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Title: Slain SEAL’s dad wants answers: ‘Don’t hide behind my son’s death’
Source:
MiamiHerald.com
URL Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/pol ... vernment/article135064074.html
Published: Feb 26, 2017
Author: JULIE K. BROWN
Post Date: 2017-02-26 15:55:18 by Ada
Keywords: None
Views: 747
Comments: 36
William ‘Ryan’ Owens was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. Owens is the first known combat casualty under President Trump. William Owens, clutching a photo of son Ryan, the SEAL killed in a January commando raid, says the administration is wrong to say that anyone who questions the raid does his son a disservice. William Owens’ home in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea holds the medals his son earned, some of them posthumously. He was determined ‘to be the best,’ the father says. A family photo of William ‘Ryan’ Owens, who was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. Owens was the first known U.S. combat casualty under President Trump. A family photo of William ‘Ryan’ Owens, who was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. The younger Owens served under three presidents and met one of them: Barack Obama. One family photo shows him playing with the Obamas’ dog. This photo is from a visit to the White House. The younger Owens served under three presidents and met one of them: Barack Obama. This photo is from a visit to the White House. William Owens stands with his son, William ‘Ryan’ Owens, in front of a helicopter in a family photo. Ryan Owens was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. Owens is the first known combat casualty under President Trump. A family photo of John Owens with his brother, William ‘Ryan’ Owens. Ryan, at right, was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. Owens is the first known combat casualty under President Trump. Ryan dreamed of serving in the military from a very early age, his father says. In this family photo, he is playing soldier with his older brothers. A family photo of the Owens men, from left to right: Michael, William, Ryan and John. William ‘Ryan’ Owens was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. Owens is the first known combat casualty under President Trump. William Owens, clutching a photo of son Ryan, the SEAL killed in a January commando raid, says the administration is wrong to say that anyone who questions the raid does his son a disservice. When they brought William “Ryan” Owens home, the Navy SEAL was carried from a C-17 military plane in a flag-draped casket, onto the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base, as President Donald Trump, his daughter, Ivanka, and Owens’ family paid their respects. It was a private transfer, as the family had requested. No media and no bystanders, except for some military dignitaries. Owens’ father, Bill, had learned only a short time before the ceremony that Trump was coming. Owens was sitting with his wife, Marie, and other family members in the solemn, living room-like space where the loved ones of the fallen assemble before they are taken to the flight line. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to see him,’’ Owens recalled telling the chaplain who informed him that Trump was on his way from Washington. “I told them I don’t want to meet the President.” It had been little more than 24 hours since six officers in dress uniform knocked on the door to Owens’ home in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. It was not yet daylight when he answered the door, already knowing in the pit of his stomach what they had come to tell him. William Owens shows the medals his son earned, some of them posthumously.Emily MichotMiami Herald Staff Now, Owens cringed at the thought of having to shake the hand of the president who approved the raid in Yemen that claimed his son’s life — an operation that he and others are now calling into question. “I told them I didn’t want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn’t let me talk to him,” Owens said Friday, speaking out for the first time in an interview with the Miami Herald. Owens, also a military veteran, was troubled by Trump’s harsh treatment of a Gold Star family during his presidential campaign. Now Owens was a Gold Star parent, and he said he had deep reservations about the way the decision was made to launch what would be his son’s last mission. Ryan and as many as 29 civilians were killed Jan. 28 in the anti-terrorism mission in Yemen. What was intended as a lightning raid to grab cellphones, laptops and other information about terrorists turned into a nearly hour- long firefight in which “everything went wrong,” according to U.S. military officials who spoke to the New York Times. Bill Owens said he was assured that his son, who was shot, was killed early in the fight. It was the first military counter-terrorist operation approved by the new president, who signed the go-ahead Jan. 26 — six days into his term. “Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn’t even barely a week into his administration? Why? For two years prior, there were no boots on the ground in Yemen — everything was missiles and drones — because there was not a target worth one American life. Now, all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?’’ In a statement from the White House Saturday, spokesman Michael C. Short called Ryan Owens “an American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of his country.” The White House did not address his father’s criticisms, but pointed out that the Department of Defense routinely conducts a review of missions that result in loss of life. Bill Owens and his wife sat in another room as the President paid his respects to other family members. He declined to say what family members were at the ceremony. Trump administration officials have called the mission a success, saying they had seized important intelligence information. They have also criticized detractors of the raid, saying those who question its success dishonor Ryan Owens’ memory. His father, however, believes just the opposite. “Don’t hide behind my son’s death to prevent an investigation,” said the elder Owens, pointing to Trump’s sharp words directed at the mission’s critics, including Sen. John McCain. “I want an investigation. … The government owes my son an investigation,” he said. A family photo of William ‘Ryan’ Owens, who was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. Owens was the first known U.S. combat casualty under President Trump. Courtesy of the Owens family Among the elite Next week, Ryan Owens would have turned 37. At the time of his death, he had already spent half his life in the Navy, much of that with the elite SEAL Team 6 — chasing terrorist leaders across deserts and mountains around the world. The team, formally known as DEVGRU,had taken part in some of the most high-profile operations in military history, including the killing of al- Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. At the time of the 2001 9/11 attacks, Owens was in SEAL training, arguably the most physically grueling and mentally grinding regimens in the military. The team, tasked with tracking terrorists and mythologized in books and movies, had once been dubbed a “global manhunting machine” by the Times. Despite the lore surrounding the SEALS’ exploits, almost everything about them is kept secret, even their names. Bill Owens knows very little about the actions that his son participated in, but takes pride in the dozens of awards he earned during his 12 deployments. Among them: the Silver Star, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. William Owens’ home in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea holds the medals his son earned, some of them posthumously. He was determined ‘to be the best,’ the father says.Emily MichotMiami Herald Staff Ryan served under three U.S. presidents, and met former President Barack Obama, his father said. At his home on Friday, Bill Owens pulled out piles of photographs: Ryan as a toddler, clad in a brown military jumpsuit on his father’s lap; Ryan with his two older brothers playing army as kids; Ryan’s wedding picture; Ryan with his children and Ryan clad in military gear with a handful of his SEAL teammates. There’s one of Ryan sitting on the floor in the White House playing with Obama’s dogs. Ryan joined the Navy after high school, following in his brothers’ footsteps. His brother, John, 42, was also a SEAL, and his oldest brother, Michael, 44, a Hollywood police officer, was also in the Navy for a time. They in turn were inspired by their father: Bill Owens served four years in the Navy, then joined the Army Reserves in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Ryan was born in downstate Peoria. While in the Reserves, Bill worked for Caterpillar tractor company, until he was laid off during the recession in the 1980s. Shortly thereafter, he saw a notice in a military magazine for new recruits for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and he successfully applied. Owens and his then-wife, Ryan’s mother Patricia, moved with Ryan to South Florida. His elder sons remained with Owens’ first wife in Illinois. Despite the distance between them, the half-brothers were very close, Owens said. They played sports and spent many summers and holidays together. Ryan and his brothers became interested in the military at a very young age. And Ryan dreamed of becoming a SEAL. “He was always happy,” Bill Owens said of Ryan. “Every picture you see he has a smile on his face. He just had a real positive attitude.” He was also driven. Ryan was so determined “to be the best” his father said, that when he failed the dive phase of SEAL training, he went out and hired a private instructor to get more training on his off time, and was initially certified as a civilian. “He went out on his own and became more proficient. That’s the kind of dedication and determination that he had,” his father said. Bill Owens’ marriage to Ryan’s mother ended soon after they moved to South Florida, and Patricia, who also became a Fort Lauderdale police officer, eventually moved with Ryan and her new husband back to Peoria. She died in 2013. Ryan spent summers and holidays with his father and brothers in Fort Lauderdale and played catcher during the school year for the Illinois Valley Central High School baseball team, the Grey Ghosts. Ryan dreamed of serving in the military from a very early age, his father says. In this family photo, he is playing soldier with his older brothers. Courtesy of the Owens family A SEAL’s heartache Standing 6-4, and weighing about 225 pounds, Ryan loved the physical part of the job and serving his country, even though it took him away from his family much of the year. “I always kept hoping that we would eventually make up for lost time, but that’s not going to happen,” his father said. Ryan’s military career wasn’t always filled with the adrenaline of hostage rescue missions and midnight raids. In between, there were endless hours of training and planning. There was also the heartache of losing his military brothers. Ryan was tasked in 2011 with escorting the bodies of 17 of his fellow SEALS home following a CH-47 helicopter crash in Afghanistan, his father said. “He came back from Afghanistan and had to go to their funerals. It’s unnerving to go through something like that. It was one of the worst days in SEAL history as far as casualties go. He didn’t talk about it,” his father said. “A lot of them, they don’t talk about it, even with their parents.” Doomed mission Owens and his SEAL commandos set out in the dark of night. Planning for the Yemen raid began last year during the Obama administration, but the execution was tabled because