vance
June 6, 2002, 3:52pm
1
I received this email recently…
U.S. soldier told to kill women and children in Afghanistan
Some U.S. armed forces were told to kill women and children during ‘Operation Anaconda’ in Afghanistan, according to the Ithacha (NY) Journal (http://ithacajournal.com ), which interviewed a local soldier about his experience there. “‘We were told there were no friendly forces,’ said [Army Private Matt] Guckenheimer, an assistant gunner with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum. ‘If there was anybody there, they were the enemy. We
Guckenheimer told the Journal that “he loved learning about tanks and guns and watching battle scenes on TV when he was young.” He also mentioned the alienation he noticed in the U.S. upon returning: “After living in a Third World country, where people he didn’t know would smile or say hello to him
Full story:http://portland.indymedia.org:8081/front.php3?article_id=12042&group=webcast
This has to be hogwash, right?
Sounds to me like someone with an axe to grind, or someone who possibly misunderstood the rules of engagement. I can’t imagine he would have received orders explicity authorizing the shooting of unarmed women and children.
UDS
June 6, 2002, 4:10pm
3
Well, I hope it is, but I don’t see why it has to be.
UDS
June 6, 2002, 4:20pm
4
Well, I hope it is, but I don’t see why it has to be.
Yes, it’s hogwash, and Matt Guckenheimer was a little pissed off about it, from the tone of his letter to the editor .
Prior to the operation, we were made aware of the fact that the hostile forces of the Whaleback might include women and children. In that event, if those women and children showed hostile intent, we were ordered to kill them as hostile forces, just like any other hostile force we encountered. However, this does not mean that we were ordered to slaughter noncombatants such as babies.