A current news story that has sparked controversy is one regarding photos that have surfaced showing U.S. army troops posing with body parts from dead suicide bombers in Afghanistan. The photos, published in the Los Angeles Times, had been taken in 2010, but were recently given to the Times by a solider from Ft. Bragg. Army officials have condemned the soldiers and have said that an investigation could lead to disciplinary action.
This story upsets me for several reasons. I find it disgraceful that American soldiers would stand posed with smiles on their faces and giving “thumbs up” to the camera while surrounded by death and war. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter how horrible the enemy is, no one should be flaunting and celebrating death as though war is the epitome of happy times. This makes American troops look arrogant and inhumane, which is unfair to those fellow soldiers that are respectable and would never degrade themselves to that level.
Another problem I have with this (which is also mentioned in the article) is that actions such as these could spark revenge attacks from the Afghan army. These troops’ careless actions could actually be inciting violence upon their fellow service members, which is wrong. The article mentions several recent “damaging and embarrassing incidents” involving U.S. troops such as: a video showing U.S. marines urinating on Taliban corpses, an incident at an American army base where copies of the Quran were burned, and the recent killing rampage of mostly women and children in Afghanistan by a U.S. soldier. I believe the U.S. soldiers in this photo should absolutely have known better than to further prompt the embarrassing reputation being given to the U.S. army. American soldiers should stand proud and hold to a higher standard, fighting with honor and respect, not with carelessness and mockery.
Good commentary.
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