it was decided it would be better to launch the operation on a moonless night, which wouldn’t occur until after President Trump took office Jan. 20. According to a timeline provided by the White House, then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn briefed the president about the operation Jan. 25 over a dinner that included Vice President Mike Pence, Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and top security aides. It was not held in the Situation Room, as had been a practice under previous administrations. President Trump signed the memo authorizing the action the next day, Jan. 26. The younger Owens served under three presidents and met one of them: Barack Obama. This photo is from a visit to the White House. Courtesy of the Owens family “This was a very, very well thought-out and executed effort,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Feb. 2 as questions first arose about the mission. He stressed that it had been thoroughly vetted and planned on Obama’s watch. Colin Kahl, a national security adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden, however, tweeted his contention that Spicer was mistaken. “Obama made no decisions on this before leaving office, believing it represented escalation of U.S. involvement in Yemen,” he wrote on Twitter. At the time of the firefight, Trump was not in the Situation Room, where he would have been directly involved in monitoring developments. Spicer said he kept in touch with his national security staffers, who were directly plugged in. White House officials also pointed out that, in general, counter- terrorism operations are routine and presidents are not in the Situation Room for every mission. U.S. forces, targeting a suspected al-Qaida compound, immediately faced armed militants, a sign that their cover had been blown. The Washington Post reported that militants, some of them women, fired from the rooftops. Three other commandos were injured when an MV-22 Osprey, sent in to evacuate the troops, crash-landed. It was later destroyed by a U.S. airstrike to prevent it from falling into militant hands. Some reports have said as many as 23 civilians, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed. Afterward, McCain characterized the mission as a failure, and Trump responded with a series of tweets defending the Yemen action, and criticizing McCain. The rancor further escalated when Spicer later stated that McCain — or anyone — who “undermines the success of that raid owes an apology and a disservice to life of Chief Owens.” There is no SEAL mission that is without risk, said Don Mann, a 21-year veteran Navy SEAL, now retired. Mann, the author of “Inside SEAL Team Six: My Life and Missions with America’s Elite Warriors,” said that if the assault team knew ahead of time that it had been compromised, the SEAL commanders on the ground had the ability to abort the raid at any time. Some reports said that they did know, and went forward anyway. “The SEALS, unlike other forces, make their decision on the ground and that decision — in this case — cost a life, which is very very tragic, but that’s war,” Mann said. “These people are good human beings. It weighs heavily on them. Seeing one person die, especially a teammate or friend, is beyond comprehension.” He said it’s natural that Owens’ loved ones would have questions about what happened, but they shouldn’t be swayed by the politics surrounding the tragedy. “Nobody knows the truth of what happened except the person on the ground. When politicians get it, they warp it far from the truth,” he said. Powerful hands There were so many SEALS at Ryan’s service at Arlington National Cemetery that his father’s arm got tired from shaking so many muscled hands. At the end, before his coffin was lowered, each of the SEALS removed their badges from their uniforms and pounded them one by one into the casket. When it over, the casket was covered in gold eagle tridents. Bill Owens doesn’t want to talk about Ryan’s wife or his three young children. There are other things that he believes should remain private. He spoke out, he says, at the risk of offending some of his family and friends. William Owens said he had deep reservations about the way the decision was made to launch what would be his son’s last mission.Emily MichotMiami Herald Staff “I’d like some answers about all the things that happened in the timeline that led up to it. I know what the timeline is, and it bothers me a lot,” said Owens, who acknowledges he didn’t vote for Donald Trump. One aspect of the chain of events that nags at him is the fact that the president signed the order suspending the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on Jan. 27 — the day before the mission. Owens wonders whether that affected friendly forces in Yemen who were assisting with the raid. “It just doesn’t make any sense to do something to antagonize an ally when you’re going to conduct a mission in that country,” he said. “Did we alienate some of the people working with them, translators or support people. Maybe they decided to release information to jeopardize the mission.” These are only some of the many questions that Owens believes should be thoroughly examined, including the possibility that the decision to move forward with the mission was motivated by politics. “I think these are valid questions. I don’t want anybody to think I have an agenda, because I don’t. I just want the truth.” McClatchy reporters Vera Bergengruen and Anita Kumar contributed from Washington. A LIFE OF SERVICE Read more here: www.miamiherald.com/news/politics- government/article135064074.html#storylink=cpy
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#1. To: Ada (#0)
I missed the part of this article that places blame for the mission failure squarely on leaks from Obama administration underlings who did it to undermine President Trump at the cost of U.S. casualties??
