We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:00:56 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification [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... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:15:38 -0600 evidently, Stanford University turns professors into dingleberries. cuz it's designed that way. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70219 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70219 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:07:24 -0600 Heh. Good point about "crass" and access to the outside world, Kat. I'm going to be very interested in what the rumor mill comes up with about this. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70206 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70206 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:07:48 -0600 Look, Junger reports in his earlier story that there are some men on base who are suffering from PTSD and taking meds. That's it. That's all he said to that effect. Thus, somewhere, that's likely true. As a matter of fact, I would be shocked to my toes if no one was suffering some PTS symptoms or the actual diagnosis. I would not be shocked to discover anyone was on meds. What I was shocked about was that, on this "one moonlight night", they all "popped out" while she and the good Captain were chatting and that he just reeled it off like he was discussing the conditions of lab specimens. Something she said about Kearney early on kind of stuck with me: "Kearney often calls himself a dumb jock, playing the crass, loudmouthed tough guy with his soldiers. I kept thinking, this guy is a funny man. A bit of an actor himself. He likes to "play it up". So, some truth in this article? Yeah. Probably. But either Capt. Kearney was desperate enough to get his men off the side of the mountain that he'd risk his career doing it (even though his dad's a general back at SOCCENT and he potentially has a direct line?) or he was having her on a bit. Being somewhat "crass", having to deal with reporters who come with an agenda, maybe the Captain didn't feel the need or want to supply the punchline? Like I said, Either way, I think the Captain has some explaining to do. Oh...and FbL...the Captain is in the Korengal, far away from any main base and certainly no where he has any access to the outside world where he can read the NYT daily on the internet. Not Iraq (I know you know that, just the point of this remark). He probably has no idea what she wrote this soon and won't until someone at command reads this piece of $$%% and tells him to report back to head quarters for reasons he will have no idea about until he gets there. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70204 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70204 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:34:58 -0600 I hardly know what the make of the story... it sounds so bizarre, especially the part where the CPT tells her all those guys are on medications and openly says one of his men has committed war crimes. If he was serious, he'd be up to his eyeballs in trouble right now. If he was joking, shouldn't he be saying so, now? But then again, he's got a general for a father, so would people be afraid to hold him accountable for either breach of privacy or terminal stupidity? I just can't figure it out. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70200 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/03/crazy_killer_tr.html#comment-70200 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:27:22 -0600