Shame

A person who wears a uniform was convicted recently of murdering Afghan civilians and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.  This individual was apparently part of a unit that participated in murdering civilians, mutilating the bodies of Afghans, using drugs in the field, and beating up a soldier who reported the behavior.

You'll notice I didn't use the title "soldier" to describe this cretin.  A soldier is someone who accepts the responsibilities of the uniform and acts accordingly.  The military has a very clearly defined set of rules to live by, and this guy didn't even come close.  He's not a soldier, he's just a guy in a green suit, and now he wants us to believe that after having some time to think it over, he believes that what he did in Afghanistan is wrong.

What he and his partners in crime did violated the trust of the nation they swore to serve.  Yeah, I'm not a fan of how the war in Afghanistan has been fought, or the goals that have been set for it, but in no way do I think that targeting non-combatants, brutalizing other soldiers, and using drugs in a combat zone can be excused under any circumstances.

What this guy and the bunch of savages he led did was deserving of much more than he or any of them will get.  I'm proud of my service and the service of my family stretching back to the Civil War.  These people put a stain on our uniform.  I'm always overly critical of soldiers who break the law, because I feel that they should be held to a higher standard of conduct than the average citizen.

This guy should be executed in full view of his unit so that they, and the entire world, know that we hold ourselves, and especially our soldiers, responsible for what they do.