U.S. Vice Admiral Apologizes and Surrenders Himself for Afghan Deaths To Afghan Family, page 2


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reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 11:15 AM by charlie0
reply to post by ModernAcademia



Let us not forget, the Commander must have followed the advice of a translator who knew the local customs. I give credit to the commander that listened. Try that with Muslim Country commanders. This is the difference in being humble and knowledgeable.


reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 11:15 AM by thomas_
reply to post by ModernAcademia



Such a good guy...

Kills two pregnant womans and then gives the family two sheep...nice. True American hero spirit.

I wonder why his soldiers shot down two pregnant womans in the first place. And why he didn't gave 4 sheep to the poor father instead, since that is the correct number of innocent people that his army has killed in this episode alone.

Sorry... but this for me is nothing but pure cheap PR.



reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 11:17 AM by malcr
Originally posted by broahes
reply to
post by ModernAcademia



Stories like these are always hard to judge.. On one hand, I think it's admireable that he took this step, but on the other hand.. a couple of farm animals to replace a loved one? I know that they are important, but come on..

Boy talk about missing the cultural point by a country mile!


reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 11:54 AM by Phenomium
Originally posted by ModernAcademia

U.S. Vice Admiral Apologizes and Surrenders Himself for Afghan Deaths To Afghan Family


abcnews.go.com
In the dusty Afghan village where U.S. troops killed two pregnant women and three other innocent civilians in February, a remarkable scene played out today between an aggrieved father and the most senior special operations officer in the United States military.

Vice Admiral William McRaven -- the commander of Joint Special Operations Command -- showed up with two sheep, and in the cultural understanding of the region, surrendered himself.

He didn't literally surrender. But he didn't have
(visit the link for the full news article)




Two sheep for two pregnant women....that's cheap. Seriously....that's a bad trade.It would be easy to apologize when you haven't lost anything. A more suitable trade would be a daughter for a daughter, but then the cycle of vengence just goes around and around. If you ask me, the true hero here is the "father" who was able to forgive after having his family murdered.. NOT who the hero looks like here "the JSO Admiral". All he did was say I'm sorry and hand over a couple of sheep. The father was the one who sacrified all.........and then forgave the murderer. He's the true hero here!

[edit on 9-4-2010 by Phenomium]


reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 11:57 AM by Another Vodka
reply to post by ModernAcademia



I firmly believe that at it's very foundation, all war between humans is essentially wrong. It may take thousands of years for us to understand that we are better than that. Leave war to the animals who must compete. Provide food, shelter, support to the people of the planet. We must care for one another and care about our planet.

As for the nature of the apology, he did the right thing in light of the Afghani culture. To westerners and others it may not seem to be enough. Consider, however, the western court system. A convicted murderer of innocents (by a heinous crime or even as a result of a motor vehicle accident) is tried and all she/he can offer is: "I'm sorry". What does it really mean? It's meaning will vary depending upon the person and circumstances, but that's all they can do... state that they are sorry. I have always wondered if this is enough. Does the example add to the karmic history and further our species towards enlightenment? Or are we just mistaken homo sapiens trying to survive and strive toward homo hypersapien existence?


reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 12:18 PM by FritosBBQTwist
Originally posted by broahes
reply to
post by ModernAcademia



Stories like these are always hard to judge.. On one hand, I think it's admireable that he took this step, but on the other hand.. a couple of farm animals to replace a loved one? I know that they are important, but come on..

I guess this is why I feel so blessed to wake up every day not having to deal with this on a daily..

The innocent life lost in war is never worth the "evil" defeated..


There is something called sentimental value.

Just like the last words of a loved one. Doesn't matter what it is worth to outsiders, it means the world to the ones involved.

I don't think anyone knows what the hell they are doing anymore.

edit - I do want to say I also think this is just a publicity stunt. A SINCERE apology would go unnoticed or unheard until the man himself comes back and tells his own war stories...not some media outlet.

[edit on 9-4-2010 by FritosBBQTwist]


reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 12:21 PM by dfens
Do Vice Admirals serve in the Army or Marines? Afghanistan is quite a ways from the ocean in the regions that matter.

That said, it is a kind gesture. Not sure if it could mean much though. Too many die for protecting their own homeland, and they are labeled terrorists for trying to kill the ones who will kill them.

Afghanistan used to be a sovereign nation. A new party arrives and decides to stop bending over for the west, (via eliminating opium), and they are immediately tagged as a terrorist org. We can't have that, so former EXXON exec Hamid Karzai is installed. Can anyone see the conflict of interest?

Not to mention the "alleged" Caspian Sea pipeline.

What would have been more faithful and demonstrative, would be for the actual officer who ordered the strike to fess up and apologize. Why was a completely different branch of our military forced to beg down?

It seems as fake as our president or secdef saying we are sorry.

My opinion is damage control. If we were really sorry, then we would pull out and leave them alone. Too many private vested interests who insist on pulling this off. The russians couldn't do it.

We helped fund the resistance when USSR tried to do it. Who's to say they aren't paying us back by funding our opposition? The whole- If I can't have it, noone will maxim...

Everyone seems to miss the fact that 9/11 was all Saudis with zero affiliation to Taliban or Al-q-something. According to the official word. They can't even settle on a spelling for one guys name, much less the org he commands.

They could have pinned it on cobra commander and most would eat it up like pudding, given as much exposure its gotten thus far. Never questioning.

Iraq and Afghanistan are unjust and cruel wars. Its legal to bomb people if you have orders. They are not supposed to fight back! But, in America, its illegal to defend yourself against the police. Whether it be local, state, or federal. That includes military. Its the same deal.

It seems like our country is not that important. It seems like its more important to keep killers abroad, (we learned them that,LOL!), than it is to strengthen our own side.

Just my own little rant.


reply posted on 9-4-2010 @ 12:21 PM by Hemisphere
reply to post by ModernAcademia



Death and heartbreak are a part of all our lives if we live long enough. Putting a human face on this and accepting blame will apparently allow these people to move on. It does not remove their sorrow and loss. It will perhaps allow them to continue their lives. The Admiral did this according to these people’s traditions. Those traditions were in place for centuries to help soothe people experiencing similar pain.

What this also does is remind those injecting themselves into the lives of these people that they are despite any cultural differences, deserving of the utmost consideration. If the act was staged, it will have no lasting impact and will quickly fade from memory. If it was in the least bit sincere, it will likely change the lives of a few on both sides. Time will tell. And as the old adage goes “It sure beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!”
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