Ok. I’ve actually been sitting on this story since Friday when Bookhouse Boy sent me the link. Another more left-leaning blog has beaten me to the punch though. I’ll get to why in a second. This was the story that brought me back from my break. Apparently, members of the US Armed Forces stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan are sending in pictures of dead enemy combatants for free membership to an amateur porn site…
At Wilson’s Web site, you can see an Arab man’s face sliced off and placed in a bowl filled with blood. Another man’s head, his face crusted with dried blood and powder burns, lies on a bed of gravel. A man in a leather coat who apparently tried to run a military checkpoint lies slumped in the driver’s seat of a car, his head obliterated by gunfire, the flaps of skin from his neck blooming open like rose petals. Six men in beige fatigues, identified as US Marines, laugh and smile for the camera while pointing at a burned, charcoal-black corpse lying at their feet.
The captions that accompany these images, which were apparently written by the soldiers who posted them, laugh and gloat over the bodies. The soldier who posted a picture of a corpse lying in a pool of his own brains and entrails wrote, “What every Iraqi should look like.” The photograph of a corpse whose jaw has apparently rotted away, leaving a gaping set of upper teeth, bears the caption “bad day for this dude.” One soldier posted three photographs of corpses lying in the street and titled his collection “DIE HAJI DIE.” The soldiers take pride, even joy, in displaying the dead.
One of the pictures on Wilson’s site depicts a woman whose right leg has been torn off by a land mine, and a medical worker is holding the mangled stump up to the camera. The woman’s vagina is visible under the hem of her skirt. The caption for this picture reads: “Nice puss -– bad foot.”
My opinions on these kinds of pictures are well-known. However, I’ve never served in the military. So rather than just post some reactionary knee-jerk reaction like my leftist friends, who tastelessly posted some of these graphic and disturbing pictures, I decided to get the opinions of friends of mine who actually served in the military. The opinions basically were that this is grossly inappropriate, to say the least, but some could understand to an extent since their buddies are over there getting blown up and the terrorists are using these kinds of pictures and videos to celebrate the deaths of US soldiers.
I respect my friends’ opinions. But now let me give you this civilian’s opinion. And let me say that I support the war, and I support our troops, and I’m eternally thankful for the job they do. Having said that let me address those who are taking these pictures of mutilated, burned, and dismembered corpses of terrorists. You represent the United States of America. In my opinion the greatest country on earth. What you are doing is a disservice to your uniform and is a disgrace to all those who have come before you. You do not need to stoop to the depths that the terrorists do. I am not going to sit here and be a hypocrite saying that it’s ok because some of these people are terrorists. What you are doing is morally reprehensible and reflects back on the country you serve. If you really love your country you will stop this barbaric practice. When you take these pictures you are no better than the terrorists you are fighting.
And to the assclown that runs that site, porn site owner is about as sleazy as you can get, you give them a bad name by publishing this sick shit.
I would like to hear from soldiers currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan about their opinions on this. I’d also like to hear from civilians. What I don’t want is to see this degenerate into a debate about the war. This is not what this is about.
Now get to commenting maggots.
The Trench Reynolds Report 
I was with a friend of mine a few weeks ago and he invited his friend over who just came back on a 2 week leave before heading back to Iraq. I didn’t know him so I didn’t get to in depth with what happened but according to him, most of the men over there are having to much fun killing people (civilians and enemy combatants). He said the first time he killed somebody he was kinda in shock for a few minutes until his small group came under fire again and he said his feelings left him completely. He said after the first one he just smiles and laughs when he sees them drop dead to the ground. His friends give high-fives when they get a kill(sounds like a video game to me) and whenever he “relives the memories” (read: watches his bullet get the final blow) he just bursts out laughing because he “took his friend’s kill”. I’m under the impression where he’s stationed the American soldiers see this as a game. I think it’s completely sick. I also had a friend stationed in Iraq that was an engineer, he never killed anybody but still got that feeling of shock I mentioned previously. My friend said his company would always say a prayer for the enemy soldiers when they were gunned down because they saw them as human beings also. Well needless to say the first person I mentioned is still over there while my friend was killed 2 months ago by an enemy sniper after getting out of his humvee to help a civilian who was injured. I guess the moral of this is the only way to survive over there is to leave your soul at home.
