Crazy Things My Father Believes To Be True

[Funkula]

When I was younger I read a book about Viet Nam. I don't recall the author. But the book was a series of vignettes of kids (male and female) going to war. It started when they arrived at camp (AFAIR) and ended when they got out or died.

One thing that I noticed was that the majority of them were ready to get along with each other. Sure there were outliers. There were psychos who were there to kill people legally. But there were a large group who kept saying essentially, "I don't hate the people that I'm killing. I just want to stay alive long enough to go back to The World."

Just anecdata.

A point to consider: Vietnam was the last time that the US had a draft. All kinds of people ended up in the military, regardless of personal inclination. We've been all-volunteer ever since.

[Telefrog]

Anecdotal, but it's what I have:

I knew a handful of guys in the Army I would've considered unreasonable racist assholes. Most were detected and discharged in basic and AIT training for inability to take orders or just being complete numbskulls. A few made it past that point and somehow existed in the normal troop force. They took their aggressive tendancies out on everything so it was usually just a matter of time for them to screw up at a bar or strip club, drunk driving, or blow a piss test and get discharged. One guy hit an officer, which contrary to what you see in movies, does not result in applause.

The few that I encountered that were higher in rank than E4 and below were one of two varieties. You had reformed racists - guys that due to upbringing and environment were taught that minorities were the root of all evil that learned over time that perhaps their parents' worldview was a bit limited. They still had some ignorant ideas, but they were more open to learning than they used to be. The other guys were just fuckers. Nothing could really be done about them until they screwed up.

[ReptileHouse]

That sounds pretty similar to the general population, honestly, minus the formal structural bits.

[Zak Gordon]

Yeah, but atleast in the uk we don't go around rounding up BNP supporters for the army, give them guns, train them to use them and send them off to carry out their particular brand of ethnic cleansing, no rules of engagement enforced etc. Well it wasn't that bad when i mixed with them, it might have changed?

I get the feeling that what the article is actually about is pretty much what has been the default response since all that abu-gahrib stuff. In that the higher ups shrug their shoulders and say they didn't know about anything, didn't sanction it and dissaprove of the actions of a tiny minority etc. It's quite convenient to blame red neck racsists with low IQ's for brutal murders, completely avoiding the fact they had been allowed to get into positions to behave in the way they do, and someone up above would have had the brains to know this was going to happen (and most likely wanted it to happen). Someone needed to make all those Iraqis pay for 9/11.....

But yean, god darned nazi's infiltrating our good army, we'll stop this as soon as we can etc. right.

[Scuzz]

Yeah, but atleast in the uk we don't go around rounding up BNP supporters for the army, give them guns, train them to use them and send them off to carry out their particular brand of ethnic cleansing, no rules of engagement enforced etc. Well it wasn't that bad when i mixed with them, it might have changed?

I get the feeling that what the article is actually about is pretty much what has been the default response since all that abu-gahrib stuff. In that the higher ups shrug their shoulders and say they didn't know about anything, didn't sanction it and dissaprove of the actions of a tiny minority etc. It's quite convenient to blame red neck racsists with low IQ's for brutal murders, completely avoiding the fact they had been allowed to get into positions to behave in the way they do, and someone up above would have had the brains to know this was going to happen (and most likely wanted it to happen). Someone needed to make all those Iraqis pay for 9/11.....

But yean, god darned nazi's infiltrating our good army, we'll stop this as soon as we can etc. right.

The US Army has been all volunteer for along time and there are cases of troops being prosecuted.

[Teiman]

The US Army has been all volunteer for along time and there are cases of troops being prosecuted.

Or sometimes pression the local authorities to abandon prosecution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsesIgU_w3I&NR=1

[Zak Gordon]

And the book that the gaurdian article was about is saying that the us army knew they were enlisting neo-nazis (and you bet they knew the outcome, which was part of the point), when normaly they keep them out (knowing how bat shit insane and unbalanced/uncontrolable they can be).

No this sounds very much like the rest of the 'nasty' stuff that took place all around the war on terror, just another chapter in the murky history of it all. Which sucks if you were one of the hundreds of thousands of innocent people killed because of all that. And for sure there are going to be lots of very vengeful people in the world for generations to come, glad i'm not an american that likes/needs to travel!

[unbongwah]

Since this seems relevant, from noted yellow journalism site NPR four years ago: Army Documents Show Lower Recruiting Standards

Or LMGTFY.

[RichVR]

::chew:: Well, there's yer problem. ::spit::