RANGER AGAINST WAR: Bait and Switch <

Friday, October 19, 2007

Bait and Switch


Nobody can acquire honor by doing what is wrong
--Thomas Jefferson
______

U.S. Army snipers have a proud tradition of serving in combat arenas that are harsh and deadly. They live by the motto, "One shot, one kill."

The tradition goes back to the Pennsylvania and Kentucky rifles employed in the American Revolution and later, the War of 1812. Rifle marksmanship in the Battle of New Orleans and the Mexican War assisted U.S. commanders execute their war plans, and in the Civil War, Berdan's Sharpshooters were the direct forefathers of today's snipers.

A proud tradition in a once-proud Army. But recent actions approved by the Army chain of command regarding the employment of snipers in Iraq are deplorable, and fall under the category of war crimes.

Specifically, the baiting program developed by the Department of Defense Assymetrical Warfare Group at Ft. Meade, which advocates enticing potential targets by leaving bits of explosives or detonation cord in open view. The presumption is that only -- terrorists (?), combatants (?), hooligans (?) --would be interested in picking up such ephemera.

In addition to the baiting program, the group devised the concept of
kill teams -- groups from the Third Brigade, Second Infantry Division, who would "dig holes resembling those used by insurgents to hide roadside bombs, and to shoot Iraqis who tried to place things in the holes." The kill teams ostensibly were more benevolent than their name implied as they "used the tactic not to kill people, but to wound them with gunshots and then capture and interrogate them" (Snipers Baited and Killed Iraqis, Soldiers Testify.)

Somehow, kill teams do not sound like democracy in action. "Death and democracy" lacks the ring of "hearts and minds," but I guess it suits the new action Army.

So hundreds of years of rifle work have brought us to the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. In conjunction with commander's guidance, these jack-offs shoot and kill and then place "drop" items to designate their kill a legal score.


This makes a mockery of America's claim to be spreading freedom and dignity.


Questions remained unanswered regarding the case of Spec. 4 Jorge Sandoval, who was recently acquitted for shooting and killing an unarmed man upon orders of his team leader:


Assuming the victim was in fact an insurgent without a weapon, did the team attempt to capture him before engaging? If intelligence is the key to defeating a counterinsurgency, wouldn't that be the smartest, most military course of action to take?


A live prisoner is the most valuable combat intelligence asset available to the battlefield commander. It is incredibly stupid to shoot possible sources of combat intelligence, especially if the suspect can be detained via another method.

In addition to Sandoval, two other soldiers,
Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley, the sniper team squad leader, and Sgt. Evan Vela, face premeditated murder charges. Sgt. Vela shot an unarmed man who stumbled upon their position, and had thrust his arms in the air in surrender.

"None of the soldiers deny that they killed the three Iraqis they are charged with murdering. . . . the soldiers say the killings were legal and authorized by their superiors." (Snipers Baited and Killed Iraqis.)

"A military panel acquitted U.S. Army Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval of two counts of murder Friday, apparently swayed by testimony from fellow Army snipers that two Iraqi men were killed on orders from a higher ranking soldier" (Army Sniper acquitted of murder in Iraq.)

"After the killing, Flores said
Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley told him (Flores) to place the detonation wire on the body and in the man's pocket, which he said he did."

"In the May shooting, Sgt. Evan Vela said
Hensley told him to shoot a man who had stumbled upon their snipers' hideout, although he was not armed and had his hands in the air when he approached the soldiers."

It seems that the old Nuremberg axiom -- "I was only following orders" -- is back in vogue, and legal justification for shooting unarmed and surrendered personnel.


In WW II, that wasn't good enough to extricate yourself from culpability in a war crime. Apparently in the Phony War on Terror, the "following orders" defense is a legal excuse for violating the Geneva Conventions and U.S. law. What happened to
duty, honor, country?

What a crock.

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14 Comments:

Blogger The Minstrel Boy said...

i pulled some sniper detail. usually though, the folks sending me would have given me a specific target, or i would be covering from distance, guys doing other work, the idea of sitting out there, or placing bait or shit like that is very far from the things i found sniper action to be effective on.

as far as chilling out an area of operation for activities, do these guys think that there are folks out in bagdhad just bopping around looking for stuff to do? i think not. the high speed convoys of u.s. guys whipping with the gas pedals floored, the insurgents, the kidnappings and garden variety thugs walking about with evil intentions have pretty much curtailed all but the most needed activity.

they did a hole and see who sticks something in it? they place bait out in an impoverished, brutally poor area?

the whole mission has gone fubar. it's simply time to quit this one. the stuff we've been able to find out about it has been disturbing to say the least. i'm certain that what actually goes on is far more disgusting.

they need to bring our kids home. now.

Friday, October 19, 2007 at 4:07:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

MB,

I do agree -- it is probably worse than we are hearing.

You don't say where your sniper activity was, but I assume it was in a jungle environment, or denied area. It is instrumental to remember that these sniper teams are working in indigenous, urban environments. And it is their country.

In this type of war, running up the body count via sniping activities is futile. One wonders after hearing some of the things going on, is it any wonder we haven't captured bin Laden while focusing on so many needless diversions.