-Alex Kurtagic
#2. To: Ada, X-15 (#0)
This is a sad scene no matter how you look at it. But it is plain that this mission was in the planning stages for some time before it took place. Also it does seem that their cover might have been blown. But no way to know for certain. ;)
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
#3. To: X-15 (#1)
Initial report was that they were making so much noise coming in that Helen Keller could have spotted them.
#4. To: BTP Holdings (#2)
Thus an investigation is called for. Also it does seem that their cover might have been blown. But no way to know for certain. ;)
#5. To: Ada (#0)
Thought I should add the above because it hadn't been mentioned. And this father is a shithead. "Veteran"? He was in the peacetime anchor-clanking Navy,and then in the Army reserves. Never heard a shot fired and never tried to hear a shot fired. Guess what,Bubba? People get killed on raids. I know you seem to think this is some sort of secret,but it's not. Real life ain't Hollywood. If anyone is to blame for your son's death,it is you and him. You for pumping up your non-existent "sacrifices" and encouraging your sons to join the military,and his for volunteering for the SEALS and making a career out of it. Owens is the first known combat casualty under President Trump.
#6. To: X-15 (#1)
I'm sure that was just an oversight.(extreme sarcasm) I missed the part of this article that places blame for the mission failure squarely on leaks from Obama administration underlings who did it to undermine President Trump at the cost of U.S. casualties??
#7. To: sneakypete (#5)
Yes, he was a volunteer, i.e., a mercenary. But just like an ordinary worker, his employer should have not exposed him to stupidity and depraved indifference. If anyone is to blame for your son's death,it is you and him. You for pumping up your non-existent "sacrifices" and encouraging your sons to join the military,and his for volunteering for the SEALS and making a career out of it.
#8. To: Ada (#7)
What constitutes an ...unordinary worker...? Yes, he was a volunteer, i.e., a mercenary. But just like an ordinary worker, his employer should have not exposed him to stupidity and depraved indifference.
#9. To: Cynicom (#8)
Someone employed by the military, of course, who has different privileges and immunities. What constitutes an ...unordinary worker...?
#10. To: Ada (#9)
It would be worthwhile to learn the root English and French derivation of the word "ordinary". There is NO discussion of "unordinary worker". Someone employed by the military, of course, who has different privileges and immunities.
#11. To: Cynicom, Ada, 4 (#10)
unordinary worker = slacker
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
#12. To: Lod (#11)
My first baptism of fire in classic social snobbery was about 70 years ago while in high school. Some state form had to be filled out by the school Principal during interview with each student. One question was, "what is your Fathers occupation", I told him carpenter, he wrote down "laborer". That is when I did some research and decided never to leave the bottom rung of society, never have never will.
#13. To: Ada (#7)
Are you a mercenary? You volunteered to get married,right? Does that make you a whore? Yes, he was a volunteer, i.e., a mercenary.
#14. To: Ada (#9)
That's odd. I was a career NCO in the US Army,and try as I might,I have a tough time coming up with any privileges I received. Unless maybe you mean the privileges of going 30 days at a time on training missions with no days off,sleeping in the rain with no shelter,working 10 hour days 5 days a week and half days on Saturday,going to vacation spots like Viet Nam,Cambodia,and Laos,etc,etc,etc. Someone employed by the military, of course, who has different privileges and immunities.
#15. To: sneakypete (#13)
I worked for money for 50 years. That makes me a mercenary. A whore is someone who trades virtue (sexual or otherwise) for money. Are you a mercenary? You volunteered to get married,right? Does that make you a whore?
