The Guardian runs an op-ed by Tim Predmore, a soldier in the 101^st Airborne, who is mightily unhappy about the war in Iraq (reprinted from the Peoria Journal Star in late August). You know, the war is really about oil and the like. But two things caught my attention. First this:

As soldiers serving in Iraq, we have been told that our purpose is to help the people of Iraq by providing them with the necessary assistance militarily, as well as in humanitarian efforts. Then tell me where the humanity is in the recent account in Stars and Stripes (the newspaper of the US military) of two young children brought to a US military camp by their mother in search of medical care.

The two children had, unknowingly, been playing with explosive ordnance they had found, and as a result they were severely burned. The account tells how, after an hour-long wait, they - two children - were denied care by two US military doctors. A soldier described the incident as one of many "atrocities" on the part of the US military he had witnessed.

There is another curious bit. Predmore writes:

I once believed that I was serving for a cause - "to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States". Now I no longer believe that; I have lost my conviction, as well as my determination. I can no longer justify my service on the basis of what I believe to be half-truths and bold lies. With age comes wisdom, and at 36 years old I am no longer so blindly led as to believe without question.

Here's a link to a lefty website that carries the story of the injured children as it appeared in the AP.

Several details are different but it is essentially the same story. The doctors' apparent callousness is disturbing.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0623-09.htm

Still, it sounds like Predmore is depressed but instead of suicide, he's decided to buck for early rotation home and/or a dishonorable discharge. He sounds like Timothy McVeigh. Hope he gets some counseling. And a punch in the mouth.

Interesting comments, but the one that raises a question for me is the enlistment at 31. I realize that it is within the age requirements but it seems to me an unusual age for a first enlistment during peacetime.

The children story is old, old, old. They had been seen at the local, fully functioning Iraqi hospital. When they appeared at the US camp, doctors were summoned. No one was suffering a life threatening condition. Patients involved required care that is NOT provides at that level of Army hospital (on going rehab and treatment). They were sent back to their local hospital.

The story from the Philadelphia Inquirer is here

Silflay Hraka wrote the Army about this and the response he received is here

You can enlist in the armed forced up to the age of thirty-five. That said -- speaking as an ex-Marine officer -- it is odd to see 31-year-olds enlist, especially in a "tough" (for the U.S, Army -- yes, I'm letting some of my perfectly justifiable Marine prejudices against the Army come out here) unit like the 101st Airborne, which still requires jump school and air-assault training, both of which are genuine ass-kickers, even for limber 20-year-olds.

That said, if a serving soldier did write it, I agree with the poster above who stated he's probably angling for a discharge, the pussy.

Actually, the 101st Airborne is no longer truly airborne. They carry the moniker from WWII for the sake of tradition, but the troops do not have to go through jump school. They converted to air mobile (i.e., helicopter borne) in the '60s, I believe.

I served in the USAF for six years, and resigned my commission after the gulf war. I'm no lefty, but I finally realized I'd no stomach for what I was doing. Sorry.

Anyway, this letter strikes me as utterly fake.

In my experience, no enlisted person would write a letter like this for publication - there was too much indoctrination against it. We were continuously indoctrinated against wearing the uniform while holding politically controversial opinions.

In the end I think this letter is from one of two sources:

- a journalist looking for a paycheck
- an unhappy troop looking for an administrative discharge

My experience with the volunteer professionals in the US military really doesn't allow other explanations.