Afghanistan: An Individual Soldiers' Perspective-Part 1

reply to post by projectvxn


Old ex-infantry here. The psychology of war and what happens to us has been studied since war began. War is hell and hopefully we learn these lessons and it helps us learn to be peaceful. The problem is the fanatics of this world don't care about our Geneva conventions and our rules, look at Syria. Taliban is no different, they are monsters who truly are immoral in the name of their God.

The things they do to their own people let alone their enemies can only be described as inhumane. In studying war you will find that there are times in every war where the stress and strain of battle breaks down the morals of some individuals. This is when atrocities happen. It was true in the times of the Romans and is still true today.

This breakdown is made worse by an enemy that follows no moral compass in the first place. The taliban is this type of enemy, they do unspeakable things to innocent women and children who are their own people. What we find is yes there are times when some individuals lose their moral compass and do things like celebrate the death of their enemy. But, overwhelming majority never do anything like this.

We can't judge all the infantry or marines based on the bad behavior a few soldiers, especially when faced with atrocities day in and day out. I feel sorry for the people there when we leave, especially the women and girls.

The Bot

reply to post by dlbott


Always good to hear from you ground guys on these issues.

I cross the wire often. But not on the ground.

I wish you well

What did bin laden have to do with 9/11?

You do know the mastermind of this terrible attack approached tim Osman with the idea for this strike and he wanted nothing to do with it

An Egyptian paper said he died at the start of the war,from his illness and was buried in an unmarked grave attended by Taliban

Think about it,he's been dead since 2001 and still videos come out and his AQ crew never mention his death or the fact an imposter is being used in videos

That tells me the command section of AQ has western intel services giving the orders and everyone else down the chain in this terrorist group doesn't know there being used by the powers they so stupidly think there fighting

Bin laden wanted no foreign troops in Saudi Arabia,as far as I'm aware the grunts are not there anymore in numbers like they used to be

But now we have Afganistan,Iraq,Libya and next Syria to be steam rolled by the Vastly superior American army


And Libya and Syria have AQ doing the fighting for us!

So Saudi Arabia are the only country that benefits from AQ,and the others listed above become training grounds for them and can move borders easily to the next jihad

After Syria,what are the odds that AQ and other terrorists funded by Saudi start to enter Iran?

Saudi with Western backing has played an amazing game,and pulled the wool over the eyes of nearly the whole world

reply to post by MrWendal

I have one simple question.....


If US troops were not in Afghanistan, would that IED have still gone off?

I don't know. I can't give you an answer to a hypothetical. All I can give you is the answer to what is.

With all due respect, nothing the OP listed for why they are the "bad guys" gives the US military any reason to be at War.

We didn't decide to go to war unilaterally. The president, the congress, and the American people approved of action in Afghanistan. We did exactly what the military is supposed to do.

If it did, why have we not invaded India where women are treated like pieces of meat and raped left and right? What about the Congo? No shortage of dead children there.

I'm not sure what relevance the comparison has to what I conveyed in my OP. Perhaps you are asking a legitimate question, but would there be a legitimate answer to it? If I said we should go and stop the slaughter of children in Africa would you stand behind me? Or would you condemn the action as simply war mongering?

No one questions if the military is doing some good things there, but that still does not justify being there.

We are doing a lot more good today than we were. I fear that for whatever damage is done, what good we do, whether it outweighs the bad or not, will never be enough. So I agree with you.

The Taliban did not attack us.

No, they just harbored the net work leaders who did. And please, I know this is simply an assumption, but spare me the inside job stuff. I simply don't buy it and never will.

They did not fly planes into a building on 9/11. The whole reason we went into Afghanistan to begin with was to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden and that mission is accomplished.

Agreed. And we should have called it quits then. I am not a fan of nation building.

I won't even get into the fact that the Taliban offered to give up Bin Laden but the US declined and opted to remain in combat instead.

The Taliban represented a secure haven. Giving up one guy and leaving the network intact there was not an option.

Want to know who I blame for that injured 6 year old? The US Government. Why? Simple. If troops were not there, that IED would not have been set up or ignited.

She is 6 MONTHS old. Her parents are dead. And as much disapproval as I have for the US government the insurgent that planted that IED and the insurgent who set it off are to blame. They hurt those people. THEY made the decision to hurt civilians to get to us. There is no justification for that at all.

Even the OP him/herself suspected that it was done to suck troops into the area. If those troops are gone, there is no explosion and no injured 6 year old girl with her leg blown off.

It's speculation on my part and not fact. I am not an expert on IEDs. I only know the effects they have on 6 MONTH OLD BABIES.

reply to post by projectvxn


Don't sweat it projectvxn

You saved a life ............................... be proud

Let the keyboard heroes wish they had that honour; and try to justify not making a difference

Just saying

Cody

reply to post by cody599


I am proud.

But I still feel it necessary to be as honest and concise as a can be with those who are on the outside looking in...Or more aptly stated, on the inside looking out.

I don't expect people to agree with me, to praise me, or to even like me. But I do expect them to consider my perspective as a man who is currently operating there.

I'm not sure ATS has ever had anyone in theatre posting. At least I've never heard of it. I believe ATS could benefit from my perspective and my experiences while I am here. That DOES NOT MEAN they have to accept the circumstances of how I and and ISAF/NATO came to be here. Nor do I expect them to.

I fully expect to be questioned by the membership here. I fully expect to have to explain what I do have answers to and can talk about.

Been here since 2001 or so on another name I lost password and email addy for, and your not the 1st poster to post in theatre and won't be the last

Don't think I have seen any posts from the fighters opposing the west, and I'm not sure If ATS would be able to allow them free speech

Would be interested to see the other side to your picture

Lol still linking Afganistan with bin laden,don't you read papers? Are all service personal the same as you? I guess Henry Kissenger was right,no wonder your country is in perpetual combat missions

reply to post by projectvxn


My father served in Vietnam. He never talked about it much, and I never pushed the subject either, as I could tell it was a terrible painful experience for him. It wasn't until my late teens that he related a few of his experiences to me, ones that I won't mention specifically here out of respect for him and my memory of him. I will go as far as saying that they were horrifying and tragic in ways most of us will NEVER understand.

I can't say that I understand what you're going through, because I'm not there, and I will forever be convinced that the experience changed my father in immeasurable ways, whether they be good or bad, and yet I can never fully understand something I didn't experience myself. Also, I want to say that I respect you and am grateful for you, even though I don't know you. You have chosen a path that most of us would never willingly travel and for that you deserve nothing but respect, and in my opinion admiration.

Stay safe.

Originally posted by projectvxn

The "Freedom fighters" are anything but. I don't expect anyone to agree with the war. Hell there's hardly any support for the war to continue among troops themselves. No one wants to be in this crap hole country.

But at the end of the day the people we are fighting are NOT the good guys. They are NOT freedom fighters. They are murderers and terrorists and f'ing child killing monsters. They are tyrants who brutally subjugate women-denying them jobs, education, and any sense of self worth.

The post quoted above admonishes the notion of a soldier killing this enemy. The Taliban.
I admonish the sentiment of the post entirely. I do not hold reservation for them. I have no respect for them as a fighting force. They are without honor. Killing them would not disturb my sleep in the slightest.

There you have it. My perspective as I understand it.

Let's put it another way shall we?

The "coalition fighters" are anything but. They are monsters -- fighting out of ignorance, to get job training, escape a sh*thole domestic situation or psychopaths. People with two functioning braincells will not agree with the war. Any thinking individual would immediately understand that they are committing atrocities and massive war crimes by being part of this action. No coalition troops wants to be in those third world countries and the locals g*d-damn sure don't want you there.

But at the end of the day we are NOT the good guys. We are NOT freedom fighters. We are murderers and terrorists and f'ing child killing monsters. We are tyrants who brutally subjugate entire countries, steal their resources and install Vichy "governments". We destroy entire generations.

The post quoted above admonishes the notion of a soldier killing this enemy. But this is not really an enemy. This is merely the latest bogeyman brought to us by uncle sam, wall street and the military-industrial complex. Most of the thinking world does not hold positive view of us or have respect for us. In fact, our government is without honor, therefore our troops are without honor. Seeing you fall in combat would not disturb my sleep in the slightest.

The only troops worth saving are those with the intellect to see thru the lies, those that realize they have been had and make a public stand to get the facts out.

reply to post by juspassinthru

The "coalition fighters" are anything but. They are monsters -- fighting out of ignorance, to get job training, escape a sh*thole domestic situation or psychopaths.

Wow. That is one hell of a generalization. I'm impressed. You must be watching youtube videos and know all about the military now.

People with two functioning braincells will not agree with the war. Any thinking individual would immediately understand that they are committing atrocities and massive war crimes by being part of this action.

Massive war crimes? Nope, sorry don't recall committing those.

No coalition troops wants to be in those third world countries and the locals g*d-damn sure don't want you there.

We want to do our jobs. But if they cut my deployment short I wouldn't cry over it.

But at the end of the day we are NOT the good guys. We are NOT freedom fighters. We are murderers and terrorists and f'ing child killing monsters.

On this I will simply have to disagree. I do believe we have more than overstayed here. But the reality on the ground here does not reflect what you are describing.

We are tyrants who brutally subjugate entire countries, steal their resources and install Vichy "governments". We destroy entire generations.

In Iraq all the oil contracts went to Chinese, Indian, and European companies. Didn't really get much out of the resource pot. And we're certainly not getting much out of the Afghan pot.

The post quoted above admonishes the notion of a soldier killing this enemy. But this is not really an enemy. This is merely the latest bogeyman brought to us by uncle sam, wall street and the military-industrial complex.

You have no idea what you're talking about. I would invite you to go on patrol down here with any of the 30 or so countries with troops on the ground and tell me that the Taliban is not an enemy.

Most of the thinking world does not hold positive view of us or have respect for us. In fact, our government is without honor, therefore our troops are without honor. Seeing you fall in combat would not disturb my sleep in the slightest.

Troops don't write policy. We are duty and legally bound to obey it. If you want the military to revolt then what you are asking for is chaos and military dictatorship because to you that would be preferable than to actually get up off your ass and do something.

The only troops worth saving are those with the intellect to see thru the lies, those that realize they have been had and make a public stand to get the facts out.

The mission in Afghanistan is complex and difficult. I am getting the facts out in the only way I know how. I am telling the truth as I see it from my vantage point. I will not be a Manning or Snowden, if that's what you're implying I do. I will give only information that describes what I see with my own two eyes. I will not include locations, names, pictures, or video as it would violate operational security and may get my fellow soldiers killed. Which is something you admittedly want to happen.

You can't have it both ways man. You either want me dead, or you want me alive to do all the heavy lifting for you. Which is it?

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


I agree with your post. The human element does not exist, nor does life have value to these terrorists. You will find bleeding hearts who believe we should not use drones et.al. on these "poor misguided souls". The truth is they have no souls, they are animals. I find it amusing that people actually believe the Islamics actually value the tenants of their religion, when in fact, if they were not killing Infidels they would be killing each other, and if not each other they would be preying upon their own households.

I think that we can define Islam for what it is . . . a political organization . . . not a religion.

As for those who are serving in the Middle East in US Forces, I can only say on thing . . . you "volunteered" and assumed the risks when you signed on. During the Vietnam War few of us had that option because a draft existed, and only the rich cowards in this country could afford to flee to Canada, or hide out in a University on a deferment.

I will not thank anyone for their service, when that service is undertaken as a volunteer and when one knowingly assumes the risk of injury or death. Like I have said . . . we no longer have an army of citizens but a paid army which exists to protect our government and its owners vested interests.

I really enjoy the platitude "thank you for your service". Give me a break! Everyone in the armed forces have asked to be where they are, have assumed the risk that goes with electing to engage in undeclared wars on countries that are no threat to this country. I think we should rename this group as Blackwater II. Adios Amigos. John

S & F OP.

Bless You and come home safe.

I was never deployed but all my years were spent in the hospital caring for those of us soldiers injured in conflict. Combat medic/lpn, cpl.

I am anti-war in my stance to Syria, but if congress approves and we go in anyways - you always have my unending support. I may be liberal, but I'm not an anarchist. I think we need government - realists willing to make the hard, scary life decisions. If they decide something must be done, then I support the decisions of those we voted to make those hard choices. After all, most countries test their weaponry on an easy target before taking the leap to gassing evil Zionist Israel and they have an axe to grind with Turkey too. I can understand the alarm.

This thread actually had me looking into the history of Arab culture and conflict. I've enough contempt for the barbarism displayed and embraced by this cultures young men - to conflict me morally with conundrums for the rest of my life. There are still factions within the middle east that embrace slavery! They have and continue fights internally with neighboring cultures since time immemorable...

It's an entirely different culture. The western world should withdraw, isolate the entire middle east and let them at it, as they have been at it, for all of recorded history. It's such a mess over there. Just get home safe!

Cirque

P.S. The middle east is like a hot potato, time to stop trying to hold onto it and throw it back into their own hands. Give it to the Saudi's, I think it was grown in their backyard!

Because you are a soldier on a deployment. You are not a journalist, and you shouldn't be sharing your personal feelings and war stories on a public forum as long as you are over there.

He's a human being. He's one of my countrymen. He has every right to share his personal feelings and war stories on a public forum and I'm glad he did. He is not sharing military secrets. Last time I checked, soldiers were people too.

Everyone has the right to their perspective. Lots of soldiers agree with him and disagree with him, but even the soldiers I know who utterly hate the war, who are totally cynical about the government, and who just want to freaking go home already, have the same opinion about the Taliban.

It's one thing to just have opposite sides who each consider the other bad guys. It's another to have a loose assortment of sociopaths who will slaughter their own people as readily as the alleged enemy. Many are not soldiers with a cause as much as sociopaths with bombs. Calling them freedom fighters is grimly ridiculous: they are not fighting for freedom, they are just using the freedom of the situation as an excuse for fighting.