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2009-07-19 Afghanistan

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Posted by Steve White 2009-07-19 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11135 views ] Top

#1 Has the Red Cross/Crescent/Thingy been able to talk to him yet? Has he been provided with his own religious materials? Has he been provided with a chaplain of his own faith? In other words, has he been treated as well as the prisoners at Gitmo have been?

Posted by Rambler in Virginia">Rambler in Virginia 2009-07-19 02:30|| 2009-07-19 02:30|| Front Page Top

#2 he calls extremely hard, his desire to learn more about Islam and the morale of American soldiers, which he said was low. Asked how he was doing, the soldier said on the video: "Well I'm scared, scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner."

Well then don't ~~leave your kit back on the FOB, lag behind on patrols~~....go AWOL and DEFECT to the enemy!

Posted by Besoeker 2009-07-19 06:18|| 2009-07-19 06:18|| Front Page Top

#3 I dunno about "defect" but ain't US soldiers trained to resist in any way possible when captured? His statements on tape sound kinda wishy-washy, as reported. And lagging behind on patrol? Isn't it a team leader's responsibility to keep his squad together? I think there's more to this story....

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2009-07-19 06:41|| 2009-07-19 06:41|| Front Page Top

#4 And lagging behind on patrol?

That's what the ~~Pakistanis~~ taliban told him to say. More likely the military's version is correct and he was enticed to walk off the base with 3 ~~spies~~ base workers.

Posted by ed 2009-07-19 07:37|| 2009-07-19 07:37|| Front Page Top

#5 Scooter,

Our guys are routinely trained - in a fairly basic way - about what to do in the event of a 'worst case scenario'. (My son just graduated from USAF Basic Training and he says they got a whole day of it but that it will probably be the last he sees unless he deploys) USAF/USN/Army pilots and aircrew tend to get much more detailed training in this area than the ground troops (google SERE for more info) because they're much more likely to be captured on any given day. I've known people who have gone through SERE and to a man and woman they all say that the experience was priceless - and that they'd turn in their wings rather than go through it again.

Having said all that, what this kid is doing isn't unreasonable so far. We're told to resist to our own limits but not everybody has the stones to do it like John McCain or Lance Sijan or George Day. As long as he's not actively making statements against the US and the Allies he'll get a clean bill of health when he gets home. We also don't know that the Talibunnies haven't slipped him something - they have no compunction about hopping up their own guys before sending them off to commune with Allan; I doubt they'd quail about tranking a prisoner.
Also, you're right - squad leaders are taught that the lives and safety of their troops are paramount, which is why I'm inclined to believe that this guy somehow got lured off post. A squad leader bad enough to let this happen wouldn't survive long in Afghanistan - either the bad guys would get him or his own troops would report it up the chain.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2009-07-19 10:54|| 2009-07-19 10:54|| Front Page Top

#6 More data please. It's hard to come to firm conclusions without it. It will probably take awhile for the Taliban to figure out how best to exploit this new bootie.

Posted by Richard of Oregon 2009-07-19 11:14|| 2009-07-19 11:14|| Front Page Top

#7 In SERE training they teach you to say whatever it takes to stay alive. People who think they should hold out and die before saying something bad about the US are fools and watch too much TV. What everyone needs to know he doing what he needs to in order to survive. We, the public, need to be screaming that he is being forced to say these things. We need to know and understand the situation he is in and it is not a movie, it is real life. We need to understand what happened and why. Then and only then should we judge him.

The true test of him will be when he is released. What he says when he has free will to speak will be the truth. Then we can judge him, right now he is scripted, told what to say and how to say it.

Posted by 49 Pan 2009-07-19 17:38|| 2009-07-19 17:38|| Front Page Top

#8 I hope I'm wrong, but sad to say, but I doubt he is ever coming home. There is likely a videocaamera and a knife waiting for him after he has served all the use these savages can get from him. We are fighting primitive savages, and they will not plan to end this well.

God protect him and save his soul. But there is a chance that his fellow soldiers will find him, and alive or dead, terrible retribution will come to those who hold him now...

Posted by NoMoreBS">NoMoreBS 2009-07-19 20:01|| 2009-07-19 20:01|| Front Page Top

#9 I wonder if the media will observe a conspiracy of silence to protect the soldier the same way that they did with their reporter.

Posted by gromky 2009-07-19 20:34|| 2009-07-19 20:34|| Front Page Top

#10 No, you don't, gromky.

You don't wonder at all.

You know the answer. >:-(

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2009-07-19 21:32|| 2009-07-19 21:32|| Front Page Top

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