Soldiers
In yet another attack by a ‘rogue’ Afghan soldier, four French troops were shot dead last week.
Proponents of the current post-modern war fighting doctrine continue to believe we can make people love us. Counterinsurgency has been a convenient doctrine swallowed by Western leaders as a politically correct way to fight a war. But it is built on the well-meaning principle of “hearts and minds” when it is nothing more than an unhealthy blend of social engineering and pork-barrel politics.
The fact is in Afghanistan they love you until the money stops and even then, as the latest incidents show, nothing will bridge the cultural divide.
Continue reading "In Afghanistan trust no one and question everything" »
The recent string of casualties inflicted on Australian trainers by their Afghan students is part of the ongoing tragedy of war. It is also not making the job of selling the Afghan War to the Australian population any easier.
A recent Roy Morgan poll says that 72 per cent of Australians want to withdraw the troops. That’s good because we are, of course, going to withdraw and our casualties must be seen in that context. The withdrawal date is already set as 2014 and barring some strategic change, our combat troops will leave.
The Prime Minister has announced that there will be an ongoing training commitment to Afghanistan, but the detail is unclear. Of course, if there were no consequences for the withdrawal of our troops, they would have been withdrawn long ago.
Continue reading "Afghanistan: It is the manner of our leaving that matters" »
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The deaths of another two Australian diggers in Afghanistan will not weaken the Government’s resolve to stay the course, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has vowed.
But the particular nature of one of those deaths - a violent betrayal which saw 25-year-old Lance Corporal Andrew Jones shot dead by a supposedly friendly Afghan National Army soldier who had been trained by Australia - has sent shockwaves through the defence forces.
Trust between the two militaries has been severely shaken.
Continue reading "Each death in Afghanistan is another test of faith" »
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Great post, Kim. I think I will use these ideas to generate some conversation on Face book as well. Blessings! Read more »
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acotrel says:
I suggest it’s important for the west to win the propaganda war. The Taliban rhetoric must be prevented from becoming infectious. The way we treat islamics here could be important to the final outcome. We should never provide justification for the ‘crusader’ slur, which seems popular in the middle east.… Read more »
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
“Ragheads’‘, “dune coons’‘, “sand niggaz’’ and “smelly locals’‘. Last night we were exposed to ADF soldiers with experience in Afghanistan acting in prejudicial, discriminatory, racist ways. That is what we call it in the civilian world.
A group of soldiers, some who have served overseas in contemporary conflicts, and apparently some who are serving, have allegedly posted their discontent on the social networking site Facebook. They have expressed their disdain, their hatred of the Afghanis, their racist and pejorative perspective of those they are charged to ‘liberate’ and their insubordination to their boss, Lieutenant General Gillespie.
Continue reading "Soldiers’ comments racist, disgusting, embarrassing" »
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Bill says:
I agree. Go “over there” do your job which by the way for an Infantryman is to seek out and close with the enemy,to KILL or capture him to seize and to hold ground by day or night regardless of season weather or terrain….You Mr Wadham are an ex Infantryman… Read more »
The stomach clenches with a cold nausea. The lip curls in disgust. It’s the same visceral reaction I had to pictures like the one below that emerged from Abu Ghraib; the images that made the idea of winning hearts and minds in Iraq a cruel joke.
Now, Der Spiegel has published three pictures of US soldiers, posing with the bodies of civilians they allegedly killed. One grins. The German news magazine says it has thousands more ‘trophy shots’.
The soldiers are described as ‘rogue’ – as opposed to ‘sanctioned’. But of course this is just another one-off atrocity. Isn’t it? Just Americans, right?
Not right. Not one off.
Continue reading "Rogue soldiers shine light on Army’s dark side" »
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brendan says:
tory, while i have no issues with anyone expressing their point of view as you have made with this article, and many others have made in comments ive just noticed reading through that their are alot off disillusions about the army, i am thinking that mayby for your next piece… Read more »
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Averill says:
What on earth do we expect of out soldiers? We send them out to bomb and kill ‘the enemy’ and expect them to say nice things about them? Grow up you lot. If you don’t like it YOU go out there and see how you fare. I am damn sure… Read more »
The intonation is crucial.
Australians use the phrase in two quite different ways, and the clue to whether what Mr Abbott said in Afghanistan was disrespectful or not lies in the modulation of his voice.
Did he say ‘shit happens’, meaning ‘get over it, suck it up, spilt milk’? Or did he say ‘shit happens’, meaning ‘nothing could have been done, it was fate, or God’s will.’
Continue reading "Did Abbott say ‘shit happens’, or ‘shit happens’?" »
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Phil says:
John, You are utterly full of it. You have absolutely no idea and think you can force the rest of Australia to think you are right because you are loud about it. MR Abbot has said nothing wrong and trying to imply that he couldn’t care less about soldiers is… Read more »
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John B says:
@Jara. Tony Abbott’s “big problem with rage” ? Unlike Mark Latham breaking a taxi driver’s arm, Abbott didn’t attack Mark Riley. Unlike Mark Latham’s physical intimidation of John Howard with “that” handshake, Abbott didn’t intimidate Riley. Tony Abbott was falsely accused of the most heartless lack of sympathy for a… Read more »
News that up to 21 navy sailors were allegedly running a drug ring from the Garden Island Navy base in Sydney, and that about 30 more were possibly involved in distributing the contraband, has shone the spotlight into a dark corner of military life.
With recent raids uncovering illicit drugs including steroids, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy, the extent of drug trafficking and substance abuse by military personnel is now being exposed and it is not a pretty picture.
The vast majority of navy, army and air force personnel are clean living, law abiding citizens, but for those who aren’t there are many opportunities to take advantage of their status as returning warriors and their mode of military transport to import illegal material.
Continue reading "Is the military using warships to smuggle drugs?" »
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