Two Men Down – Will History Repeat Itself?
This link is the news report that indicates Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, TX and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, OR were not treated per the Geneva Conventions.
I’m sure the news is horribly upsetting for the families, and to every service member we have.
As the news broke today, I think I see something I hope does not become a trend. My thoughts (which I posted at Milblogs:
You know, this has been a long time coming. With all the whining and complaining about “GET OUT NOW!” and “SET A DEADLINE FOR WITHDRAWAL!” going on, the bad guys finally figured out a possible working tactic from 1993…
ala Black Hawk Down.
All that took for the “cut and run” to begin was to drag our troops dead bodies thru the streets while the locals desecrated the soldier’s remains. In this case, it appears the two men made it so they’d have to kill them, before they got yhem to a safe house and could do it in front of a video camera.
I think they figured out killing women and children, contractors and more recently, targeting jounalists wasn’t getting the buzz….so, they thought back on their own history of success and these two young men are the unfortunate ones. I bet they are hoping we will get out and do it in the next few weeks.
I think these guys don’t have a clue who they just messed with. Not that I think they will get the same as payback, but I think they’ll see people with “shoot in their eye” and who are focused like a laser beam on taking out the trash…and it just won’t be pretty for the bad guys.
Pray that strong stomachs and backbones prevail. To show a wave of national nausea at this point will just make more attempts at kidnapping the routine, until they can get the video taped for the world.
(End of my comments)
As the day went on and I was on the road, I recalled the name of a man who’s story has helped me realize my life is not so bad. I suspect these two enlisted troops but up a battle on the way to their end, much like Capt Lance Sijan, USAF, CMOH. Lance’s incredible story of a will that would not be broken is chronicled in “Into the Mouth of the Cat”. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it, for at the least, you’ll know for sure no matter how bad your day is, someone did have it worse.
On a night mission over Laos (as WSO), the bombs fuzed and exploded when they were relased, blowing the wings off the F-4C. His pilot didn’t survive, but Lance did. He was wounded badly (broken leg, dislocated shoulder and missing a part of his skull), yet managed to crawl through the Laotian jungle for 28 days, living off what he could find on the ground, before being found (and, yes, captured) by the NVA. They took him to a gaurd station along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and nursed him back to some degree of helath, whereupon, he took a rifle from his captor, beat him senseless, then took off into the jungle once more, using the rifle as a crutch. He was quickly captured, then sent by truck to Hanoi. He endured terrible beatings and torture, yet yelled back at his tormentors and refused to break. He died in captivity.
Between then and now: The NVA presented to the world that they treated our men graciously, war criminals that they were, an didn’t record for general worldwide viewing, the methods of torture used. Now, the Islamic terrorists try to show us such brutality that we will quit the fight, but I know you are aware of this.
I suspect Pfcs Menchaca and Tucker showed the same spirit to their captors. In this manner, I hope history has repeated itself.
Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post.
Categories: Air Force, Geo-Political, History, Military, Military History, Political
I hope so, too.
I must admit that I’m surprised we haven’t been “treated” to video of them, yet… especially considering that the new leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq is claiming to have killed them. Having video of that would be quite the prize for him. The thought that those two made life very difficult for their captors is the first good thought on this topic that I’ve had all day. Thanks. 🙂
by FbL on Jun 20, 2006 at 5:59 pm
The terrorists are unhinged, and the very embodiment of evil, but they’re not stupid. They know that the only way they can be victorious is for the United States to lose its national will. Barbaric deaths offend Western sensibilities, which naturally expect foes to treat their captives as we do. I pray that the enemies of freedom won’t be emboldened by the astonished reaction by a compliant Western press to the horrific deaths of two brave American soldiers.
by Jason Lomberg on Jun 21, 2006 at 12:47 pm