"Support our troops" is an American mantra. It is a phrase plastered on our SUVs and stamped on our front yards. To a politician, these three words are hallowed ground. The U.S. military defends our freedoms, protects our borders and makes sacrifices for our country: These phrases form the current U.S. military narrative.
Although these truths are undeniable, they have also sometimes led to the imposition of narrow limitations on dialogue concerning the military.
This past month, five U.S. soldiers were accused of the murder of three, unarmed Afghan civilians. The five accused — Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, Cpl. Jeremy Morlock, Pfc. Andrew Holmes, Spc. Michael Wagnon and Spc. Adam Winfield — were part of the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Stryker Brigade stationed in the Kandahar province. The killings were reported to have taken place between January and May of this year.
The first of these attacks occurred on Jan. 15. As an Afghan civilian approached the alleged killers, a soldier threw one of his own grenades in order to simulate an attack and the group opened fire. Morlock also admitted to a military investigator that the soldiers were under the influence of hashish.
The news is troubling for many reasons. On a very basic level, it shows a stark and blatant disregard for human life. This case in particular demonstrates a severe lack of leadership from commanding officers. It also taints the image of a group that is supposed to be winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. In this sense, it represents a significant departure from official military strategy – Gen. David Petraeus's counterinsurgency strategy relies on winning popular support for the U.S. military in order to combat the Taliban's influence in the region. In losing the lives of three innocents, we also risk losing a much larger battle.
Killing for sport. In the wake of Abu Ghraib, the Pat Tillman cover-up and the closing of controversial Guantanamo Bay detention camp, it is surprising how little media coverage this story is receiving. The growing list of U.S. military errors and abuses is alarming because it makes us question the standards of one of our most trusted institutions. Perhaps its most damaging consequence is that it shatters our collective faith in the men and women that defend our country. While the vast majority of servicemen and women carry out their orders with an incredible quality of character, we must dispel the myth that each and every one is a paragon of virtue and beyond reproach.
It is time we look at our military in a different light. They are individuals who wield great power and who carry the reputation of the United States abroad in their hands. In this light, the actions of these five soldiers should be more than just a second-page news story. The tragedy should be on the front page of each of our minds — supporting the troops should not mean whitewashing their failures but holding them to the high standards the military professes.
