Ex-soldier prompts probe with stories, pictures from Iraq

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sun, Jun. 12, 2005

Ex-soldier prompts probe with stories, pictures from Iraq

SETH HETTENA
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO - Since he left the Army in January as a conscientious objector, Aidan Delgado has traveled the country giving audiences a disturbing account of routine brutality he claims he saw during his year in Iraq.

His grisly roadshow has triggered two military investigations.

The Sarasota, Fla., man said he saw an Army master sergeant lash Iraqi children with a Humvee antenna. He recalled seeing a Marine send another child flying with a boot to the chest, and men in his unit pelted Iraqi civilians in Nasiriyah with glass soda bottles thrown from a military vehicle.

Wearing a black T-shirt with the word "Peace" in English, Hebrew and Arabic, the former Army specialist punctuated a recent talk to about 50 people with slides of gruesome war images that few civilians see.
(snip/...)

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/11878738.htm

[graywarrior]

1. I met this guy just before he started doing this

He's the real thing.

[warrens]

11. It's all falling apart on them

See the screeching attack from the White House that "we did so have a fucking plan!" The question I would ask the pricks is, why didn't you use it, asshole?

[Hapameli]

12. I saw Aidan recently too. How horrible that they're trying to smear him!!

He is so great, good-looking, honest and moral. If he got on the national news with his claims, he's the kind of posterboy that would give the Neocons nightmares.

I was telling my brother's friend about him yesterday, this was girl who voted for Bush and used to blame Clinton for everything and has now "understood the reality of what's going on". She really made my week because she was one of the last people I thought would turn against Bush.

[Hapameli]

14. VIDEO of Aidan Delgado presenting the photos.. MUST SEE!!!

Especially part two. His story and pictures had me in tears (this was from Memorial Day weekend 2005, not 2004 like it says in the intro)

http://gregoire.gnn.tv/blogs/6683/War_Makes_Beasts_of_Men_Aidan_Delgado_Video?r=1

On the classic phenomenon of dehumanizing the enemy via language. Haji:

"In English, or in army usage it has the exact same meaning or connotation as 'gook' or 'charlie' or 'nigger.' it's very very prevalent in the military. only on a handful of occasions did i every hear iraqis referred to as iraqis. The rest of the time it was haji this and haji that...and all of this contributed to an atmosphere that brutalizes civilians and ultimately brutalized the prisoners that we had under our thumb at Abu Ghraib."

On Abu Ghraib:

"when i arrived there i kind've had the opinion that most guys did; you know, that these are the most dangerous people in Iraq, the most deadly criminals...they deserve all this harsh treatment they're receiving. That's what i thought when i got there. but serving at Abu Ghraib i got a chance to find out differently."

As a result of the duty he'd been put on as punishment for filing for Conscientious Objector status he was privy to prisoner paperwork even guards hadn't seen:

"What i found was absolutely stunning. I found that the majority of prisoners at Abu Ghraib hadn't committed any crimes against the coalition -- they hadn't committed violent crimes. They were at Abu Ghraib for petty theft, public drunkenness, forged coalition documents, impersonating a coalition officer, petty nonviolent offenses and they were inside Abu Ghraib with real murderers, real rapists, real insurgents. In addition, a large percentage of those at Abu Ghraib hadn't committed any offense at all. The military had a policy of random sweeps..."

Text from http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/2005/06/003950.html

[Jade Fox]

2. As more and more soldiers return from Iraq....

it will be harder and harder to hide what has gone on there, especially
since the mantra of 'Support the Troops' has created an atmosphere
that will not allow reports from soldiers to be easily discredited.

This administration is so good at tossing out grenades that turn into
boomerangs. Gotta love 'em!

[malmapus]

3. Sad thing is none of this is new

I can say I've seen / heard of things quite similar in my deployments (espicially if they were extended ones and tensions were rising..the marine kicking an Iraqi brought back to me seeing a Marine kicking a Somali kid pretty hard to send him flying).

Even had a guy in my unit open a duece n half door on a Haitian on a bike while the convoy was going down the road.

Sad thing is I could really go on with other instances

Iunno, maybe I shoulda spoke up when I had the chance instead of just keeping quiet. But at the time, I needed those guys to help keep me alive (the whole buddy system in play) so I kept quiet and now carry all this inside.

[MeDeMax]

6. wage a different war

if I may take the liberty of saying so...

I am 37 years old and have never been in the services, I honestly couldn't say what stupid mistakes I might make if I experience frequent brushes with death.

In my opinion, you shouldn't be hard on yourself for what you could, or should, have done in the past when you yourself were in the thick of the situation.

Instead, wage a war against those putting soldiers in these situations. You have the decorations to elicit the attention of others in the forces, raise the awareness that families can support the soldiers without supporting the war.

