It was just another every day event in downtown Afghanistan in 2010. Our brave Coalition forces were doing their brave duty for their country and helping to keep the free world free although I'm not quite sure what that means anymore? I sat in the comfort of my UK living room on a lazy Autumn afternoon watching my TV as events unfolded on just another day in some back water dusty village in Afghanistan. Some TV camera crew were following a Platoon of American Marines on their latest mission. Apparently some Afghan farmer familiar with the American routine of paying Yankee Dollars for any information regarding the Taliban told a local patrol that he saw the Taliban resting in a nearby village so....B-Platoon who were exhausted after a recent mission where they had lost a friend to an IED [improvised Explosive Device] were ordered to move in and investigate. There were the usual moans about not having enough rest time....that they'd only just got back from the previous mission..had lost a comrade etc all ignored by their commander who told them to get off their asses and make some kills as theres bad guys in that village yonder.
It was a blistering hot afternoon and the mood amongst the Platoon was sombre as they slowly paced forward across the dusty field at the north of the village. They knew the drill after countless other missions in this never ending game of cat + mouse with the enemy. Trouble was they can never distinguish the Taliban from the innocent locals because they all wore the same Tribal garb of flowing sack like gowns and cloth head dress. The guys in the Platoon all called them Ragheads and had little respect for their traditions. All they could think of was witnessing the bloody human remains of fellow Marines blown up by IED's over the past 6 months of tour duty. it made the most compassionate of men hardened and insensitive to human suffering. such ugly unthinkable scenes caused a trauma and weariness in war torn men and they knew it paid to be ready for immediate action..oh yes they were trigger happy because it kept you alive in this place.
They crept up to the perimeter of the village and ahead of them were a small group of children playing which was the norm. a few Afghan men having noticed the approaching soldiers scurried away in fear although this could so easily be mis-interpreted as suspicious to the untrained eye. a while later others rushed inside buildings slamming the door and covering windows. There was only one thing in the Marines minds as they broke cover and rushed forward in a group shouting out orders with guns at the ready and that is the report says there are Taliban here! Doors were kicked in and amongst the sudden chaos a few stun grenades were thrown into dwellings causing screams and shouts amongst the terrified locals. Shots were fired and no one really knew if it was from your fellow Marines or the enemy....tension..fear..mayhem..all the ingredients of this situation. It was almost a normal reaction that one Marine heard firing and thought it was coming from a nearby dwelling so fired a propelled grenade from his assault rifle through the window. A huge bang and it was all suddenly quiet.
Fifteen minutes later and it was alover. All buildings were declared cleared and safe. the locals had been rounded up in the centre of the compound and were being interrogated. some were sitting on the ground placid with their hands tied by plastic ties while mothers were crying and children shaking in fear. A few Afghan men were shouting in agitated tones and waving their arms around but as far as the Marines were concerned it was a successful mission with no casualties taken. The village elders managed to speak in broken English that they had been mistaken..that there were no Talban here at all..that they had mistakenly killed innocent people.
Then it all came to light...The two buildings where grenades had been fired into one of them contained a mother and her two children..they had been frightened and were afraid to come out of the building. The distraught father of that family was lead forward by an Elder and could barely stand up in his sobbing grief. The Marine Lieutenant was shown inside one of the buildings to find the scattered bloody bodies of two small children..one a little girl of around 10 in her ragged dress and a boy of 5 or so..in the corner lay the mother with her stomach ripped open and flies were already feasting on her warm blood in that damning heat. The Lieutenant barely showed any emotion as he scanned the scene...he'd seen it all before so many times and it was a consequence of war.
He ordered the medic to give the father some sedative to calm him down. through the village elder he tried to console him and explain as best he could that sadly mistakes happen in this war environment and his men were there to protect them and not harm them. The father looked up with a cold expression and dead eyes filled with tears...it was his wife..his son..his daughter. His life was destroyed in an instant and why?
It is standard procedure with the Marines that if such incidents occur then the commander of any Platoon are authorized to pay instant compensation to any innocent surviving victims of comflict and they carry an amount of money for this very purpose. The standard amount per life is $2,500 each....so the Marine private carefully counted out $7,500 and handed it to the almost lifeless father while explaining through the village elder that this was monetary compensation in order to help him get over his loss. shorty after this the Company departed from the village and headed back to base for some much needed rest time..they were relieved they had survived another day in this hot hell hole and upheld the flag of Freedom for these backward people. CALLEN
Words of Wisdom......"Great minds have always encountered violent opposition from.....mediocre minds"
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