'My Lai Massacre' Officer is "sorry"

Silver · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

That's okay then, 'cos he was just following orders:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8215556.stm

I imagine he probably was following orders, but it's a poor excuse (at best). I'd struggle to accurately comprehend the emotional pressure faced by soldiers fighting in Vietnam but it's hardly an excuse, is it?

Hetzer · Super Spammer Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Karma :

Mass-murdering scumbag who got away with it pretty much scott-free. But that's what one would expect from the US army and one of the most notoriously nazi administrations in US history.
____________________
"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

Silver · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

It makes you wonder (especially) in the case of Vietnam how many similar cases went completely unreported.

One of the best books I've ever read (from a factual viewpoint) is Nam by Mark Baker - a collection of interviews with dozens of soldiers from Vietnam. If you believe half of what is claimed that it would be extremely eye opening for many people.

Hetzer · Super Spammer Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Karma :

Silver · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

colin1 · Captain Safety Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Karma :

War is messy, and to pretend otherwise is daft.

There are always justifiable reasons to kill civilians, either on purpose, or just because they got in the way.

The real crime, is the politicians who pretend that war is a surgical operation where only the bad men suffer.

Iraq was subject to sanctions for years, that brought the country to its knees. The aftermath of invasion was chaos. If all deaths were added up, its probably getting close to a million dead.

The rights and wrongs of particular situations are completely irrelevant, alongside the enormity of all those deaths.

The vietnam war is estimated to be 5.4 million total deaths. Pretending that the only bad deaths were the few hundred done at My Lai, is like drawing a veil over the 5.4 million. Each one of them was a person.

America defined white phosphorous as a chemical weapon when Saddam had it, yet when they use it on populated areas, they pretend its just for concealment by smoke.

The concept of war crimes arose, when equal powers agreed what was ok and what wasnt.

In asymetric warfare, neither side are likely to stick to rules, as they have no incentive to do so, as the other side is fighting in a completely different way.

War is organised killing. Its the killing which is bad, not whether its by the book or not.

Its a bit ironic that America are kicking up a fuss about a Libyan convicted for mass murder being released, while the guy now apologising for My Lai, had his life sentence for 22 murders commuted to 3 years house arrest.
____________________
colin1 is officially faster than god