Odd statement by military officer

[AndrewR]

From this MSNBC article:



<< In late December, Air Force Capt. Elissa Beddow was told to use the Predator unmanned surveillance plane that she operates to hunt for some al Qaeda fighters trying to flee Afghanistan. Sitting in a ground station hundreds of miles away in Pakistan, Capt. Beddow directed the spy plane with a control stick, a computer keyboard and several television monitors that provided live video feeds. She flew the 27-foot-long aircraft up and down the road where the men had last been seen.

Thirty minutes into the search, she spotted them.

Over the same satellite link that let her fly the Predator and watch the video, she summoned a Navy fighter jet and led it to the mud hut where the men had parked their sport-utility vehicles. On the video feed, Capt. Beddow saw the al Qaeda fighters milling around their SUVs.

?You almost wanted to scream, ?Run! Get out of the way! You?re going to be killed!? ? she says. A few minutes later, the fighters were all dead. >>



.

 

[glenn1]

<< Uh, excuse me, but isn't your whole purpose to kill these people, and you have the urge to save them? Wow, does anyone else see a problem there? >>



Just because a soldier's job may at times be to fight (and perhaps kill) the enemy, doesn't mean you need to surrender your conscience or the more basic elements of your humanity. Those who kill without remorse are the ones who are most dangerous.

 

[AdamDuritz99]

<< Just because a soldier's job may at times be to fight (and perhaps kill) the enemy, doesn't mean you need to surrender your conscience or the more basic elements of your humanity. Those who kill without remorse are the ones who are most dangerous. >>



I agree and couldn't have said it better myself!

peace
sean

 

[MrDingleDangle]

if she didnt do her job i could see where you would complain...but she did what she was told...thats the important thing

 

[AndrewR]

.

 

[777joee]

<<

<< Just because a soldier's job may at times be to fight (and perhaps kill) the enemy, doesn't mean you need to surrender your conscience or the more basic elements of your humanity. Those who kill without remorse are the ones who are most dangerous. >>



I agree and couldn't have said it better myself!

peace
sean >>



You got it right. You don't have to feel good about doing some of your jobs....................

 

[Jzero]

<< When your job is to execute a mission, and you have the mindset of saving your target, there seems to be fundamental disconnect to me. I'm just glad she wasn't in the plane dropping the bomb. Would she have missed if that thought flickered through her mind? >>


Sounds to me like she ordered the attack AND then thought about the fact that she just secured the death of a bunch of human beings.
You don't have to be a robot with no heart to be a soldier. You just have to be willing to do your duty, and it sounds like she did just that.

 

[Phuz]

Gee, who the hell is she to be in the US Army and still have some morailty?

Thank you glenn1.

Had you not responded this thread would have been bouncing with yes-men bobbing their heads up and down.

 

[AndrewR]

Just because a soldier's job may at times be to fight (and perhaps kill) the enemy, doesn't mean you need to surrender your conscience or the more basic elements of your humanity. Those who kill without remorse are the ones who are most dangerous.

I agree with you, but I see a profound difference between remorse occurring AFTER a mission is completed and that remorse which occurs DURING A MISSION.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Why would anyone think that killing another human being under almost any circumstances is easy. Soldiers are people, too. They have morals and feelings. Some take it harder than others, but they still do their jobs.

Thank God they do their jobs.

 

[johnjohn320]

Have you never spoken with a war veteran? Yeah, boy, they're just thrilled to be killing people.

A WWII veteran fighter pilot who I was speaking with a while back explained to me how whever he shot someone down, he would immediately pray for that pilot.

It's called being human.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Glenn1 very well said. I had been trying to form a response for several minutes when you saved me the trouble.


<< Sure, she did her job this time, but what happens next time? >>


How do you know that wasn't the "next time". I wouldn't be so quick to criticize someones actions in combat until you have been there yourself.

 

[Jzero]

Being a soldier does not imply being a murderer.
A soldier's goal is to defend his/her country and life. Sometimes killing people is a part of that.
Soldiers are well-taught to act first and react later. It's not our place to judge whether this one soldier is unfit for duty just b/c she has feelings.
She sure as hell made a call I probably wouldn't have been able to make, and I think she'd have no problem doing it again if she had to.

 

[HappyPuppy]

AndrewR:

Have you ever killed another human being? Have you ever been in combat?

What gives you the right to question what a soldier says AFTER doing her/his duty?

Are you just a troll?

 

[Kelvrick]

<< Just because a soldier's job may at times be to fight (and perhaps kill) the enemy, doesn't mean you need to surrender your conscience or the more basic elements of your humanity. Those who kill without remorse are the ones who are most dangerous. >>


Bah! I wanted to say just that, but my internet went down suddenly.

 

[IGBT]

Propaganda for all you touchy feely types.

 

[Dually]

Well they allowed Timmy McVeigh in.

 

[Novgrod]

I'm frankly glad to see so many people who don't have an urge to kill people without remorse here

 

[johnjohn320]

<< Propaganda for all you touchy feely types. >>



Because we have remorse for death, we're touchy-feely? Well ok mr. bin laden.

 

[Pastfinder]

<< Just because a soldier's job may at times be to fight (and perhaps kill) the enemy, doesn't mean you need to surrender your conscience or the more basic elements of your humanity. Those who kill without remorse are the ones who are most dangerous. >>



Amen to that.

 

[rawoutput]

<< Gee, who the hell is she to be in the US Army and still have some morailty?

Thank you glenn1.

Had you not responded this thread would have been bouncing with yes-men bobbing their heads up and down. >>




Not to nit-pick, but she's in the Air Force

Rest of dumb post edited for formatting reasons

 

[Ryan]

<< From this MSNBC article:

<< In late December, Air Force Capt. Elissa Beddow was told to use the Predator unmanned surveillance plane that she operates to hunt for some al Qaeda fighters trying to flee Afghanistan. Sitting in a ground station hundreds of miles away in Pakistan, Capt. Beddow directed the spy plane with a control stick, a computer keyboard and several television monitors that provided live video feeds. She flew the 27-foot-long aircraft up and down the road where the men had last been seen. Thirty minutes into the search, she spotted them. Over the same satellite link that let her fly the Predator and watch the video, she summoned a Navy fighter jet and led it to the mud hut where the men had parked their sport-utility vehicles. On the video feed, Capt. Beddow saw the al Qaeda fighters milling around their SUVs. ?You almost wanted to scream, ?Run! Get out of the way! You?re going to be killed!? ? she says. A few minutes later, the fighters were all dead. >>

Uh, excuse me, but isn't your whole purpose to kill these people, and you have the urge to save them? Wow, does anyone else see a problem there? >>



Geeze, why are people like you allowed to procreate? Let's take it a bit forward: Why are people like you born?

 

[Amused]

It's called "empathy," and I wouldn't want an army of people without it.

You want an army of soldiers that only kills because they have to, not because they want to, or worse, mindlessly.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

What kind of topic is this for an entire thread? She obviously did her job, notwithstanding her offhand remark about having misgivings about killing. It seems ludicrous to me to second-guess her based on statements made after the fact, when she has already successfully completed her mission. If the day ever comes that she is piloting an armed drone (which are already in use), and refuses to bomb a manned target, I will feel differently, but until then, I don't see that she has done anything that should prevent her from serving.

 

[UltraQuiet]

<< AndrewR probably finds it easy to critisize our armed forces when he's sitting in Barnes and Nobles and sipping a Frappachino.. >>

Not that you would know it from his criticism of other officers in a public forum, AndrewR is a 1st Lt or a Capt in the Air Force. Don_Vito is also an Air Force officer.