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Not having seen the images (but I can imagine them just fine anyway), I have really only a couple of thoughts on it. First, I’m sure this is just the weird aberration of a few individuals or else we would have heard more about it. Second, yeah, this is pretty twisted but I think I know where it comes from. When you’re in the military, there is a tendency towards the macabre anyway. In my own case, we used to sing jodies (cadences for use when marching) that are a little rough around the edges. You do it to show how tough you are, to help deal with hardship, and sometimes because they are pretty funny. But it does tend to leave you short on empathy, which is all to the better if you’re a combat soldier. You’re not supposed to have empathy for the enemy, you’re supposed to help him die for his country! Given the stresses of combat, it’s expected that some of them will try and deal with their stress in unacceptable ways. That DOESN’T MEAN IT’S OK by the way. Just that it happens. The guys need to get in to see a priest or a minister or something. Being hard doesn’t have to mean being a savage… This is an ugly conflict going on, I’d rather these guys get help rather than throw them in the pokey..
Their opinions about what they did will probably change after time. Heck, even the greatest generation did some pretty hairy stuff to the enemy after greasing them…that whole war is hell thing is true, you know?
my two cents after getting back from dodging Hurricane Rita
Sgt Doug
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That is disturbing…..
I don’t care about the photos of dead terrorists and their collaborators so much, but those assholes deserve a flogging for including photos of maimed and dead innocent civilians. Because of such disgraceful activities, I’m going to have a harder time defending our honorable troops from the Left’s tireless accusations of being “fascist bloodthirsty babykillers” with this type of crap going on.
And, you know damn well that the porn site guy isn’t using those images for anything other than furthering the anti-war and anti-American agenda.
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True..it does make it more difficult to defend what you think is right, when someone pulls a suckhead move like this. It really does need to be addressed in the service. I hope my post didn’t come out as excusing their action, only that it doesn’t surprise me for the reasons I mentioned. I agree with you about someone using their pictures for propoganda purposes, but it’s also pretty twisted that someone who WASN’T there, would want to look at something like that…
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Trench scooped the majors by a few days: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/28/web.photos/index.html
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Sorry Trench, I forgot to get back to you on this.
I find it disgusting. There is something I learned when I was “in”. As much as we can all support the troops for the jobs that they do I think that people tyend tofoget one thing:
They are human. Just like me and you. They do stupid and disgusting shit. Like this crap. I don’t think for one second that any of this is okay and I do tend to hold soliders to a higher standard, but the fact remains that they are just people. And stuff like this happens more than you know.
That being said – I’m right there with ya. There is no excuse.
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No worries C-Dude.
And ZC I would have scooped that other blog too if it wasn’t for those meddling kids. I mean…if I didn’t wait on getting an opinion from those who served. Unlike that other blog that just printed a knee jerk reaction with the tasteless pictures in question. Personally I think the webmaster was trying to make the troops look bad.
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I know people who are permanently screwed up from war. My cousin’s friend was found diving in the lake behind his house and stabbing ducks from underneath with his K-bar (Marine issue knife).
Sick sick sick
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FUCK THE LEFT WINGERS, FUCK THE RIGHT WINGERS, AH WHAT THE HELL FUCK ALL OF YOU ASSHOLE MOTHERFUCKERS WHO HAVE NO GODDAMN CLUE WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG IN THIS ASSBACKWARDS WORLD. IS IT YOUR MOTHER OR FATHER OR SISTER OR CHILD IN THOSE PHOTOS? THEN FUCKING LET IT GO!!!THE MANS IN JAIL SO FUCKING DROP IT. YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF VULTURES PICKING OVER A MANS OPINION OF WHAT CONSTITUTED FREE SPEECH AND ENTERTAINMENT, QUITE HONESTLY I COULD REALLY CARE LESS ABOUT A BUNCH OF FUCKING MUSLIM SCUMBAG COCKSUCKERS WHO HAVE BEEN DOING THEIR VERY BEST TO KILL EACH OTHER FOR THE LAST THOUSAND YEARS OR SO, THEY ARE ALL TARGETS WHEN ITS ME OR THEM CAUSE IM COMING HOME REGARDLESS, FUCK THEM AND FUCK YOU!!!!
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