What are we doing there? To date, I have not heard a clear, concise mission statement declared since this phony war started. Killing people is fine if it achieves a worthwhile objective. As the objective changes weekly, our actions remain dubious, at best; criminal, at worst.

Friday, October 19, 2007 at 10:07:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger The Minstrel Boy said...

it ran the gamut. most of them were designated targets. shadow government operators, senior officers of units moving along the trail, absolutely proven and documented assholes who had it coming. i never took that gear out to just farkle about smartly and shoot what ever i fancied. i certainly never laid in wait after constructing a trap for unidentified and unaware passers by. not out of any high faluting moral authority, but because it did not make tactical sense. shooting a lt. col. can have the result of disturbing the way an entire regiment operates and is therefore a tacticly sound action. if you have somebody wandering around a city after curfew collecting "taxes" it benefits the mission and the civilians to take him out of the game. those all make sense. as does positioning myself on a vantage point while the team builds a beautiful chain of foogas barrels at a fuel depot. they don't need to be surprised or disturbed while doing such delicate work.

leaving spools of wire, or anything of value and shooting anybody to shows interest is a bit too much like a set up murder. i'm like a lot of dedicated soldiers. i don't really mind killing. there are times where it was the only thing i could think of to do that made any sense at all. i did not put on a uniform to be a brain dead murderer.

you're absolutely right that the totally shifting rationale and reasons for our "being there" have already changed so much and so often that there is no other way to describe it beyond lies in the service of other lies.

Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 12:28:00 AM GMT-5  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And meanwhhile, what's happening to these boys doing the killing. What are they going to be like when they come home to this America?

What are you doing to your children America?

Watched Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council on CNN today tell how the Value Voters are for life. Obviously not Iraqi lives. I was outraged. Don't these people know that they are responsible for the deaths of over a million innocent people yet they are for life? I call that hiprocarcy! You deserve Rudi!

Excuse the rant!

Fubar? Haven't heard that for about a decade!

Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 12:44:00 AM GMT-5  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FUBAR doesn't begin to describe how some of the guys are coming home. The letters I get in email now and then just about break my mind...and I have NOT been the one doing duty in the SNAFU that is Iraq. I'm glad I am not the only one ranting about this new use for snipers.

Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 3:45:00 AM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

labrys,

To see the one soldier crying in his testimony speaks to his terrible knowledge of the wrongness of his action, and the order which he followed.

Of course, it is not just a misuse of snipers, but a misuse of the entire military apparatus.

Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 1:44:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

MB,

I believe that what makes you and I unique in the antiwar mvmt. is that we do not attack violence and killing, per se, but rather, needless violence and killing.

I'm glad you never got to light up my life with your lovely foogas chains. I don't know about visiting your house; or do you call that an "NDP", what with your proclivities for foogas.

Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 1:49:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

tripwire,

Thanks for correcting me; I thought he was saying Kabar.

No, it seems that the Right wing Christians have a hard time connecting the dots and taking things to their logical conclusions. Like GWB, they are weak on nuance.

I know there's hope when someone called "tripwire" picks up these finer points,

Best,
jim

Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 1:53:00 PM GMT-5  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"kill teams"? Let's see - what's a synonymn for "kill". How about death. And a synonymn for "teams"? squads works nicely.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 8:11:00 AM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

anon,

In fact, they were squads. I would have used "Death Squads" as the title, had I thought of it. The implication is chilling.

If I write on this further, I'm copping your title.

Thanks.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 8:53:00 AM GMT-5  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am willing to admit that nine years after my Honorable Discharge from the Army it is a vastly different animal. I think it is possible your perspective may also be fogged by time given your broad strokes of the paintbrush across a very complex and abstract painting (e.g. these are "death squads").

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 12:20:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

Anon,
Everything about me is fogged by time.
Yes as i get older my brush strokes get broader and more expansive.I do the best I can with my limited brain. jim

Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 9:58:00 AM GMT-5  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

you people are ridiculous. Go sip a latte you pansies. If there are any TRUE rangers here, or SF, you must have been the laughing stock of your unit when you cried about combatants rights...F--K them. And if it was up to me and any SF operators who see little kids blown apart by your beloved pals every day...then we would set MORE traps!! baiting is disgusting huh? Is it? If i was walking down the street and saw a whole and thought about burying a bomb that would inevitably kill innocent civs, then I DESERVE TO BE SHOT! on the spot in fact! No trial needed. I would accept that because that is LOGIC and this IS WAR. It is ugly. And no it's not "FAIR"! WAH WAH WAH!! go cry a river commie How do people like you really call any soldier "deplorable" or "disgusting" for fighting an unfair war against unfair enemies? You are the most "deplorable" I have seen yet I would say. I say KEEP ON BAITIN!! If they don't know better than to touch red wires coming out of a god damn mortar round then hey, put them out of their ignorant misery. And if someone drops explosives into a pre-dug hole, you think they shouldn't be shot? And you think they will wait while you run downrange to come and ziptie them? You are an idiot sir. And you know what the funniest part of this is? We LOVE to KILL our enemies!! HA! what do you think of that? DOES THAT REPULSE YOU? Good...I hope you puke your brains out. Bunch of queers

Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 11:39:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

ANON,May 9,
Happy mothers day to you too-MOTHER FUCKER.
jim

Sunday, May 9, 2010 at 12:34:00 PM GMT-5  

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