The Kill Team
The topic that I have chosen to report is about a platoon of soldiers in the war on terrorism called “The Kill Team.” The soldiers of the 3rd platoon of the 5th Stryker Brigade, based out of Tacoma, Washington, are under fire from many government agencies as well as most members of the general population who have heard their story.
The group of men dubbed “The Kill Team” is under scrutiny for killing innocent Iraqi civilians, as well as posting pictures and videos of civilians, along with insurgents that they have killed and mutilated on the internet. Among the victims of the “Kill Team” was a 15 year old boy who was slaughtered in a field on the outskirts of his home village while tending to his crops alone and unarmed. They also posted videos of airstrikes and roadside killings on the internet, and although the killings were perfectly justifiable, and followed protocol in every way, it is strictly prohibited by the U.S. Government to publish any photos or videos to the public.
The story of “The Kill Team” is gut-wrenching as well as eye-opening. What else goes on overseas that Government officials are unaware of? What kind of crimes are carried out each and every day by our military and how many of them go unpunished? It is an issue that should be addressed. American soldiers are held to a higher standard than that of any other military around the world and when they slump to the standards of other militaries and carry out barbaric war crimes, it reflects badly on our military, as well as the citizens of our country.
Although the ruthless murder of an innocent 15 year old civilian boy is completely inexcusable, actions on the frontlines of a war can be unfairly judged. The men and women in our military see some things that none of us could ever imagine and deal with situations that most of us would consider to be nightmares. I personally feel like I may have a heavy trigger finger if I were fighting on the frontlines and every person I met could be on a mission to end my life. I completely disagree with the poor decision to photograph and video the execution of Afghani people, as well as the inhumanity it requires to mutilate a dead body for pleasure, I can also relate to the viewpoint of the soldiers.
War crimes have had a significant impact on the perception of the United States Military as of late, and it is an issue that shouldn’t be hidden from the public. Although the actions of criminals and some of the incidents that occur are brutal and extremely graphic, it is an issue that should be exposed and addressed in order to preserve the image of our military. Although it is a controversial topic and can be interpreted in many different ways, I think it will be an interesting topic to discuss, as well as open the eyes of many people who are unaware of the things that happen during war.
Bibliography:
“The Kill Team.” Rolling Stone, Politics. 22 March 2011. <http://www.rollingstone.com/kill-team>
“Pentagon Reacts to Alleged Afghanistan ‘Kill Teams.’” FoxNews.com. 28 March 2011. <http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/03/28/pentagon-reacts-alleged-afghanistan-kill-teams>
Brecher, Jeremy, Jill Cutler, Brendan Smith. In the Name of Democracy: American War Crimes in Iraq and Beyond (American Empire Project). New York, Metropolitan Books, 2005.
Knoll, Erwin, Judith Nies McFadden, Judith Nies. War Crimes and theAmerican Conscience. New York, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1970.
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