Soldiers Discuss Using "Drop Weapons" To Cover Up Killing Innocent Iraqi Civilians

Several soldiers who have returned from combat zones talk with the American News Project about what they say is the widespread practice of using "drop weapons" to cover up the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. We feature five veterans and current members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, plus retired Lieutenant Colonel Gary Solis, a Vietnam War veteran and legal scholar who taught "Law of War" at West Point. Watch the video from ANP below:

Read and watch more from ANP here.

Comments

[Rufio]

Committing the oldest crimes, in the newest ways. Although there is no justification for this, these things have happened in every military conflict throughout history. The only reason we are so mortified by them now is because this conflict has up until recently had outstanding coverage. What happened was an atrocity, and there is no justification for it, but it has happened before and will happen again.

[researcher]

oh the price of imperialism

think they will treat us as liberators as we leave

neo cons are slime and chicken hawks

[raw915]

This isn't good...

[truthbrigade]

Sorry to bring it home so bluntly, Goober Nation will still vote for McCain. It's time we all face reality; these are your fellow citizens, the deadly weight that the whole world has to carry around their collective neck. As a matter of fact, insane as it might be, McCain has a good chance of getting in the W/H in January; AND HE WILL ATTACK IRAN. The only difference between McCain and Bush is that McCain does NOT know how stupid he is (George does).

[Viper]

Some one should remind him by sending him his ranking at the Naval Academy and in flight school.

Regards

[nellie]

So sad. We need to bring our people home.

[Glowcy]

Ultimately, the soldiers bear a terrible burden.

How do soldiers live with the results of their actions at the request of their commander-in-chief?

[Chillinout]

This story is why there are so many veterans attempting and committing suicide. Could you imagine trying to live with the fact that you murdered innocent civilians?

[helonias]

Imagine George Bush and Co they have no problem with it. They just hold hands and pray every morning.

To which god I do not know

[eyesopenwide]

And let's remember that those innocent Iraqi civilians that were murdered had mothers/fathers, husbands/wives, brothers/sisters, children/g­randchildr­en who now suffer untold heartache over the loss of their loved ones. Can you imagine the rage that must be building in the hearts of the Iraqi people towards their so-called liberators as a result.

At the Nuremberg trials, the prosecutor stated that a war of aggression was not only a "war crime," it was the "supreme" war crime.

http://www.courttv.com/archive/casefiles/nuremberg/close.html


The American people were lead into a war of aggression by the Bush regime through disinformation, misinformation, propaganda, and outright lies and deception. And the fact that they've done everything within their power to keep this hidden from the people indicates the level of their contempt for the Constitution, the rule of law, the American people--or people anywhere for that matter. They knew all along that what they were doing constituted very serious crimes--under both national and international law.

If the concepts of "right and wrong," "truth and justice," transparency," "accountability," "rule of law," "responsibility, " "consequences," or the "principles of democracy" are to prevail--which is a must in a free and civilized society--these people must be held accountable and face the consequences for the untold human suffering, death and destruction that their horrific crimes have wrought upon the world.

[lornejl]

Some commit suicide, in record numbers.

[CitizenLegislatorCC]

Dear Americans:

A new president - Democratic or otherwise - will NOT solve the problems of our failed state.

Not while the Congress of the United States continues to abdicate its SOLE authority for making decisions about war and peace for our nation (absent sudden attack), in deference to the presidency, along with so much more (see impeachment).

There is one minority in Congress, however, that WILL suddenly come back to life under a DEMOCRATIC president: The Republicans, should they maintain - as they're likely to do - a minimum of 41 members in the Senate. That's enough to continue to filibuster in the name of the "Congress" - which they will gleefully do to thwart the will of the Democrats in Congress who will try to rubberstamp "their" Democratic president's agenda, just as the Republicans have mindlessly rubberstamped this president's agenda.

Recall what was missing when the Democrats had 41+ members in the Senate while in the minority: any serious opposition, by way of filibuster, to the unAmerican, horrific policies of this president. The REPUBLICAN Party won't be following the lead of the Democrats on that front, as their Senate obstruction this year has already proven.

In short, stop pinning all your hopes on Obama and the presidency, and start pinning them on forming a PRINCIPLED, honorable Congress willing to act independently of the president, as needed (41 Senators can stop a lousy - or a wise - Supreme Court nominee, as one example). Without such a Congress, we

[elbzee]

I quote Charlie Reeves in his outstanding article, The-545-Pe­ople-Respo­nsible-For­-Americas-­Woes."When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

Here’s the link to this outstanding point of view. http://www.liberalsvsconservatives.com/the-545-people-responsible-for-americas-woes-t1957.htmll

[Strywever]

You make an excellent (if unfinished) point. Thank you.

