Crazy Killer Troops in Afghanistan: Dark Humor and Green Berets

[Kat]

Over at Blackfive, some folks were in a huff over a report written by Elizabeth Rubin of the NYT.

I'll admit right up front that I did not read all of Rubin's piece. Glancing through some of the quotes at B5 cut out from the report, my first reaction was incredulous that an officer was that open with information about his troops medical or mental conditions. The second reaction, having read Junger's piece (also linked), is to accept that these men have been up on a mountain side with little relief, for an extended period, with few amenities, under constant fire in conditions that most resemble stories from Vietnam (contrary to some folks visions of Iraq being "Vietnam", this is probably the story that reminds me of those stories the most).

The enemy is in the valley, in the villages, but the men can't just blow the village to kingdom come because its full of "civilians". The insurgents use the ROE effectively by continually intermingling with civilians, going to their fire bases to attack and then returning home. The soldiers at Firebase Phoenix have rigged concertina wire and claymores as a last ditch defense of the outpost. When I read Junger's story, I immediately had visions of the movie "Green Berets" with John Wayne in "Dodge City" examining the building of the base perimeter.

I know that "Green Berets" tried to distill down to the basics the story of counterinsurgency in Vietnam, many called it "propaganda". Maybe it had some truths for our troops who have to do this hard fight in Iraq AND Afghanistan, for the public that tries to understand it and the press that tries to cover it. Maybe it's these scenes that even Mr. Junger, portraying the difficulty in building the base, is reluctant to examine. About a quarter of the way through this section, the Colonel (John Wayne) asks Beckwith what he is going to write when he goes back. Beckwith never answer's that question satisfactorily.

Our real-life Junger knew the answer. Though he mentions some of the issues with the troops on long deployments, in rough conditions and potential issues with PTSD and anti-depressants, he chose to focus on those things around the soldiers that both made their situation untenable and heroic at the same time. He saw their gallows humor and general "stuck in the suck" attitude for what it was and made it the part of the story that it deserved: brief moments of humanity in an insane world. Mr. Junger had been to war.

No one asked Ms. Rubin what she was going to write when she got back because they knew what she wanted when she went.

"I went to Afghanistan last fall with a question: Why, with all our technology, were we killing so many civilians in air strikes?"

They gave her the answer: in spades.

One full-moon night I was sitting outside a sandbag-reinforced hut with Kearney when a young sergeant stepped out hauling the garbage. He looked around at the illuminated mountains, the dust, the rocks, the garbage bin. The monkeys were screeching. “I hate this country!” he shouted. Then he smiled and walked back into the hut. “He’s on medication,” Kearney said quietly to me.

Then another soldier walked by and shouted, “Hey, I’m with you, sir!” and Kearney said to me, “Prozac" Serious P.T.S.D. from last tour.” Another one popped out of the HQ cursing and muttering. “Medicated,” Kearney said. “Last tour, if you didn’t give him information, he’d burn down your house. He killed so many people. He’s checked out.”

Seriously? One full moon night, all the crazies in camp "popped out"?

Pardon me for my insensitivity, but, just for a moment, a small laugh escaped when I read that part. By accident or design, it seems Ms. Rubin was played or played herself. I think she needs to make another trip or two or three because she obviously hasn't spent much time with a group of soldiers waiting for something to happen, having nothing else better to do than to let off a little steam.

Sadly, either way, I imagine that Capt. Kearney has got some explaining to do.

Here's another "it's not the soldiers, is the place and time that made them crazy" story: Abu Ghraib prison turned soldiers evil by design: researcher

Money quote:

"Because I had seen those cells before at Stanford. The power is in the system. It's not bad apples, but bad barrel makers."[snip]

A "hero" at Abu Ghraib turned out to be a lowly private that called for abuses there to be stopped, according to the professor.

"Heroism is the antidote to evil," Zimbardo said. "Let's focus on justice and peace, which sadly our administration has not been doing."

Now you get it. Evil is the Bush Administration. Wow! No one has ever said that to me before. I'm convinced! Sign me up!

We here at Castle Aargghhh! take combat stress and PTSD very seriously. If any soldier believes he is suffering from these symptoms or any family member has a concern, please read the right hand side bar on this site under "final mission". Important information is available including a brief guide for the soldier and their families along with a crisis hotline. Every soldier has a "final mission". That mission is to come home as physically and psychologically whole as possible. From Castle Aargghhh to our men and women in the trenches, that's an order!