The Angst of Compassion
In a theatre of war when two opposing sides face off against one another, the atmosphere is always that of existential tension; kill or be killed. But the uniformed antagonists of opposing militaries are expected, by humanity's conventions of compassion, as well as those structured by internationally-agreed-upon laws, to view ordinary citizens of the country as innocent to the matter at hand. They are not combatants.Yet among any communities no matter where they derive from, there is always an element of sociopaths who care little about others because that vital human emotion of compassion, along with that of conscience, eludes their psychic make-up. They fight alongside those whose anguished conscience assaults them continually, comparing the precepts of living alongside one's neighbour in peace and goodwill to the situation which has brought them to battle at their country's behest.
The group experiencing no conscience disconnect, fitting comfortably into the role of combatant, never giving a thought to the fact that they're facing off against other human beings, aren't conflicted, only consumed with the need to ensure their personal survival against any odds. It is they who follow orders without thought to possible consequences. It is that group invariably who will take it upon themselves to interpret orders to suit themselves.
In the United States, The Nation magazine has just published the results of interviews with American soldiers who have served in Iraq. The revelations, if not startling, are certainly discomfiting. Certainly there is no nobility in prosecuting a war; war's prosecution represents a massive failure of humankind's ability to resolve disputes. The consequences of which are a grave assault on our humanity.
Some fifty combat veterans gave eyewitness accounts putting their experiences and perceptions, their behaviours and thought-processes into context and vaulting the issue of troops established in large urban populations into full view. "I guess while I was there, the general attitude was, "A dead Iraqi is just another dead Iraqi", according to one U.S. Army specialist after a one-year tour of duty.
"The soldiers honestly thought...'We're trying to help you, and you just turn around and try to kill us.'" They're in a situation they are unprepared for, one they do not think deeply about. The lack of empathy leads to lack of understanding. Most Americans can relate to New Hampshire's "live free or die" motor license plate ethos. Yet they think of themselves as liberators, not foreign invaders in a land not their own.
"There was a little boy...about 10...with three donkeys," relates Sgt. Kelly Dougherty, recalling investigating an incident where a U.S. supply delivery convoy, instructed to advance as swiftly as possible, left carnage in its wake, an occasional consequence of haste relating to fears of imminent insurgent attacks, or IED detonations.
"A military convoy...killed them all...judging by the skid marks, they hardly even slowed down. But...your order is that you never stop." Armed servicemen occasionally accidentally and also deliberately kill unarmed civilians, covering up their acts by representing the innocents as terrorists. Not hesitating to drop 'extra' arms on the defenceless civilians as proof.
And then there are the instances when U.S. militia recognize their position in the theatre, among unarmed and often terrified civilians who see these invaders as direct threats to their very existence, based on previous events made well known to all. Specialist Philip Chrystal relating how the squadron leader, on the spur of the moment, passing a family with three small children, shooting the family pet in front of the horrified parents.
Another, restoring one's faith in human compassion, recalls a 'blood-curdling' scream that ensued from his pointing his flashlight mounted on his M-4 carbine rifle at an elderly Iraqi during a night raid. "I just remember thinking to myself, 'I just brought terror to someone else under the American flag'. That's just not what I joined the army to do."
Labels: Conflict, Human Fallibility, Realities
posted by Pieface @ Friday, July 13, 2007
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