Our troops are not cold-hearted killers. In our "good" war of the Greatest Generation, our troops killed prisoners rather than be bothered with escorting them to the rear, stole civilian property, shot civilians for sport, and abused civilians. And our troops were well-behaved compared to the troops of other countries. War is ugly, people. This study revealed something that is true about war in general and not specific to Iraq.
Strategypage has my six on this about a study I was unaware of:
What's interesting about these responses is that they are remarkably similar to those given by soldiers during opinion surveys conducted by the military during World War II. The surveys were conducted by the Research Branch of the Information and Education Division of the U.S. Army. Those pioneering surveys established, for those who hadn't already figured it out already, the importance of the formation of small groups of soldiers who knew and trusted each other well. It was also made clear that the combat troops were fighting mainly to get it over with, and to not let their buddies down. Mom, the American flag and apple pie had nothing to do with it, nor did speeches and exhortations from big shots back home. It was all about survival.
Next plastic turkey issue, please. This attitude is something to be dealt with and not something unique to Iraq. And it doesn't mean our troops are actually brutal. Look how far back our enemies had to go to justify their latest terrorism.
