Wars are sometimes
just, but more often than not they are unjust and their justifications are untrue.
Director Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda films explained our righteous
cause during World War II while Eugene Jarecki's 2005 documentary by the same
name reminded us of the folly of choosing to go to war, needlessly and
recklessly.
Well, one thing
is certainly clear. We did not fight in Afghanistan to provide safe harbor to armed
tribal leaders and police officers there who are pedophiles, rapists and child-slave
owners. Are you kidding me? Kudos to a few in the media this week who chose to refrain from wall-to-wall coverage of Donald Trump for five minutes to showcase some actual American heroes.
Here's the story. Lance Corporal Gregory Buckley, Jr. USMC was shot to death on
his base in southern Afghanistan in 2012. The Stars and Stripes reported at the
time that he was assassinated by a teenage aide to an Afghan commander.
It seems that Buckley had reported to his superiors the sexual abuse of very young boys who
were being held hostage, often chained to beds so their Afghan masters could engage
in bacha bazi or "boy play." He told his dad he could hear
the boys' cries for help during the night. His father, Gregory Buckley, Sr.,
told The New York Times that his son was ordered to mind his business and that this was
part of "their" culture. Really? Buckley, Sr. has filed a lawsuit to
get some answers.
So too, Special
Forces Captain Daniel Quinn had enough of this torture. He thought to himself that
these people were worse than the Taliban, which U.S. forces have bravely if
only temporarily removed at great cost. Quinn beat up a militia goon for keeping
a chained boy by his bedside and was then summarily relieved from his command.
The Army is also trying to forcibly retire Sergeant First Class Charles
Martland, another Special Forces professional who helped Quinn beat up the Afghan pedophile.
This matter
raises serious questions about command authority. Ours is a non-intervention
policy in such matters, at least for the moment. Still, is it ever right to
disobey standing orders? I think history has told us that it is, on extremely
rare occasions and this may be one of them. The
Buckleys, Quinn and Martland are heroes who share the bravery and bad luck of
being ahead of their time. And kudos, as well, to Congressman Duncan Hunter who
is supporting Martland's case. I don't agree with Hunter on many things, but he
speaks well and with authority on this issue as a Marine who served multiple
tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He knows firsthand that this is not Why We
Fight. Better put, this is what we fight against.
Lance Corporal Buckley photo courtesy of The Daily Kos.