POWERLINE BLOG: A MARINE WRITES HOME

On November 17, Power Line Blog posted an e-letter sent to them by a Marine serving in the 11th MEU in Iraq.

The Power Line Blog entry is titled:

A MARINE WRITES HOME

It can be found via this link here: http://powerlineblog.com/archives/008650.php

Worth reading also are the trackbacks to other blogs, here and there on the internet, discussing the above letter posted onto Power Line Blog and the reasons it was written.

The following letter was written in support of the young Marine relieved of duty for shooting a wounded terrorist thug in a Mosque in Fallujah earlier in the week. To read about my thoughts and feelings in regards to this, please refer to my earlier blog postings (Mainstream Blues and Letter to the Pentagon) from the past couple of days.

The MARINE'S E-MAIL - TEXT

This is one story of many that people normally don't hear, and one that everyone does.

This is just one most don't hear:

A young Marine and his cover man cautiously enter a room just recently filled with insurgents armed with AK-47's and RPG's. There are three dead, another wailing in pain.

The insurgent can be heard saying, "Mister, mister! Diktoor, diktoor (doctor)!" He is badly wounded, lying in a pool of his own blood.

The Marine and his cover man slowly walk toward the injured man, scanning to make sure no enemies come from behind. In a split second, the pressure in the room greatly exceeds that of the outside, and the concussion seems to be felt before the blast is heard.

Marines outside rush to the room, and look in horror as the dust gradually settles. The result is a room filled with the barely recognizable remains of the deceased, caused by an insurgent setting off several pounds of explosives.

The Marines' remains are gathered by teary eyed comrades, brothers in arms, and shipped home in a box. The families can only mourn over a casket and a picture of their loved one, a life cut short by someone who hid behind a white flag. But no one hears these stories, except those who have lived to carry [the] remains of a friend, and the families who loved the dead.

No one hears this, so no one cares.

This is the story everyone hears:

A young Marine and his fire team cautiously enter a room just recently filled with insurgents armed with AK-47's and RPG's. There are three dead, another wailing in pain.

The insurgent can be heard saying, "Mister, mister! Diktoor, diktoor (doctor)!" He is badly wounded. Suddenly, he pulls from under his bloody clothes a grenade, without the pin.

The explosion rocks the room, killing one Marine, wounding the others. The young Marine catches shrapnel in the face.

The next day, same Marine, same type of situation, a different story. The young Marine and his cover man enter a room with two wounded insurgents. One lies on the floor in puddle of blood, another against the wall.

A reporter and his camera survey the wreckage inside, and in the background can be heard the voice of a Marine, "He's moving, he's moving!"

The pop of a rifle is heard, and the insurgent against the wall is now dead.

Minutes, hours later, the scene is aired on national television, and the Marine is being held for committing a war crime. Unlawful killing.

And now, another Marine has the possibility of being burned at the stake for protecting the life of his brethren. His family now wrings their hands in grief, tears streaming down their face.

Brother, should I have been in your boots, I too would have done the same.

For those of you who don't know, we Marines, Band of Brothers, Jarheads, Leathernecks, etc., do not fight because we think it is right, or think it is wrong. We are here for the man to our left, and the man to our right. We choose to give our lives so that the man or woman next to us can go home and see their husbands, wives, children, friends and families.

For those of you who sit on your couches in front of your television, and choose to condemn this man's actions, I have but one thing to say to you.

Get out of you recliner, lace up my boots, pick up a rifle, leave your family behind and join me. See what I've seen, walk where I have walked.

To those of you who support us, my sincerest gratitude. You keep us alive.

I am a Marine currently doing his second tour in Iraq. These are my opinions and mine alone. They do not represent those of the Marine Corps or of the US military, or any other.

Sincerely,

LCPL Schmidt
USMC

END of MARINE'S E-MAIL TEXT

Needless to say, my prayers and thoughts are with the Marine, and those in his unit who are also caught up in the middle of all this, who are no doubt going through a world of hell right now.

My disgust with the mainstream news media runs very deep indeed.

My disappointment with the US military hierarchy, and at the moment, any other relevant 'powers that be' who are allowing this kid to be treated in this manner, and who just might sacrifice him on the alter of political correctness, is intense.

I feel very, very afraid indeed for this young man, as well as for the other Marine's who were with him in his unit that day.

One of my prayers is that sanity, good sense, and fairness will prevail, and that this Marine (and any others implicated with him for this) will at worst be given an honourable discharge, and at best, exonerated and returned to duty.

I'll leave this entry here, today, with the following two opinion pieces found via links on Town Hall.com:

"Supporting the troops", written by: Thomas Sowell

"A Casualty of the Watched War", written by: Ralph Kinney Bennett

Christine.