#16. To: sneakypete (#14)
My error. Privileges and immunities applies to U.N. peacekeepers who are permitted to rape with immunity. Nevertheless, wearing the US uniform, does not relieve responsibility.
#17. To: Cynicom (#10)
Consider a civilian worker as ordinary. For the sake of argument you might even call a policeman an ordinary worker. Every so often one of them is killed in the line of duty but never because his chief or the mayor orders a stupid, ill-considered assault.
#18. To: Ada (#16)
Who told you that lie,and why do you believe it? Privileges and immunities applies to U.N. peacekeepers who are permitted to rape with immunity.
#19. To: Ada (#17)
You need to get out more. Stupid,ill-considered assaults happen somewhere in on a daily basis. . For the sake of argument you might even call a policeman an ordinary worker. Every so often one of them is killed in the line of duty but never because his chief or the mayor orders a stupid, ill-considered assault.
#20. To: sneakypete (#13) (Edited)
No, that makes for a legal whore and beneficial for tax purposes. Are you a mercenary? You volunteered to get married,right? Does that make you a whore?
#21. To: Cynicom (#8) (Edited)
My late friend was classified as an unordinary worker as they were subcontracted by the US government to work on black projects. Also an unordinary worker would apply to those who work in underground drilling construction under the earth for the government in discreet underground facilities. Of course, with your security clearance, you would know of this.
#22. To: sneakypete (#18)
U.N. peacekeepers are notorious. UN peacekeepers immunityWho told you that lie,and why do you believe it?
#23. To: purplerose, all (#21)
During Korean war, I was proud of being the only PNC in the Air Force. Of course, with your security clearance, you would know of this.
#24. To: Cynicom (#12)
Criminy, I know you say you're olde, but please tell me, your father's name wasn't Jesus perhaps? You're lucky, Dad. At least you made a rung. Look down. Yeah, that's me, the one in the faded black jacket, desperately jumping for your rung from the ground. (I'm not picking on you, but a couple of your posts struck my irony bone. Probably the pain. You know I like you even though we don't always agree.) One question was, "what is your Fathers occupation", I told him carpenter, he wrote down "laborer".
That is when I did some research and decided never to leave the bottom rung of society, never have never will.
Godfrey Smith: Mike, I wouldn't worry. Prosperity is just around the corner.
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#25. To: Esso (#24)
Well now 85 to be exact. I have one WWII vet friend left and no Korean vet friends left. Criminy, I know you say you're olde,
#26. To: Ada (#22)
They HAVE to have immunity from local prosecution for an abundance of reasons,ranging from not understanding local customs to being persecuted by the government of the area they are occupying for political reasons. In ALL cases they are NOT free from prosecution by their home nation. I had a friend on Okinawa that was given a 30 year sentence for murder for killing a bar owner with a knife,despite the FACT a Marine had pulled a knife on him in a bar fight,so he pulled his own knife in self defense. When the bar owner grabbed him he though he was being grabbed by a pal of the Marine so he could be stabbed,so naturally he stabbed the Mofo that grabbed him. In MY opinion,anyone dumb enough to grab somebody involved in a knife fight NEEDS to be stabbed. Preferably before he breeds. Such prosecutions are exceptionally rare, with most countries simply allowing soldiers to return home without any repercussions. U.N. staff, part of the international civil service, have immunity from the jurisdiction of courts in any country in the world, including their own nations. While the secretary-general can waive that immunity, in practice this does not happen.
#27. To: sneakypete (#26)
The type of immunity you are talking about is called diplomatic immunity. And I would love to see this challenged all the way to the US Supreme Court. I would challenge this based on one question: Does the doctrine of diplomatic immunity take precedence over the United States Constitution where the defense solely rests upon their immunity, customs, policies, and laws with the intent of superceding our laws? They HAVE to have immunity from local prosecution for an abundance of reasons,ranging from not understanding local customs to being persecuted by the government of the area they are occupying for political reasons.
