Lapses found in battlefield ethics study

[merh]

Source: By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

Lapses found in battlefield ethics study

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago

In a survey of U.S. troops in combat in Iraq, less than half of Marines and a little more than half of Army soldiers said they would report a member of their unit for killing or wounding an innocent civilian.

More than 40 percent support the idea of torture in some cases, and 10 percent reported personally abusing Iraqi civilians, the Pentagon said Friday in what it called its first ethics study of troops at the war front. Units exposed to the most combat were chosen for the study, officials said.

"It is disappointing," said analyst John Pike of the Globalsecurity.org think tank. "But anybody who is surprised by it doesn't understand war. ... This is about combat stress."

The military has seen a number of high-profile incidents of alleged abuse in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the killings of 24 civilians by Marines, the rape and killing of a 14-year-old girl and the slaying of her family and the sexual humiliation of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison.

(snip)

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070504/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/battlefield_ethics

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[ohio2007]

1. Ethics? Ethics on the battlefield ! ?

are they serious aboput this 'study'?
wonder how much they got paid for that one?
...
"It is disappointing," said analyst John Pike of the Globalsecurity.org think tank.

[merh]

2. everything they do is done to make a profit for their cronies

and I'm with you, wonder how much they got paid to do the study

[Hissyspit]

3. U.S. Troops Lacking In Ethics, Army Reports

Source: Washington Post

Teaser: U.S. Troops Lacking in Ethics, Army Reports
Many soldiers support torture, other forms of abuse against Iraqi civilians and face higher rates of mental illness due to longer deployments.

Troops at Odds With Ethics Standards
Army Also Finds More Deployment Means More Mental Illness

By Thomas E. Ricks and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, May 5, 2007; Page A01

More than one-third of U.S. soldiers in Iraq surveyed by the Army said they believe torture should be allowed if it helps gather important information about insurgents, the Pentagon disclosed yesterday. Four in 10 said they approve of such illegal abuse if it would save the life of a fellow soldier.

In addition, about two-thirds of Marines and half the Army troops surveyed said they would not report a team member for mistreating a civilian or for destroying civilian property unnecessarily. "Less than half of Soldiers and Marines believed that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect," the Army report stated. About 10 percent of the 1,767 troops in the official survey -- conducted in Iraq last fall -- reported that they had mistreated civilians in Iraq, such as kicking them or needlessly damaging their possessions.

Army researchers "looked under every rock, and what they found was not always easy to look at," said S. Ward Casscells, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. The report noted that the troops' statements are at odds with the "soldier's rules" promulgated by the Army, which forbid the torture of enemy prisoners and state that civilians must be treated humanely.

- snip -

But human rights activists said the report lends support to their view that the abuse of Iraqi civilians by U.S. military personnel was not isolated to some bad apples at Abu Ghraib and a few other detention facilities but instead is more

MORE

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/04/AR2007050402151.html?hpid=topnews

[Erika]

4. I feel so badly for our military. They are taught to hate and kill

But in Iraq, they see no one threatening our country. It's warped them. Thanks to G W Bush.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. That's what you ALWAYS get with a professional military.

That's why the founding fathers were dead set against it. The professional military becomes a society apart from the civilian society it is meant to defend, and becomes an end in itself.

If we were to give up the 700 foreign bases around the world we could reduce the size of our military by half, and be stronger than we are today.

[clixtox]

8. The Same Issue...

Is apparent in the police departments across the USA, especially in most large cities, like LA, NY, SF, Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Philly. The "code of silence" among police is a result of the mis-placed priorities when they no longer answer to the people they serve.

[merh]

9. it's the atmosphere, mindset created by this admin to protect

it's power and to make money - fear of everything and everyone - "us against them" - "good vs evil" - "war on terra, drugs, illegal immigrants, bad guys, etc."

the grants for law enforcement are going towards equipment, tactical training to handle terrorist strikes (and now school shootings), weapons (like tazers) - grants for man power and community services/ policing and training for community purposes (as opposed to terrorist training) were cut off when this admin came into office.

It is part of the "culture of fear" - no longer is law enforcement there to "serve and protect", they are there as the law and all who are against the, the "lawless" are the enemy and deserve what they get.

:(

[ReadTomPaine]

6. The fish rots from the head down. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. This comes from the top PERIOD

and from the changes in military education... PERIOD