Editorials & Other Articles

bemildred

(90,061 posts) Mon Jun 8, 2015, 07:50 AM Jun 2015

US soldier who murdered 16 Afghan villagers says he was 'consumed by war'

The US soldier who murdered 16 Afghan villagers in 2012 says he lost compassion for Iraqis and Afghans and became "callous to them even being human" over the course of his four combat deployments.

The News Tribune newspaper of Tacoma used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain an eight-page letter former Staff Sgt. Robert Bales wrote to the senior Army officer at Joint Base Lewis-McChord requesting that his life sentence be reduced.

"My mind was consumed by war," Bales wrote late last year.

"I planted war and hate for the better part of 10 years and harvested violence," he added. "After being in prison two years, I understand that what I thought was normal was the farthest thing from being normal."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11658899/US-soldier-who-murdered-16-Afghan-villagers-says-he-was-consumed-by-war.html

5 replies

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US soldier who murdered 16 Afghan villagers says he was 'consumed by war' (Original Post) bemildred Jun 2015 OP

Should we be surprised? Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2015 #1

Nothing new about berserker rage, eh Erich? bemildred Jun 2015 #2

I agree, bemildred. nt brer cat Jun 2015 #3

And a lot of these conditioned soldiers come home and become "law enforcement". marble falls Jun 2015 #4

This is why the phil89 Jun 2015 #5

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)

1. Should we be surprised?

Reply to bemildred (Original post)

Mon Jun 8, 2015, 07:56 AM

Jun 2015

We spend years turning people into killers, we plop them down into strange places where they can't speak to the people around them, don't trust anyone, are rewarded for killing people, and then act surprised when they start killing people they weren't explicitly told to kill?

Bales is an expected 'by-product' of the perpetual war industry.

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

2. Nothing new about berserker rage, eh Erich?

Reply to Erich Bloodaxe BSN (Reply #1)

Mon Jun 8, 2015, 08:10 AM

Jun 2015

But yeah, he is what they want, he just got a little out of control. I will probably get criticized for saying so because of what he did, but I can sympathize with Bales, he is just a dumb obedient brainwashed guy who got used and then scapegoated. It is a mistake to blame him and not blame the system that created him even more.

brer cat

(24,574 posts)

3. I agree, bemildred. nt

Reply to bemildred (Reply #2)

Mon Jun 8, 2015, 08:46 AM

Jun 2015

marble falls

(57,099 posts)

4. And a lot of these conditioned soldiers come home and become "law enforcement".

Reply to bemildred (Original post)

Mon Jun 8, 2015, 09:53 AM

Jun 2015

phil89

(1,043 posts)

5. This is why the

Reply to bemildred (Original post)

Mon Jun 8, 2015, 12:05 PM

Jun 2015

military worship needs to stop. All the weepy eyed nonsense about them being heroes is not helping the situation. People should be judged individually imo.

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