During 'Nam' the MSM was quick to tell the story of GI's burning villages, but would skip the fact that many times these villages were occupied by Cong and other Northern sympathizers, men, women and yes even children. In fact, back during that war you never heard the real stories of how the enemy would use the civilians to strike out at us.
They wouldn't report the stories such as when children would run up and hug a GI's leg, begging for candy - which would be cute - except that the brat had a grenade strapped to their leg. By the way, it was usually a family member - like the mother or father that pulled the pin. Yeah, cute as a button. Deadly as the most cunning enemy soldier. Same result - dead American GI's.
Like it or not, no matter what the real story Haditha is going to be protrayed as My Lai by the MSM. Just like during the Vietnam war. Yet thankfully with one difference. That difference being that the world of information and news isn't ruled by the MSM anymore and thanks mainly to the influence of the blogsphere - a potent force.
While no one excuses misconduct - if indeed this was misconduct - those who have experienced war in its abject horror understand that it's not a golf match, or "American Idol".
It's hell on earth.
For the most part these are kids - highly trained, professional - but kids. In basic training you're not trained to shake hands and bow, but to kill the enemy, no matter who that enemy might be. Let me say that again. You KILL the enemy. If you don't, you risk not only your life and the life of your comrades, but the mission itself.
True, civilians are to be treated differently than armed soliders, but when those civilians arm themselves they become the enemy that you are trained to kill.
Ask yourself, if you saw a nine-year old kid running towards your buddy with a explosive device strapped to his leg, and you had your weapon at the ready, what would YOU do? Would you shoot or let your buddy take the hit? What would you do?
How about a family of snipers shooting from a window and they just dropped your boyhood chum? There he lays with no head? A minute ago he was telling you what he was going to do when he got "back to the world". What would you do?
Again, I'm not prejudging the situation - because I don't know what happened. But again, there's always more to the story.
Keep that in mind.
UPDATE: In as much as not everything is known, Tom Ricks of the Washington Post, gets closer to where the investigation is focusing.
UPDATE II: More wisdom.
UPDATE III: Jed Babbin.
UPDATE IV: Micheal Yon with a perspective similar to mine.
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