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The first lesson a soldier learns is to follow orders. The best soldier is the one who blindly follows orders, without question. A commander cannot have each order he gives debated to see if his squad, platoon, company or army agrees with him. Failure to follow a command in the military is a serious offense and can bring charges from failure to follow an order to mutiny to treason. Punishment has ranged from a reprimand to execution. Obedience is necessary in a military world. One European despot once ordered some men of his army to march off a cliff to prove their discipline. That’s a bit extreme, but soldiers are disciplined to follow orders. WWII was clear cut. The enemy was there and bad. And they had attacked America. North Koreans attacked South Korea and the Americans stationed there as an ally. It was a war of ideology, Communism versus Democracy—and a lot of troops giving up their blood were unsure why they were there. The army went to great lengths to present programs to the troops to explain the reasons behind the war. There was no clear victory, only an armistice. Vietnam was even more of a question for many serving there. The French had failed and America’s leaders thought they could succeed in halting Communism in Asia and make the country safe for Democracy. It didn’t work and a lot of brave men and women died before America evacuated and left control to the North Vietnamese. The 500 US Marines who died in Lebanon and the soldiers mutilated in Somalia were following orders. The foot soldier in Iraq is not there to question the orders sending him in harm’s way. He’s not there to debate foreign policy or if America is prepared to spread Democracy throughout the region whether the Iraqi people are ready for it or not. Everyone was startled and outraged that American guards could torture and humiliate prisoners in their care. Torture isn’t new. Since the first tribal fight and a prisoner was captured, physical and mental abuse were employed to get information. Americans are amateurs in the practice that is a refined art for many nations, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. The difference is communication. A handheld camera or video phone can send the slightest detail round the world. It’s always the soldier at the bottom of the pecking order who gets the blame. Presidents, prime ministers, kings, generals and admirals take the credit when things go well. The private or the sailor gets it when there is guilt to be spread. Lt. William Calley was a nondescript officer who came to the military with no special talents and never gained the respect of his men in Vietnam. He wanted to be a good leader and tried to excel, even in his hatred of the Vietnamese of any age or sex. When he was involved in the My Lai massacre of 22 men women and children, he was sacrificed to the world public shocked at the sound and sight of a bloody war played out to a TV audience. Was he the only one guilty? Did he act on his own or was he the end result of an undercurrent of military and national philosophy? In the trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor. This was reduced several times to become house arrest and an ultimate pardon by President Richard Nixon. He had taken the heat from the higher ups. You can watch the trials of the men and women charged with prisoner abuse in Iraq to see how the peons are thrown to the wolves. No officer will step forward and take the blame by saying he ordered or even knew this was happening. Some will even say the guards should have refused to follow any orders that would abuse prisoners. If a solider fails to follow an order and is brought in for court martial, all he or she can say is, “No excuse, sir.”
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