I estimate that I've probably killed close to 50 human beings during my time there. At first I kept count, but after a while I lost the desire to know just how many lives I had taken."
Q & A after the jump.
(note: this was posted on 9/15, before the verification system existed for posters. seems legit, but grain of salt recommended)
How have things changed on the ground since Obama took over?
I'm going to start with this question since it has the most votes.
Obama is slowly cutting back on the raids and replacing them with special programs that will attempt to get poppy farmers to grow different crops. However, I can't really say if this new approach will work. In most parts of the country the Taliban has a strong hold. That and the fact that poppy crops make a ton of money.
Other than that change, nothing really seemed much different. Actually, that's not true. The increase in troops is probably the main reason I'm home right now.
Obama is slowly cutting back on the raids and replacing them with special programs that will attempt to get poppy farmers to grow different crops. However, I can't really say if this new approach will work. In most parts of the country the Taliban has a strong hold. That and the fact that poppy crops make a ton of money.
Other than that change, nothing really seemed much different. Actually, that's not true. The increase in troops is probably the main reason I'm home right now.
Funniest story?
I was once in the middle of a firefight and had to shit so bad I thought I was going to die from that long before a bullet could ever take me out. So I slowly crawl my way over to a large boulder and attempt to take an emergency dump. It was the best/worst shit of my life.
Anyway, a few minutes later we actually find ourselves pretty outnumbered and we're starting to fall back. Well all at once the enemy goes all out and starts hitting us with everything they've got. One of my best friends is sitting there beside me and before I know it he's running towards the big rock to take cover... before I have a chance to say anything I hear him scream.
"Fuck man, are you hit!," I scream at him. He looks up at me with a disgusted look and says, "I just landed in your shit man. Seriously, I didn't sign up for this. Fuck you."
So after about 30 more minutes the enemy stops and we back off some more. I finally get close to my friend and his entire upper body is completely covered in my shit. From that day on he always asked me if my previous location was "safe".
Should heroin be illegal?
No. Prohibition causes more problems than it solves. If heroin were legal, we probably wouldn't even be in Afghanistan right now.
Anyway, a few minutes later we actually find ourselves pretty outnumbered and we're starting to fall back. Well all at once the enemy goes all out and starts hitting us with everything they've got. One of my best friends is sitting there beside me and before I know it he's running towards the big rock to take cover... before I have a chance to say anything I hear him scream.
"Fuck man, are you hit!," I scream at him. He looks up at me with a disgusted look and says, "I just landed in your shit man. Seriously, I didn't sign up for this. Fuck you."
So after about 30 more minutes the enemy stops and we back off some more. I finally get close to my friend and his entire upper body is completely covered in my shit. From that day on he always asked me if my previous location was "safe".
Should heroin be illegal?
No. Prohibition causes more problems than it solves. If heroin were legal, we probably wouldn't even be in Afghanistan right now.
Hey there, I enlisted last month into the Marine Corps and expect to go to boot in late October. Any advice you wish you had been given that you'd like to pass on?
This is going to sound lame, but set up a Facebook account if you don't already have one. It's a great way to keep in touch with all of your friends and family. Also make sure you have everyone's phone number.
What else? Eat some good food before you go. Hell, it doesn't even have to be good food. You don't know how many times I sat around craving Taco Bell or nice steak.
Have lots of sex, but don't knock anyone up before you leave. I did and it sucked (because I couldn't watch my daughter grow up for the first two years of her life).
You're going to think Parris Island is hell, but listen to your instructor. If you end up in Afghanistan you'll be dreaming of the laid back days of the Island.
What does it feel like to take another human life? Is it what you thought it would be like? Do you feel any remorse for the lives you took? Did you take any civilian lives?
What else? Eat some good food before you go. Hell, it doesn't even have to be good food. You don't know how many times I sat around craving Taco Bell or nice steak.
Have lots of sex, but don't knock anyone up before you leave. I did and it sucked (because I couldn't watch my daughter grow up for the first two years of her life).
You're going to think Parris Island is hell, but listen to your instructor. If you end up in Afghanistan you'll be dreaming of the laid back days of the Island.
What does it feel like to take another human life? Is it what you thought it would be like? Do you feel any remorse for the lives you took? Did you take any civilian lives?
For me there's two feelings I have. The first has to do with shooting someone during combat at long range. Right at the point where you can't make out their face, which happens to be the majority of my kills. These types of kills don't really affect me at all. I liken them to target practice, as terrible as that sounds.
The second are close range kills. Those where you can see the face of the enemy as they die. There's really nothing on earth that can describe the feeling of watching someone bleed out in front of you, and it was totally your doing. Some of these are haunting, yes. Do I feel remorse for them? Sometimes, because they were probably simple farmers protecting their land. But at the same time, they were trying to kill me.
The second are close range kills. Those where you can see the face of the enemy as they die. There's really nothing on earth that can describe the feeling of watching someone bleed out in front of you, and it was totally your doing. Some of these are haunting, yes. Do I feel remorse for them? Sometimes, because they were probably simple farmers protecting their land. But at the same time, they were trying to kill me.