Thank you for posting your experiences.

[Bigmack]

7. I doesn't go away...

I know this isn't the "shrink" forum, but I gotta tell you those images - and the guilt that goes with them - don't go away.... even with time.

Use whatever mental device you need to use in order to put that shit to rest as much as possible. Talk with some other vets about it. Whatever. Damn stuff just grows and grows if you don't figure a way to deal with it.

[malmapus]

8. no kidding!!

lol liked that about "shrink" forum.

Yeah, I really gotta find myself a vet group, actually have had great help from my fiancee's dad who is a Nam vet. Basically my mental devices since I got out have been major escapisms (playing video games, reading) anything to keep my mind occupied in any other way.

I didn't really start "dealing" with my military experience till 2001, up till then my gf at the time didn't know I was in Somalia till I had a breakdown during the first time a preview for Black Hawk Down came on the movie screen (scared the shit out of her, oiy). But even afterward I didn't tell her anything, just that I was there I still can't talk about that or I get taken back there, really having to keep control right now.

But then when 2003 came and this shit with Iraq started, and started to hear about the treatment of the Iraqi's. I found myself relating too much, and finding more and more stuff that I thought I had buried coming out (as if MOG wasn't enough!!)

But yeah, anything to keep the mind occupied and I try to reflect on the good times when I was in so that the bad doesn't over-whelm it all.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. Hang in there

I hope you find ways to talk about your experiences, rather then keeping them bottled up inside of you. I do believe that the more you talk about it, the better off you will be in the long run. I'm glad you feel safe enough to post about your experiences here, because the more information that comes out about what is really going on in places like Iraq and Somalia, the sooner this madness can end.

:hug:

[malmapus]

20. Thanks

Talking never was really one of my strong points, I was more of a bottle it up and bury it. But yeah keep something like that buried for a few years and when it came back it hit me like a freight train, at first I didn't know how to deal, which is most likely why my gf back then left me. Was probaly a good thing cause in that time I was alone I finally realized I had to bring myself to try and accept it all.

Funny thing about the internet, it is easier to share in a forum because I can do a little at a time and if I feel it all coming back, I can step away from the keyboard and get back in control. But get me in a talking session and I'll easily break down and turn into a blubering mass.

[anarchy1999]

13. We all love you still and it is okay. It sounds trite but is heartfelt

and true. Give yourself a break.

Salud.

Get thee to a support group soon.

[saigon68]

18. Just more thug troop hoodlums

Doing a few "CUTE" War Crimes

[malmapus]

19. Yup same shit different mud

Know most of you Nam vets have had to of seen your share of it too.

I guess I was surprised in my time, being post Desert Storm I thought we'd come beyond that (well I thought we were the good guys too and could do no wrong), what an awakening I was in for heh.

[saigon68]

21. IN 1990 I THOUGHT THAT TOO

I thought that some reason and morality had crept in.

Boy was I wrong.

The present THUG and Hoodlum War Criminal Administration has surrounded itself with military leaders who like themselves are CRAVEN MURDERERS, WAR CRIMINALS, RAPISTS OF A COUNTRY AND WORSE.

They all belong in an international court room.

[Retired AF Dem]

4. The military is a reflection of our society

and our society sucks when it comes to how people treat each other.

[MeDeMax]

5. army will get the wrong guy...

"His grisly roadshow has triggered two military investigations."

unless specialist Delgado succeeds in making a ideological connection between the brutalities and an illegal war of choice, which I don't think he will, the army will investigate individuals in the photos, as they did with Abu Gharib, take statements and prosecute a few they can muster some evidence against.

No one will go after the higherups or question who put the soldiers in these life & death situations that have diminished their judgement.

The way I see it, there are heart breaking stories of personal tragedies of our soldiers and of the iraqi people.

But none of the inhumane brutal genocide that this war has been on both sides of the atlantic. All that information is parceled and rationed in cleverly phrased flowery language.

[anarchy1999]

9. Kick back to the front page!

:kick:

And nominated!

[burrowowl]

10. Even so-called Just Wars like

WWII and the Civil War take their toll in 'battle fatigue', 'shell shock' and since VN PTSD, etc.
How horrendous it must be to learn or know that the war is unjust and you are trying to stay alive.

[DemReadingDU]

16. Excellent, please take time to watch both videos

nominated

part 1
http://websrvr20.audiovideoweb.com/avwebdswebsrvr2143/news_video/adelgado1_300k.mov

part 2
http://websrvr20.audiovideoweb.com/avwebdswebsrvr2143/news_video/adelgado2_300k.mov


edited to add links to videos

[tk2kewl]

17. Story of ex/retired military opposing war are increadibly moving!

:kick: