Thursday, May 06, 2004
Well, This Explains a Lot
A Company Commander at Abu Gharaib was caught taking photographs of his own nude female soldiers while they were showering.
Link.
If true--he hasn't been court martialed yet, but it smells true from here--it's yet more evidence of an utter freaking breakdown in the chain of command at Abu Ghraib.
If this idiot was indeed dumb enough to do something like that--and so willing to exploit and shame the enlisted soldiers under his command, then he may have lacked the moral authority to prevent or supervise much of anything in his unit.
He could issue all the orders he wants. But if soldiers thought he was a self-serving loser because of behaviors like this, then they wouldn't follow him anyway.
And when a commander does stupid things like this, he renders himself open to blackmail. Which makes it almost impossible to enforce standards.
That's why character does matter.
Indeed, in the long run, it's the only thing that really does.
Splash, out
Jason
Link.
If true--he hasn't been court martialed yet, but it smells true from here--it's yet more evidence of an utter freaking breakdown in the chain of command at Abu Ghraib.
If this idiot was indeed dumb enough to do something like that--and so willing to exploit and shame the enlisted soldiers under his command, then he may have lacked the moral authority to prevent or supervise much of anything in his unit.
He could issue all the orders he wants. But if soldiers thought he was a self-serving loser because of behaviors like this, then they wouldn't follow him anyway.
And when a commander does stupid things like this, he renders himself open to blackmail. Which makes it almost impossible to enforce standards.
That's why character does matter.
Indeed, in the long run, it's the only thing that really does.
Splash, out
Jason
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