OH COME ON!! Time To Get Liberals Out Of War

It is high time that we get liberals, let alone politics, out of the management of our wars. When politics start making decisions, our soldiers die unnecessarily. There is no place that our soldiers should have to second guess their fire-no-fire decisions in fear of POLITICAL repercussions. When our soldiers are on the battlefield and are trying to kill our enemies, they should not be held back on the basis of placating some political figure.

Especially when that political figure is a foreign politician.

Prepare to get your blood boiling. This is a travesty of justice my friends.

Joshua Waddell, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, appeared on his way to a stellar career as an American military officer. The son of a retired Navy SEAL commander, Waddell had won a Bronze Star during his first tour of duty in Afghanistan and had returned for a second.

Then he made a decision in combat that military experts say has severely jeopardized his future in the corps.

On Nov. 1, Waddell, a 25-year-old executive officer with 3rd Battallion, 7th Marine Corps Regiment, was monitoring a surveillance camera in Sangin, Afghanistan, when he spotted a man who had been identified as a bomb maker working with area insurgents. Two days earlier, a sergeant from India Company had lost both legs and a hand when a bomb detonated in their area of operation. The man spotted on the camera was believed to be responsible.

After receiving permission from his battalion commanders, Waddell ordered Marine snipers to open fire on the man, and he was hit. A group of Afghans rushed to the man, put him on a tractor and attempted to flee. Waddell ordered the snipers to hit the engine block of the tractor, disabling it so the man believed to be a bomb maker would not escape. The tractor was hit but no civilians were injured.

If the story was to stop there, he would probably be awarded another medal. He received authority to take out a bomb-maker and to make sure he DIED. The bomb-maker was being rescued by people who put themselves in to the battlefield. They decided to put their lives on the line to try and save our enemy. Remember the mantra, "if you are not with us, then you are against us"? Or how about, "If you protect our enemies, you will be our enemy"? (I paraphrase, but that is the gist of the Bush administration's war plan). Yet......

Then, about three weeks later, the civilians who helped remove the wounded man from the area were found to be teenagers.

As a result, Waddell was demoted from executive officer, and the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Seth Folsom, determined he had violated rules of engagement that governed when Marines could fire, and at whom. Folsom said Wadell "is not recommended for promotion" and "in violation of [combat rules] during an engagement." The report stated that "noncombatant local nationals" were in the area of direct fire and that "the engagement resulted in a damaged local national vehicle."

And yet, his higher ranking superiors are throwing their hands up in helpless wonder. BULL CRAP. If you believe a member of your battalion, a soldier under your command, is being shafted, YOU HAVE TO GO TO WAR FOR YOUR FELLOW GRUNT.

If our military command can not even stand up and defend this decorated soldier, then we have some generals to replace. Starting with the top.