“No, No That One I Keep Just For Me.”
May 20th, 2007 by GoldFalcon
*Tracked Back At:
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (who I’m happy as hell to see is still around and blogging. Beth’s no slacker like Yours Truly. Though, now I want to know how I can get banned in Red China and India too)
Man who claimed war crimes in Iraq charged with falsifying record
You know, if there is one military truism that outranks the venerable “The only difference between a Fairy Tale and War Story is that one starts ‘Once Upon A Time…’ and the other starts ‘So There I Was…’ it would have to be that the fella who is most willing to tell you about all of the evil, despicable, horrendous, evil shit that he has done is also the fella least likely to have done said evil shit.
Ya know what I did in the Army? I drove stuff mostly. Got shot at twice, never shot back, jumped out of a bunch of airplanes and a couple of helos, got lucky enough to be in an Airborne Infantry unit where all of my platoon sergeants were former RTB (that’s Ranger Training Battalion) instructors so I got to learn a few things. That’s it. My Army Career was most notable for what it taught me, gave me, and for the connections and friendships it allowed me to make.
So why I am telling you all of this?
Because that’s the experience that most –read 90%– of the military folks you are gonna meet have had too. If they tell you about the secret missions they ran, the people they killed, the horrors they endured they are likely lying, drunk or (even more likely) both.
I know plenty of combat vets. I talk to many of ‘em on a daily basis. Some I consider my best friends and have known for years. We share a common bond of experiences and outlooks, and even some interests. But ya know what I know they are never going to talk to me about, no matter how well I know ‘em? Their combat experiences. Why? Because it isn’t a matter of discussion for people who were not there and they know, instinctually, that people who have not had that experience do not possess the proper frame of reference to process it.
So, again, the joker talking to every reporter about all the heinous shit he did is most likely the guy who didn’t get to do shit and now feels guilty about his lack of participation in a defining moment of his generation; so whether out of self-loathing or resentment, or bitterness, or as a play for sympathy, he talks himself up.
It’s just that freaking simple.
