by Mirthful Me:
Back on topic...
War On Terrorism » Confessions of a Marine
He also recounts several episodes at checkpoints where civilian cars
failed to stop and their unarmed occupants were shot to
death.
What would you do?! Hesitate, Think, Die?!
Explosive-laden vehicles at checkpoints caused numerous Coalition casualties.
The
French journalist who helped him write the work, Natasha Saulnier, said
she believed the US companies were
reluctant to touch the book because its "controversial" nature
He sourced it out in the US and couldn't get any takers.
Massey, a chubby-cheeked man with short hair and glasses, said in the lobby bar of a Paris hotel that
the casual violence exhibited by him
and his men was the deliberate result of combat training approved by the very highest US authorities.
...in HIS opinion.
There are many more who will attest that their "training" is what keeps/kept them alive!
His publisher said that, while
an English language version of the book was still pending, a Spanish edition would be coming out
early next year.
See SoulJ . . . you'll get your American publication . . . might have to dig through the Walmart bargain bin though!?
-- some of whom see the book as score-settling by a disgruntled Marine forced to leave the services -- Massey has received
significant interest in his book in France.
Seems he couldn't cut the mustard [so to speak] and was dismissed as a result.
In my opinion he did things, and ordered others to do the same, that later came back to haunt him. At no point have I found reference to Mr. Massey
being forced to do anything. His superiors did not remove him from service nor attempt to "blackball" him. He made a request for dismissal, was
given options for stateside or whatever, refused, and went upon his way.
While I respect his desire to "have his voice heard" I do have to question his motives.
On a side thought:
If he had been a serial killer who later remorsed for his deeds he would not be able to seek compensation for revelations regarding his ventures, due
to USofA law.
Gotta love the good ole' USofA!
The only place on Earth where a self-admitted
"serial" killer can later
"remorse" and seek compensation for revelations of their
ventures.
I'm dead serious!
While I do have issues with the "reason" we are there, I will never cease to support our soldiers abroad with every resource available!
There will always be casualties of war on both sides, whether physical or psychological in nature. Combatants, Terrorists, Soldiers, Civilians. Hey
[knock knock] it's war!
Let me finish this post with a different version of
Confessions of a Marine:
As I returned from the states in a recent leave, I walked to the bench
to wait for the convoy that would take me to the base. As I walked up,
I saw a man sitting with tears in his eyes waiting for the plane to
take him back to America. I asked why he cried and he looked at me and
told his story. He began by telling me of when he first joined up.
That he had been criticized so much that he became bitter. While he
was fighting in Iraq, he had hated bush, hated the war, and could not
wait to get home. Then his eyes faded and he began to tell me how his
sear gent had noticed his bitterness and had asked him about it. And
he had begun to tell him why were they over here fighting someone
else's war? He had read many letters criticizing the govt. and he had
lost spirit. The seargent said, why don't you go on the evening
patrol. He asked why and the seargent responded just do as you're
ordered and pay close attention. So he told me how they had walked
down the street that evening and he had noticed the children playing
in the streets. He heard the laughter and asked himself is this what
the sergeant wants me to see? Had the noises of war drowned out this
part of the country? Was he so used to the explosions, the yells, the
screams, gunshots that his ears drowned this out? He than began to cry
uncontrollably and I sat down and waited not wanting to disturb him.
When he was done he looked up and said," sir the reason I'm crying is
cuz I don't want to leave, I don't want to leave my buddies, and I
don't want to leave thinking that the moment I leave they get shot cuz
I wasn't there." I told him I knew how he felt for I had felt the
same. And he continued his story, as they walked down the street
gunfire had suddenly erupted and he immediately hit the dirt. the
laughter turned to screams, the joy turned to pain, he was sobbing and
I couldn't understand why if we as marines had gone through this lots
of times, and he said, "we had to take it, we had to watch our buddies
get shot, we had to, the children had been caught in the crossfire,
and we couldn't shoot back in fear of hitting them, so we had to watch
the insurgents shoot the living hell out of us, and we had to take it,
but the worst part was, there wasn't laughter on that street anymore,
the kids were dead." at this moment tears filled my eyes and I
understood why were over here. Who could justify those actions? he
looked up and said" from that day on I fought with everything I had, I
fought until I could not go to sleep from exhaustion, because that day
I had witnessed why were over here, because that day I became a true
marine"
Maybe that is why were over here, so one day there could be laughter
on that street.
"Once a Marine, Always a Marine"
Semper Fi
*This was received through a non-DOD, non-Goverment, non-News channel and I can attest to the authenticity.
U2U for source.
Peace2All
[edit on 11/3/2005 by 12m8keall2c]
