Ellison of MN and Marcy Kaptur of OH.

The House vote on another YEAR of blank-check funding for Iraq is scheduled for next week.

[amanda85]

"I'm sorry for the hate and destruction I inflicted on INNOCENT people"

Gee, most of the SS troops who had committed atrocities were also "sorry" after the war, and yet the Nuremberg Trials ruled they had to be punished, often with death. These are nothing less than war criminals who confessed to murdering innocent people just for fun. And yet America labels them "heroes" and nobody calls for justice (after all, their victims aren't white and christian, so who cares, right?) Besides, as these war criminals have indicated that this is just the tip of the iceberg, who knows how many civilians have been murdered just to relieve the "stress" of these white christian American "heroes"..­.

[loki]

Ok, so I spoke without really looking. I am just one of many DUH people in America who do that occasionally. Never said i was perfect. And see, I was wrong. I thought this was about a terrorist saying this. Oh well... Im not to proud to be wrong and admit it.

[Ariesjill]

loki took my post right ut of my fingers. Anyone who misses the ghastly, bone-vhilling parallel between tHis and terrorist training camps mindsets..­...will be part of doing in THE WORLD.

While Coppola got and depicted it early on re Vietnam---along with many other since...I doubt he or any of the rest of us could have logically extended it to where it is right now. Then, get the 20th C logical extention re Nazi Germany.

I get that military training involves diminishing differential thought in individual soliders to make them a part of a machine...­..but it is a matter of DEGREE.

This makes the need to elect Obama even more life & death. Which I did not think possible before reading this.

[loki]

Call me cynical, but this easily could be a production of the Neo Con war machine.
Just like the some of the more obvious BIn Ladin videos. Like the fat bin landin, or the bin ladin with the gold wedding ring, just to name a few

[vinny]

I'll call you out of touch instead. If you know any Iraq veterans, their stories are all the same as this one.

[politicojunkie]

This is so sad. These men will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. I will pray for them and for the Iraqi families who lost their loved ones in this terrible war.

[esquire07]

Well the Bright side is the "War" has made Dick Cheney a VERY wealthy man.

In order for the Arms dealers and Oil men to make money others have to be murdered. Its that simple.

[notthistime]

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan featured testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.

This four-day event brought together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists gave context to the testimony. These panels covered everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.

[Berettasskeeter]

Oh please. I watched the press conferences. I heard nothing out of the ordinary, nor did I hear anything that would indict our GI's. What I heard was people looking for a few minutes of fame!
Semper fi

[wolfgangmo]

We all see the world as we are.

You are typing for your 15 minutes of fame.

Congrats.

[RS77]

The US invasion and occupation is a crime.

This does not excuse all behavior.

This person is a criminal and should be in prison for murder.

[thinkb4uleapII]

I agree. I have little sympathy for him or similar perpetrators. I reserve my sympathy for his victims and their families. How in the world do we as Americans tolerate this form of deviant behavior in our military ranks? Am I naive to think that there should exist a code of conduct within our military ranks that is strictly enforced?

The fact this "soldier" is able to admit, with impunity, his personal atrocities at a forum is mind-boggling. The seeming lack of accountability in this regard is an incentive to others to engage in similar deviant behavior.

[MissingAmerica]

War breeds hatred, and in the thick of battle, hatred is all that exists. I applaud these men for coming forth, and I mourn the loss of those innocent people. While what they did was inhumane and totally against the principles of this great nation, it is an example of the war mentality we must change.

No one wins at war. In fact, these videos show the necessity of ending this illegal war and subsequent unconstitutional occupation of Iraq. By going to war, we become like those we fight. In becoming like those we are supposed to be against, we are showing the Iraqis that there is no difference between this "free" nation and their Muslim nation, so they choose the people they know best.

Leave now, and hold this administration accountable for the thousands of deaths and untold suffering Bush's actions have caused.

My heart goes out to the Iraqi people who continue to suffer in this horrendous violence.

[awcbuddy8]

Actually, quite frequently, one side wins and the other side loses. That's really how these things go.

I'm glad to see you don't think the Iraqis even deserve a chance to govern themselves. You clearly view them as sub-humans who deserve a vicious dictator to control their lives. Where was your heart from 1979-2003. Oh that's right, it wasn't popular then.

[Geovan]

Well said. How do you feel about our war against Afghanistan?

[CaseyBabes]

Anybody doing background to verify this killer's story? Yep, I'm still skeptical about stories purporting to be USA slaughters after doin' my time in Vetnam and coming home to see John Kerry's BS. Personally, I doubt very much the veracity of this man from my knowing the extent of Officers' level training.

[annieR]

This video is the Democratic ad that can defeat John McCain. McCain wants an open-ended occupation of Iraq in which these atrocities will continue.

[bobsmith]

He's coming forward with all this, he says, "...for all those who can't be here to talk about the things that we went through...­".

What a guy! What a hero! Right?

Wrong. This man is a war criminal. Were it not for willing soldiers like him, the despots of the world couldn't pull it off. When the plutocracy decides that it is time to turn the military upon US citizens - it will be guys like this who will gladly carry out any atrocity against our families, and then seek our pity for all of the terrible "things that they went through".

He should be tried and convicted for deliberately murdering innocent civilians. Screw him. And screw our federal government for their failure to end this immoral war and bring ALL the perpetrators to justice.

[munkii]

Nazi soldiers had similar testimonies, it doesn't mean they don't really regret it, when you are being systematically brainwashed upon enlisting and post it you don't get any choice but to try to fit in, it took that man great courage to come out and admit the atrocities he had committed, don't discredit him, don't have to forgive him either. i blame his commanders and the president who turned him into a cold-blooded murderer