Morality of War

OINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AP) - A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 24 years in prison Wednesday after saying "the plan was to kill people" in a conspiracy with four fellow soldiers to kill unarmed Afghan civilians.


When I heard about the trial from a good friend of mine who is also a journalist, Laura Meyers and who also attended the trial, I wasn't surprised. I had read all about My Lai In Vietnam from door gunner, Larry Colburn who was on Hugh Thompson's helicopter who stopped the carnage.


What upsets me most is the comment from one of the soldiers is that they received conflicting orders from higher command on what to do and how to treat the Afghan civilians. This is appalling. These men were raised with values of what was right and wrong. Even with the conflict of going to war and killing the enemy, you do not kill civilians. I would cringe when I heard some Marines talk about the Afghans in derogatory ways. I found it offensive. Perhaps because of my many years of traveling the world I can understand the difference between cultures. 


It is frustrating to think that even with the progress we've made in Afghanistan there are people who are to ignorant to understand what is really at stake. 

Nowruz: Persian for New Light

I'm excited about going back to Afghanistan in a little less than a month. Although I haven't heard regarding my orders yet. I'm supposedly manifested on the flight in with the 3BCT 25th Division. That will be amazing.

I was reviewing some of my notes and I have 4 pages of names of troops I met. I plan to include every name in my book and wish I could include every story. I hope to hit the 2/3 and follow up with the Marines I was with. They should be packing up or have left the camp with the ANA and only a handful of Marines.

Today is the beginning of the New Year in Afghanistan, Nowruz. I wish the Afghanistan people well and hope they can be united for once in their history against the faction that wants to destroy them. It is going to be so interesting to see how the unrest of the Middle East effects  Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - medevac

The Docs in combat are amazing. When I was there they medevaced the Taliban members who were wounded to save their lives. The Taliban would not do the same. They decapitate their enemy.

Watch this video of how this very brave Doc and his team saved the life of a Soldier. All you Docs out there will appreciate this.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda Targets Libya

By Sami Yousafzai

Exiled Libyans with connections to Al Qaeda are racing to find ways to send people home, in hope of steering the anti-Gaddafi revolt in a radical Islamist direction, according to several senior Afghan Taliban sources in contact with Al-Qaeda.

A rebel soldier after a skirmish with government forces in Ras Lanuf, Libya, on March 8. (John Moore / Getty Images) “This rebellion is the fresh breeze they’ve been waiting years for,” says an Afghan Taliban operative who helps facilitate the movement of Al Qaeda militants between the tribal area and Pakistani cities. “Some say they are ready to go back at this critical moment.” The operative, who has just returned from Pakistan’s lawless tribal area on the Afghanistan border, adds: “They realize that if they don’t use this opportunity, it could be the end of their chances to turn Libya toward a real Islamic state, as Afghanistan once was.”

Afghanistan Through My Eyes

What has happened in different parts of the world these last few months is apocalyptic. From the rise of hopeful democracies to the devastation of geographical land mass. We voice our sadness, our distress and our empathy, but in reality if we are not experiencing it ourselves we do not fully comprehend the historic event.

We must stop our selfishness and listen with our ears and our hearts. We must let these participants tell their stories and we must celebrate their victories and mourn their loss. We cannot afford to sit safely in our living room and just read about it. This is why history repeats itself. Afghanistan's history is the same from the last three thousand years when Alexander the Great tried to conquer it.

Once we gain true understanding of our fellow man, then we can imagine....