I’ve been very disturbed by our treatment of the Iraqi POWs. I grew up in a time where there were lots of WWII vets in the community and the Viet Nam war was dragging on, and there were reminders about how terrible war can be. We had men who had lost limbs in Europe or the Pacific, and girls who were a little older than I was wore POW bracelets to support the soldiers who were captured in Viet Nam. I have always been very proud of anyone who served in the military. It’s not something I could have done, and I admired their courage and commitment.
I know that the events at the Iraqi prison were carried out by a few, but I am ashamed none-the-less. Those people have tainted all of us, I believe. I think they should be harshly dealt with. We’re Americans, and we have to be better than the others.
I’m not comforted by the interviews I saw on TV with other soldiers who seemed not to care that this happened. Being that we’re near Fort Bragg, where one of the soldiers involved (the woman in the pictures) is being detained, there’s been a lot of local coverage. Some of the Ft. Bragg soldiers who were interviewed said that they don’t see anything wrong with what happened!
A Korean War POW and a WWII POW were interviewed to get their thoughts on the matter. The Korean War vet was tortured himself. Both men were heartbroken that this would happen. Are Americans different now? More cruel? More violent?