Newsweek: Define Courage

Insane3D

Elite Member
May 24, 2000
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Newsweek@MSNBC

An Army staff sergeant suffering from stress ends up fighting for his life?in a U.S. courtroom

By T. Trent Gegax
NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE


Nov. 7 ? The timing could have been devastating for S/Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany. As Jessica Lynch prepared to uncork on television about her heroic gun battle to the near-death, Sergeant Pogany sat in a military courtroom while a prosecutor formally charged him with ?cowardice.?

Here?s what happened. When Pogany, an Army interrogator newly assigned to a Special Forces unit, told his team leader he couldn?t shake the image of an eviscerated Iraqi, he was told to take some Ambien sleeping pills and get lost. The entire episode happened in a blur. According to Pogany, he arrived in Iraq from the United States on a Sunday night. On Monday, he saw the mutilated corpse dragged across his path by another soldier. Tuesday morning, before missions were assigned, Pogany told his superior that he needed help. He was throwing up and shaking. A few hours later, he was ordered to turn over his weapon. The unit chaplain referred him to the Combat Stress Management Team, which filed a report describing Pogany as showing ?signs and symptoms consistent with those of a normal combat-stress reaction.? Nevertheless, Pogany?s apparent plea for help was translated into an act of cowardice, one of the highest crimes in military justice, and he was shipped back to the United States to face criminal charges.

:disgust:
 

Orsorum

Lifer
Dec 26, 2001
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Just another coward who couldn't face the truth of the world around us. Kudos to his COs for prosecuting him.
 

BaliBabyDoc

Lifer
Jan 20, 2001
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Wow . . . the US military needs some serious help. Maybe they should spend more time recruiting at the state penitentiaries.
 

NesuD

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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So someone explain to me what exactly the act of cowardice was. All it says here is that he apparently had a bit of a tough time dealing with what he saw and asked his superior for help. I don't see anywhere that he refused an order to engage the enemy or abandoned his unit in a combat situation without permission. This is screwy There has to be something more going on here. I can't imagine why they would take a chance on all the bad publicity for the little bit of nothing contained in the article.
 

BaliBabyDoc

Lifer
Jan 20, 2001
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My favorite tour of duty in adult medicine was working the Infectious Disease unit. Most of my patients had AIDS or TB. Outside of that experience, the sight of a disemboweled, decapitated, or dismembered human body wouldn't phase me in the least. I actually got a thrill out of running bone saws and drilling craniotomy holes (most of these tools are idiot proof - it only works on bone not soft tissue). But by some people's definition refusing to intentionally inflict such carnage would make me a coward. Under my current responsibilities, the only time I see anyone with the potential for such behavior they are on the forsenic psychiatry ward at the state hospital . . . but if I had to guess I imagine they have cohorts residing across town at Central Prison.

The best help I can provide for the US military would be to elect responsible (and intelligent) civilian leadership.
 

tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
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I have seen lots of firefighters and two police officers I know have to go on medical disability and recieve counseling after seeing dismembered bodies at accident scenes. Some people just can't handle it. I have to admit I almost threw up at my first dead body which was a pregnant woman who laid down on some railroad tracks. Train severed her body and left it seperated by about 100 yards.

I don't think this reaction and the need for help neccesarily makes the man a coward.
 

Insane3D

Elite Member
May 24, 2000
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Originally posted by: tnitsuj
I have seen lots of firefighters and two police officers I know have to go on medical disability and recieve counseling after seeing dismembered bodies at accident scenes. Some people just can't handle it. I have to admit I almost threw up at my first dead body which was a pregnant woman who laid down on some railroad tracks. Train severed her body and left it seperated by about 100 yards.

I don't think this reaction and the need for help neccesarily makes the man a coward.

Yeah, that's my basic feeling on this. I mean the guy was not over there as a combat soldier, if I read correctly, he was there as an interpreter. Regardless, it seems excessive to charge the guy with cowardice, a charge that can result in execution, just because he had problem handling a mutilated corpse. Give the guy some treatment, and if he can't funtion in that enviroment, re-assign him or dishonerably discharge him. I know there is always two sides to a story, but I just can't understand the reasoning to treat him as they did.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
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I bet when a lot of these soldiers signed up they never dreamed they'd be in a situation like Iraq, especially those in the National Guard.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
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It is vital to maintain the moral of the troops by daily beatings if necessary so Bush can win his first Presidential election. We can't have this war looking like a fiasco. Bring out the jets and bomb. Our new story will be we went there to establish Democracy (having learned our lesson in Iran from 1954). Get ready for the draft cause the draft is getting ready for our kids. People are patriotic, but they won't volunteer for a moron. Bush the Uniter.
 

freegeeks

Diamond Member
May 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: Orsorum
Just another coward who couldn't face the truth of the world around us. Kudos to his COs for prosecuting him.

i hope you are joking
 

privatebreyer

Member
Nov 28, 2002
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I could understand if it he lost it in the mist of battle and endangered fellow soldiers, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The military should able to deal with cases of shell shock, or whatever this is.