Did you vote for McCain or Obama and why?
Ron Paul opposes most troop deployment overseas. Do you?
Yes I do. However, when the commander-in-chief tells you to go, you go.
Do you think killing so many people overseas has lowered your minimum criteria for killing humans in the USA and in general? What I mean by that is; if someone threatened your life with a knife or gun do you think you would be more likely (not to confuse with more physically able) than nonmilitary people to kill your assailant?
I skipped some of the above questions to answer this one before I go to bed, because I get asked this by my friends a lot.
Do I think killing people during military combat would make it easier for me to kill other people, specifically U.S. citizens?
Yes.
I'm being honest here. Once you kill another human being, something changes in you. You've crossed a line that you can never go back on. To me, it doesn't matter why or how I killed "the enemy", they were still humans just like me.
In war, it's assumed that you'll probably have to kill someone. It's accepted and even glorified. The more kills you have, the better soldier you are.
In the real world, killing another person isn't something that makes you more popular (most of the time). For example, if I were to attempt to burn down a farmers marijuana field in the United States and he tried to fight me off with gunfire, resulting in me killing him, there would be outrage.
Am I a killer? Yes. Does killing once make it easier to kill again? Yes. Does the fact that I've killed more people than most serial killers keep me up at night? Sometimes. Did I know what I was getting into when I joined the Marine Corp? Absolutely.
Well sir, Semper Fi. I'm an 0311 currently in the MECEP. Did OCS last summer, been in seven years. Hope you aren't too messed up from all of that crap, it sucks and seeing people die, regardless of their race of cause of death is never fun. I hope you don't suffer too much from PTSD or any of that, and that you have a good friend to talk it all out with over some beers. Take care. S/F
Do I think killing people during military combat would make it easier for me to kill other people, specifically U.S. citizens?
Yes.
I'm being honest here. Once you kill another human being, something changes in you. You've crossed a line that you can never go back on. To me, it doesn't matter why or how I killed "the enemy", they were still humans just like me.
In war, it's assumed that you'll probably have to kill someone. It's accepted and even glorified. The more kills you have, the better soldier you are.
In the real world, killing another person isn't something that makes you more popular (most of the time). For example, if I were to attempt to burn down a farmers marijuana field in the United States and he tried to fight me off with gunfire, resulting in me killing him, there would be outrage.
Am I a killer? Yes. Does killing once make it easier to kill again? Yes. Does the fact that I've killed more people than most serial killers keep me up at night? Sometimes. Did I know what I was getting into when I joined the Marine Corp? Absolutely.
Well sir, Semper Fi. I'm an 0311 currently in the MECEP. Did OCS last summer, been in seven years. Hope you aren't too messed up from all of that crap, it sucks and seeing people die, regardless of their race of cause of death is never fun. I hope you don't suffer too much from PTSD or any of that, and that you have a good friend to talk it all out with over some beers. Take care. S/F
Thanks man, it's good to be back and I don't think I have much in terms of PTSD, but we'll see. Semper Fi.
Were all of them in combat and attacking you, or does this include collateral civilian deaths? How about friendly fire? Do you / would you feel different about killing those who are trying to kill you vs. the unintended deaths? Do you think Afghanistan would be better off if we sent an army of doctors, engineers, and teachers, instead of more men with guns?
Were all of them in combat and attacking you, or does this include collateral civilian deaths? How about friendly fire? Do you / would you feel different about killing those who are trying to kill you vs. the unintended deaths? Do you think Afghanistan would be better off if we sent an army of doctors, engineers, and teachers, instead of more men with guns?
I have friends who were killed by friendly fire, but (God I hope), I was never the cause. Nearly everyone I have killed has been someone who was trying to kill me during combat. I say nearly, because I do believe I may be responsible for a few civilian deaths, though it was never confirmed. We did a lot of raids and a lot of times shit got crazy really fast. The poppy farmers had a habit of keeping their family in the same place as their drugs, which sometimes lead to civilian deaths.
And would we be better off if we sent an army of doctors, engineers, etc? No. The main problem is the poppy farms. We were doing what needed to be done. However, Obama has recently changes tactics. He's setting up programs to persuade farmers to grow other crops, which we should have been doing all along. As opposed to going in and burning them.
Original thread: Link
And would we be better off if we sent an army of doctors, engineers, etc? No. The main problem is the poppy farms. We were doing what needed to be done. However, Obama has recently changes tactics. He's setting up programs to persuade farmers to grow other crops, which we should have been doing all along. As opposed to going in and burning them.
Do you believe in what you are doing there? That it will result in some kind of good down the line?
Do you think of the families of those whom you killed?
Do you think of the families of those whom you killed?
Do I believe in what we are doing? Well, I believe in what I was doing personally, which was to break up the opium poppy cultivation trade. It directly funds the Taliban, so destroying their funding helps everyone.
Do I think of the families of those whom I've killed? Everyday.
Do I think of the families of those whom I've killed? Everyday.
Original thread: Link
thats effing intense
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
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