August 19, 2003

ONE SECOND TO DECIDE

Camera or launcher? You be the judge.

Posted by Tim Blair at August 19, 2003 11:03 PM
Comments

i would certainly have shot...especially after i figured out they were 'journalists'

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at August 19, 2003 at 11:24 PM

Honestly, some of those cameras looked like anti-tank missle launchers. If our guys are so crazy, how come we got his ass on the first shot. When in doubt, empty the magazine!!!

SALUTE

Posted by: A Texas shootin solution at August 20, 2003 at 01:10 AM

" I wanted visit exotic Iraq, the armpit of Persia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture... And kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill" - Joker

Posted by: A Texas shootin solution at August 20, 2003 at 01:42 AM

It's bleedin' obvious it is a camera.

Posted by: Marcus at August 20, 2003 at 02:57 AM

wha? two guys with military equipment and one cameraman. easy. you shouldnt be holding a high powered weapon and defending a tank if your eyes are so fucked that you cant pick the difference.

Posted by: Tom at August 20, 2003 at 03:31 AM

B-b-but Justin Huggler assures us that it is "impossible" to mistake a camera for an RPG.

Posted by: Bill Herbert at August 20, 2003 at 03:31 AM

Tim, one minute you are kidding us that US troops are having a delightful time in Iraq, and the next you post approving links to stories which state -

"If you are a 20 year old soldier, in 125 degree heat, who hasn't had a hot meal in two days or a shower in four, who has slept perhaps 5 hours in the last two days ......"

Oh, yes, that realy sounds like fun, amply compensated, no doubt, by all those Iraqi's who just love being occupied by blind maniacs who forget the guy with the camera they just spoke to is still carrying a camera.

Posted by: Analogue Voter at August 20, 2003 at 06:59 AM

Thanks for the link, Tim-o.

Posted by: Spart at August 20, 2003 at 07:24 AM

Nobody critical of this shooting here has their ass on the line. People think differently, and perceive differently, when they are in a potentially fatal situation. This is a tragic mistake. It happened in WWII, Korea, Vietman, Gulf War and the Iraq War.

Quit trying to score your little petty anti-American points. It only makes you look bad.

Posted by: KevinV at August 20, 2003 at 08:06 AM

"...blind maniacs who forget the guy with the camera they just spoke to is still carrying a camera."

Why would anybody with an ounce of brains suppose that the foot-borne soldiers he spoke to earlier are the same guys now *arriving* in a tank?

I guess some questions answer themselves.

Posted by: Harry at August 20, 2003 at 09:58 AM

"wha? two guys with military equipment and one cameraman. easy. you shouldnt be holding a high powered weapon and defending a tank if your eyes are so fucked that you cant pick the difference."

Actually, it was THREE guys with missile launchers, Sherlock. And you weren't in Iraq when this happened. It's easy to second guess people from the safety of your recliner, armed only with a few sketchy reports written by hostile witnesses.

Posted by: Harry at August 20, 2003 at 10:10 AM

In an area of operations where you've regularly been taking casualties from shoulder launched weapons, I have no problem with soldiers engaging a target which resembled somebody aiming a shoulder launched weapon at them. End of story.

This incident probably falls well inside the law of war and the rules of engagement and orders for opening fire.

Some young soldier now has to live with the fact that he killed an innocent camera man. Hopefully it won't slow him down next time somebody aims an RPG at him or his buddies.

Posted by: Razor at August 20, 2003 at 12:56 PM

And Analogue voter - the working conditions described for the average soldier are not 'fun' and nor are they adequately compensated. However, soldiers take pride in their ability to operate under those extreme conditions and continue to do a good job. I doubt that you possess any of the physical and moral charachteristics that are part of the make up of a professional soldier.

Posted by: Razor at August 20, 2003 at 01:01 PM

I have to admit AV, having been a digger in a previous life, that the happiest I ever was, was when I was waist deep in shit. Not showered for a week, living on rat packs, carrying my house on my back and lugging a fucking SLR around. But the difference was that you wouldn't have a fucking clue what goes through a soldiers mind so shut the fuck up and stop pretending that you do.

Posted by: Todd at August 20, 2003 at 02:15 PM

Wow. Well said, Todd.

Posted by: KevinV at August 20, 2003 at 04:38 PM

Ditto Kev and Todd,

I've often thiught that the best times in my life were in the scrub. I've got water, rats, ammo and orders - nothing else matters and things are pretty straight up and down - mag on, pack on and game on. The beer better be fucking cold when we're finished.

Posted by: Razor at August 20, 2003 at 07:07 PM

We can all second guess the soldiers decision. To criticize the troop makes you nothing more than a CHAIRborne ranger.

Posted by: A Texas shootin solution at August 21, 2003 at 05:52 AM

What people don't seem to realize is that this is exactly the reason that the Geneva Convention required combatants to wear recognizable uniforms. The soldiers in the field should not have to make that quick judgement of whether or not the person is a civilian, because it should be simple, they don't wear uniforms. The death of that cameraman is not on the hands of that soldier, but all of the terrorists who use civilians as their camouflage.

Posted by: Tim at August 21, 2003 at 05:53 AM