#28. To: sneakypete (#26)
They HAVE to have immunity from local prosecution for an abundance of reasons,
#29. To: purplerose (#27)
Does the doctrine of diplomatic immunity take precedence over the United States Constitution where the defense solely rests upon their immunity, customs, policies, and laws with the intent of superceding our laws? You are like a dog chasing and biting it's tail,and wanting to catch that pain in the ass and teach it a lesson. SOLDIERS don't HAVE diplomatic immunity. Period. COUNTRIES and DIPLOMATS have diplomatic immunity. What soldiers have is the guarantee that if they are arrested or charged with any crimes,it will be their home nations that arrest them and bring them to trial. There IS no immunity from crimes for soldiers. You have your panties all in a wad over something that doesn't exist. The type of immunity you are talking about is called diplomatic immunity. And I would love to see this challenged all the way to the US Supreme Court. I would challenge this based on one question:
#30. To: sneakypete (#29)
There IS no immunity from crimes for soldiers. You have your panties all in a wad over something that doesn't exist. Right. These are covered by "status of forces agreements" which establish jurisdiction that the United States negotiates with host countries in question. What soldiers have is the guarantee that if they are arrested or charged with any crimes,it will be their home nations that arrest them and bring them to trial.
#31. To: Ada (#28)
They certainly do a lot of them So,accusations are the same as guilty verdicts to you? You have obviously never lived in a foreign country while serving in the military or in the diplomatic corps,or you would understand the difference between diplomatic immunity and Force Agreements between host and assisting governments,and understand why military members serving in foreign countries MUST be charged and put on trial under OUR legal system if any accusations are made. If it weren't that way,extorting the US government for bogus charges would be so common soldiers would spend more time testifying in their defense than soldiering. They HAVE to have immunity from local prosecution for an abundance of reasons,
#32. To: randge (#30)
ALL countries do this to protect their soldiers from scams as well as to prevent radicals from creating international news reports for political purposes. Right. These are covered by "status of forces agreements" which establish jurisdiction that the United States negotiates with host countries in question.
#33. To: sneakypete (#31)
Its the UN peacekeepers we are talking about and they rape with impunity. From the above-linked article: Kosovo in the early 1990s. As the frequency has increased, so has impunity for the perpetrators, partly because responsibility for punishment falls to home countries. The UN can send troops home and document the reasons why, but it can’t impose criminal charges or jail offenders. “The UN is famous as a place where rapists get away with rape,” said Paula Donovan, co-founder and director of Aids-Free World. The latest scandals go back to 2013 when boys at a refugee camp in C.A.R.’s capital, Bangui, say they were ordered to perform oral sex and raped by peacekeepers from France, Chad and Equatorial Guinea. A UN official produced a report which was sent to the human rights office in Geneva as well as to Unicef, the children’s agency. Neither took action. So,accusations are the same as guilty verdicts to you?
#34. To: sneakypete (#29)
SOLDIERS don't HAVE diplomatic immunity. Period. COUNTRIES and DIPLOMATS have diplomatic immunity. A diplomat may be defined as a person outside the US representing their nation. A country is not defined as a diplomat. A representative such as an ambassador for that country is a diplomat. They have "diplomatic immunity" when they come into our country. Unfortunately the law states these representatives ("diplomats") are shielded from personal liability. US soldiers have no business being associated with the UN as "peace officers". They also have no business taking orders from the UN as it violates the oath they swore to protect the US. Unfortunately US soldiers are governed by the UN and have those protections as well. It is for this reason that they have diplomatic immunity. www.thenewamerican.com/wo...-our-un-american-military Remember the case of the soldiers in 2003 who were charged with high crimes of waterboarding the Iraqi's detained in the prison camps and were stripped of their clothing, forced to eat pork and other filth, along with other customs that embarrassed the US Pres Bush Jr. regime? The US government does have protocol when dealing with our enemies abroad but when our soldiers are taking orders from other non-US entities, it is when things turn for the worst. I do remember reading on accounts that several of those soldiers were charged accordingly by our military laws. But the problem lies when we get our soldiers mixed up with the UN. You are like a dog chasing and biting it's tail,and wanting to catch that pain in the ass and teach it a lesson.
#35. To: Ada (#33)
No,it is SOME of the UN peacekeepers you are talking about,and damn near all of t hem are Africans. Its the UN peacekeepers we are talking about and they rape with impunity.
#36. To: sneakypete (#35)
Yup and as bad as the bad guys.
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