Like many Americans after 9/11, I was in full support of President Bush and his plans to go after the people who murdered Americans on our own soil. So when Bush decided to go after Saddam, I was in full support. I honestly believed Saddam was sitting in his chair twirling his mustache plotting to murder Americans. Now I know better, but then I can only imagine how many other ignorant Americans felt the same way. We certainly know a few of them were the lawmakers who voted for the war.
I can’t claim any experience as a soldier. I washed out of two different basic training camps before I turned 23. I only had a small taste of the military culture. One thing that stuck with me though was the focus on integrity, honor, and the protection of innocent life. We were told that we had a duty to disobey unlawful orders. Yes, we were told that we were accountable for our actions, and it was up to us to disobey an order that would make us violate our codes; especially when it came to murdering innocent people. After watching these two videos, it would seem that it is something much easier said than done in a war zone. I honestly don’t care if we were 100 percent justified to go to war in Iraq. We were not even close, but the damage we’ve done and the murderous monsters we’ve created are going to take generations to overcome.
These two videos show Iraq war veterans explaining the unofficial policy of sanctioned murder and how it created a very cold-hearted culture within the military. I love my country. I believe that our military, despite its flaws, have some of the most honorable in America serving in its ranks. However, we have to shine the light on this murderous subculture otherwise it will corrupt the military like a cancer and turn our military into something Americans may one day come to fear. Here are the videos.
