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March 28, 2008

What Would Reverend Wright Say?

By: Bernard Chazelle


Hicks's unit opened a furious fusillade, firing wildly into cars, at people scurrying for cover, at anything that moved. Sent in to survey the damage, Hicks found the area littered with human and animal corpses, including women and children, but he saw no military gear or weapons of any kind near the bodies. In the aftermath of the massacre, Hicks was told that his unit had killed 700-800 "enemy combatants." But he knew the dead were not terrorists or insurgents; they were innocent Iraqis. "I will agree to swear to that till the day I die," he said. "I didn't see one enemy on that operation."

Several veterans said it was common to carry a stash of extra automatic weapons and shovels to plant near the bodies of unarmed civilians they had killed to make it look as if they were combatants.

Others described the surreal sensation of committing cold-blooded murder without facing any consequences.

Posted at March 28, 2008 03:55 PM
Comments

What? Is this true? Who is Hicks? Are these mercenaries or what? This seems impossible--how could they kill children? Please explain.

Posted by: Rosemary Molloy at March 28, 2008 05:43 PM

Rosemary,

PFC Clifton Hicks testified about his experiences in Iraq at the Winter Soldier summit earlier this month.

Click on the link (in this case, the first word) to learn more.

Posted by: FearItself at March 28, 2008 05:51 PM

probably something along the lines of the whole 'God Damn America' thing.

Posted by: almostinfamous at March 29, 2008 01:06 AM

This seems all too familiar to anyone who knows anything about Vietnam, unfortunately.

Posted by: Save the Oocytes at March 29, 2008 02:28 AM

ANYBODY throughout history, ANY PLACE on planet earth, EVERYTIME there is a war---1st rule of thumb---kill the women and children first. (and if possible, kill all the men off next)

Posted by: Mike Meyer at March 29, 2008 07:59 AM

Rosemarie, it's just soldiers doing what soldiers ALWAYS do when they are occupying and suppressing an armed, hostile insurgent population. Fear is your friend, and violent instillation of it is your first duty.
We did it in Nam and previously in Korea.
We'll do it at home, too, should it come to that.

Posted by: konopelli/wgg at March 29, 2008 10:45 AM

Rosemary - you seem very uninformed.

Posted by: Susan - NC at March 29, 2008 02:22 PM

You sure she isn't just being sarcastic?

Posted by: En Ming Hee at March 31, 2008 02:54 AM