Rumblings in the Ranks 3

To keep abreast of the feelings of our troops, those on the ground in Iraq, I offer the following links.

In this article by Rupert Hamer in Basra, British soldiers express what all soldiers in Iraq know: there's no reason to be there. If there was one, that reason has disappeared into a fog of blood, impending civil war, and decaying ability of Iraqis to subsist. As one soldier puts it: "It's time to get home. There is no point in anyone else dying here. We are past the time that we are needed here in Basra. We have done enough."

In the second article, you can link to a web site with video clips of soldiers back from Iraq who express their dissatisfaction with the war, their participation in that war, and the growing discontent of their fellow soldiers still in Iraq. The videos can be very emotional. Soldiers describe experiences of killing citizens as well as soldiers. The devastating effect that these incidents will have on their lives cannot even begin to be imagined by us who sit in comfort and security.

According to the article:

"In one clip, Marine Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey (ret'd) describes the killing of more than twenty unarmed protesters in the first days after the initial assault on Iraq, and the subsequent killing of many more unarmed Iraqi's at a military check point. Jimmy Massey, previously a Parris Island Trainer and Recruiter for the US Marine Corp. describes how, when he told his commanding officer "Today's been a bad day sir, we've killed a lot of civilians," his commanding officer responded "No, today is a good day." Massey adds, "When he said that I realized I was in the wrong place. Maybe I wasn't cut out for the Marine Corp." "