Saturday, May 08, 2004
Email of the Day
We've heard loads about the colonels and the general at Abu Ghraib. And we've heard loads about the pfcs, specialists, and sergeants in the picture. But where are the lieutenants and captains?
A former Marine infantry officer writes in:
I hope the military comes down on the offenders who tortured the prisoners like a ton of bricks. But to me the real proof of the military’s desire to fix the situation will be if OFFICERS get hammered. Having been a Marine Infantry Officer, I know the primary task of a commissioned officer is to lean, supervise, and direct troops. I want to see lieutenants and captains get hammered HARDER than anyone else. Company Grade offices were DIRECTLY involved with the supervision of the soldiers running the prison. A field grade officer depends on his subordinates to get the job done.
I am not giving Field Grade officers a pass; they are guilty because they were in charge but the real offenders who must be singled out are the lieutenants and captains. They are down there in the trenches on a day to day basis and they should have stopped this BS before it got started. It is THEIR JOB to be involved on a direct and daily basis and there is no way anyone will convince me that they did not know what was going on. If they did not know or claim lack of training or knowledge, then they were complete and total idiots, fools, and incompetents, and deserve court-martial on that charge. But I believe they KNEW and LET IT OCCUR.
I do not want to sound like I am excusing the enlisted. They deserve punishment but I hold the company grade officers in special contempt; OFFICERS ARE REQUIRED TO KNOW BETTER AND TO PREVENT SUCH BEHAVIOR!!!!!!!! They did not do their job, they did not prevent torture, and they should pay the price for their negligence. I believe that time in a cross-bar hotel is completely justified and deserved. Junior officers are where words get turned into action or where inappropriate action is stopped. The company grade officers involved totally disgraced themselves and their commissions and deserve severe and harsh punishment for their behavior.
I agree.
Splash, out
Jason
A former Marine infantry officer writes in:
I hope the military comes down on the offenders who tortured the prisoners like a ton of bricks. But to me the real proof of the military’s desire to fix the situation will be if OFFICERS get hammered. Having been a Marine Infantry Officer, I know the primary task of a commissioned officer is to lean, supervise, and direct troops. I want to see lieutenants and captains get hammered HARDER than anyone else. Company Grade offices were DIRECTLY involved with the supervision of the soldiers running the prison. A field grade officer depends on his subordinates to get the job done.
I am not giving Field Grade officers a pass; they are guilty because they were in charge but the real offenders who must be singled out are the lieutenants and captains. They are down there in the trenches on a day to day basis and they should have stopped this BS before it got started. It is THEIR JOB to be involved on a direct and daily basis and there is no way anyone will convince me that they did not know what was going on. If they did not know or claim lack of training or knowledge, then they were complete and total idiots, fools, and incompetents, and deserve court-martial on that charge. But I believe they KNEW and LET IT OCCUR.
I do not want to sound like I am excusing the enlisted. They deserve punishment but I hold the company grade officers in special contempt; OFFICERS ARE REQUIRED TO KNOW BETTER AND TO PREVENT SUCH BEHAVIOR!!!!!!!! They did not do their job, they did not prevent torture, and they should pay the price for their negligence. I believe that time in a cross-bar hotel is completely justified and deserved. Junior officers are where words get turned into action or where inappropriate action is stopped. The company grade officers involved totally disgraced themselves and their commissions and deserve severe and harsh punishment for their behavior.
I agree.
Splash, out
Jason
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