I find this story encouraging and disturbing in equal measure. A 21 year old US Navy corpsman pleaded guilty to his role in the kidnapping and execution of an unarmed Iraqi man and was sentenced to 1 year in custody. He has also agreed to testify against seven Marines that are also accused of the same crime.
Why do I find this encouraging? I get a sense from Melson Bacos's statement that he feels true remorse over the crime and had found himself in a situation where he felt unable to put a stop to what occurred. He was accused of being a "weakling" by the Marines. In his testimony he said:
Why do I find this encouraging? I get a sense from Melson Bacos's statement that he feels true remorse over the crime and had found himself in a situation where he felt unable to put a stop to what occurred. He was accused of being a "weakling" by the Marines. In his testimony he said:
"Why didn't I do more to stop it? Why didn't I just walk away? The answer is I wanted to be part of the team."
We train these young men to be part of a team. We train them to succumb to what is essentially a mob mentality. We teach them to hate and revile the "enemy". How else can we turn normal young men into killers? We also turn them into butchers. I believe that this young man has realised the horror that he is guilty of helping to perpetuate.
What do I find this disturbing? Several reasons. Irrespective of his arrangement with prosecutors his sentence is absurdly inadequate. He stands guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy. Even with a plea deal what do you think he would have received in Texas? Perhaps the death penalty commuted to life without parole. The prosecution had asked for ten to fifteen years. Do we truly believe an Iraqi's life to be worth so much less then that of an American?
I also find it disturbing that none of the accused have been charged with war crimes. Is it too hard for Americans to face up to what this crime amounts to? Do we truly believe that Americans CANNOT perpetuate crimes against humanity? When charges were brought against for British soldiers, for an incident that one could argue was less extreme as it lacked the element of cold blooded execution, three of seven were put on trial on war crimes charges. It is important for the American people to face up to what really happens in war. To admit to the dehumanisation that war brings to victors and vanquished alike. To come to the realisation that the world is not black and white and that both sides in a conflict are capable of immeasurable evil.
Maybe someday.
What do I find this disturbing? Several reasons. Irrespective of his arrangement with prosecutors his sentence is absurdly inadequate. He stands guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy. Even with a plea deal what do you think he would have received in Texas? Perhaps the death penalty commuted to life without parole. The prosecution had asked for ten to fifteen years. Do we truly believe an Iraqi's life to be worth so much less then that of an American?
I also find it disturbing that none of the accused have been charged with war crimes. Is it too hard for Americans to face up to what this crime amounts to? Do we truly believe that Americans CANNOT perpetuate crimes against humanity? When charges were brought against for British soldiers, for an incident that one could argue was less extreme as it lacked the element of cold blooded execution, three of seven were put on trial on war crimes charges. It is important for the American people to face up to what really happens in war. To admit to the dehumanisation that war brings to victors and vanquished alike. To come to the realisation that the world is not black and white and that both sides in a conflict are capable of immeasurable evil.
Maybe someday.
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