[CitizenLegislatorCC]

...aren't a Republic, but a Constitutional Dictatorship.

[Thanks, Strywever. Sorry about leaving that last sentence hanging half-said; the software here seems to periodically drop part of the last sentence of my previewed comments upon posting.]

[YankeeCanuck]

Yes-- a new president needs something to work with.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

Tonight on the factor, watch BillO smear these soldiers.

[ChristianEcon.com]

Always reaching for a new low!

[BigLib]

"Quick! even the Washington Post is admitting progress in Iraq!

Distract! Distract! Distract!"

[research]

War Crimes are never "Progress".

[awcbuddy8]

Mmmm okay...wan­na name a war without said crimes?

[osturk]

It is not a war crime to accidently kill a civillian otherwise nobody would serve

[thegreatgiginthesky]

So what exactly is truth is you don't look at all the truth?

[ChristianEcon.com]

Murder of innocents is a minor "distraction" to the Chickenhawk Party.

[paganmist]

Imagine what would happen if, after eight years of working on the same project, you told your boss:

"I'm making progress."

Yeah.

[OlongapoEd]

(sarcasm on)
If our Heroes killed them, then they were terrorists who deserved to die. QED.
(sarcasm off)

[fourex]

No need to plant weapons. Bush has made Iraq a free kill zone, (Blackwater under no laws).

[Moshe]

At this point, the only road back to an honorable future, is for Americans to demand war crimes trials for the guilty in Iraq, and demand full accountability under the Rule of Law, starting at the top.

Most U.S. soldiers, and their leaders, serve with honor.

Those that do not, do not deserve to be protected from prosecution, as their crimes are a bloody stain on the U.S., dishonoring us all, and degrading our common humanity.

If we knowingly allow the guilty to go unpunished, we are all guilty of complicity in their crimes.

[Strywever]

Exactly who do you think is "guilty" here?

[research]

Agreed, but we should be forgiving to soldiers caught somewhere between following orders and war crimes. The commanders all the way up to Bush and Cheney should get the maximum punishments.

[springsm]

I think those that drop weapons are also serving with honor. The war is dishonorable, the officers are ignoring this and the gd administration doesn't give a dime for any of it. These kids are facing so much on a daily minute by minute schedule..­they want to live, they don't want to face charges and they want to come home. In a situation like Iraq...I bet many of us would do the same thing...an­d suffer forever for non combatant lives being taken.

[amazigh]

it's not the soldiers' fault.
what would you expect when the US General says to his church audience "my God is bigger than their (Muslims) God. My God is a real God and their God is an idol", he was behaving no differently than the kids on the street, who when they fight, say to each other, my dad is stronger than your dad and my dad will beat up your dad.

[Harinama]

I'm sorry, but soldiers ARE at fault when they are killing innocent civilians, ESPECIALLY if they are committing warcrimes intentionally. Each and every member of hte armed forces needs to decide whether they have any morality, or are just killing robots.

Those with morality, will refuse to fight and leave the armed forces.

[eyesopenwide]

Something to think about:

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

"Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war."

~Albert Einstein

"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly, I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked about such a thing." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower (In light of this quote, consider this statement by bush: "...the role of the military is to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place." ~George W. Bush)


The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

[frantaylor]

Arguments like that did not work in the Nurmeberg trials.

[JennyJay]

Who are we that we can go in and kill people for no reason??? Are we nuts??? What kind of a sick
abusive country are we? No wonder the rest of the world hates us. Let's start talking IMPEACHMENT for Bush/Cheney. They can't get away with this.

[gakabani]

We are becoming "Good Germans" and this is how Nazi Germany started, little by little until 1936, the rest is history.

[Hare]

becoming? more like became... just look around it has been going for so many years and we fools here who like the prof. says correctly. People here do not care. We are going to suffer the consequences of our lack of caring for generations to come.

[ChristianEcon.com]

"What kind of a sick abusive country are we?"

One that voted neocons into office.

[tea in the harbor]

What we are doing to the minds of these men and women, who have offered to make the ultimate sacrifice in the erroneous belief that they were defending our country, is another war crime to add to the list of the Bushstopo syndicate. It is one we will pay for for decades in our own blood, as minds too heavily strained by conditions beyond any one's ability to cope snap! We may be able to alleviate some of the damage with state of the art psychological care, but our record so far paints a bleak picture for the future of both the veterans and their friends and families.