Navy SEALs

Intro

Navy SEALs have been very much in the news lately because of the recent killing of Osama bin Laden. Their successful mission has inspired such an outpouring of hero worship, I feel it’s necessary to add a sobering commentary. The following essay, which I had posted on January 29, 2008 should add a bit of much needed perspective.

To anyone who reads this and thinks I’m about to bash this elite squad, I have only this to say:

There are real heroes in the world and among their number are a certain number of SEALs. There will always be efficient, government-sanctioned killers distributed among the various powerful nations of the world. And they are proud to do their country’s dirty work, though too often they’re just plain proud. They see themselves as some kind of superior being – better than others simply because they are physically stronger and can tolerate a lot of pain. And they will always have their admirers, though not always for the best of reasons.

But there are other types of elites and heroes which the world needs now more than ever before. If people want to focus only on the violent ones, the other type might come to be seen as unnecessary. But that’s not true – we desperately need the solid, spiritually-grounded peacemakers. Men of violence are plentiful; saints are not.

My Jan. 29, 2008 essay entitled:

19 Goddmans too many!

Intro

Marcus Luttrell, a former Navy SEAL, wrote a book concerning his exploits in Afghanistan: Lone Survivor. I am about to lay into that book, perhaps heavy-handedly. Some might compare my blows to those of hunters clubbing baby seals to death. However, as Marcus himself said in his book, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." So I know Marcus will understand.

About all those goddamns...

I counted 19 uses of the word goddamn in Marcus Luttrell's book. And 19 is where I stopped counting. It surprises me that Luttrell, who describes himself as a Christian, would indulge in this blasphemy. And, please, let us call it that - blasphemy. For this word was not uttered in the heat of battle but was deliberately used in a book, which was written long after the battle was over. So, no excuses please.

I'm not sure who should shoulder the greater responsibility here: Marcus Luttrell (the lone survivor) or Patrick Robinson (established writer of fiction, whose name as coauthor appears on the cover of Lone Survivor). But I am sure of at least one thing: As a former Navy SEAL, Luttrell wouldn't shirk by saying, "This was my coauthor's fault."

I asked a Christian friend of mine about the propriety of a Christian flinging goddamns around like there's no tomorrow. Her eyes widened and she said, "It is forbidden. I wonder what kind of Christianity he's practicing." Maybe that's no small question these days.

A few details about the book itself

The complete title of this 400-page book is:

Lone Survivor:

The eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the lost heroes of SEAL Team 10

The price listed on the book's jacket is "$24.99" - which I'm proud to say I did not pay. I read it while hanging around one of the Border's Book Stores in Chicago - specifically, in the in-store coffee shop.

During the summer, a lot of people bought it - jacking it up to the #1 slot for Best Selling Non-Fiction(?) [I'm getting to that.]

Apparently, this book will become a movie [please, don't let Sylvester Stallone anywhere near the set!]

Historical Background

On June 28, 2005, Luttrell's Navy SEAL team was deployed to capture or kill a top Taliban leader holed up in the Hindu-Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. This leader's location was known to U.S. military intelligence, which is why the stealth four-man SEAL team was sent in. There was a great expectation of success for this mission, of which Luttrell was the leader.

However, once close to the target area, the SEAL team was stumbled upon by several goat herders, who had taken their 100 goats out to forage. They were quickly and quietly taken prisoner by the SEALS, who then had to decide what to do with them. And to make this decision, they took a vote. That's right, they voted on whether to kill the goat herders or let them go, knowing that release would likely compromise their mission.

In Lone Survivor, Luttrell recounts several factors weighing in their decision:

·         Being convicted of murder once the Taliban communicated to the rest of the world what the SEALs had done. [How interesting that any Westerner would believe any such claim by the Taliban.]

·         Being discovered anyway, once the goat herders were killed [There was concern that their flock of 100 goats couldn't be quietly dispersed and that any villagers coming to look for the goat herders would be drawn to this flock - and therefore to the SEAL team’s position.]

·         Murdering these civilians in cold blood would be wrong - which Luttrell claims bothered his Christian soul.

Luttrell cast the deciding vote - to let the goat herders go - and soon thereafter a combined Taliban/Al Qaeda force numbering some 150 guerillas attacked the SEALs. All except Luttrell were killed, including a rescue force of 16.

To kill or not to kill [the goat herders], that is the question

It strikes me as rather odd that an elite military team would not know immediately what to do if discovered. This is why contingency plans are drawn up in advance. More to the point: If U.S. military intelligence knew where this top Taliban target was (located in one of a cluster of houses, surrounded by his army), why bother to send in the SEALs in the first place? Send in the bombers, instead.

If some argument could be raised that capturing this leader was the preferred option, then (once discovered, thereby nullifying that option) Plan B goes into effect - send in the bombers.

Why should Luttrell's group have worried about murder charges? How on earth would anybody find out? And even if the murders were discovered (in a provable way), George Bush would surely have given our heroes a presidential pardon. Of this, Luttrell could not have had any doubt, since he writes so glowingly of Bush as being a great president who understands our military.

Any necessary murders could have been explained this way: "Balance the lives of these four goat herders against giving up our mission. Failing to kill them would have compromised our position, causing mission failure. Moreover, knowing their position to be compromised, this army would have sought another hideout and their leader would be free to kill many more hundreds than he already has."

Is Lone Survivor a true story?

I read Luttrell's description of the battle and of his subsequent attempts to reach friendly forces. Personally, I found Luttrell's account to be an unbelievable glorification. How much is true and how much was embellished? That's hard to say, simply because I wasn't there. However, neither were any of this book's reviewers who speak so easily of this being a "true story." Luttrell has a definite advantage here, in terms of being the "lone survivor" - he's free to tell the story as he sees fit.

It is with good reason that skeptics speak of truth as being the first casualty of war. Is Luttrell a liar? Or was he guilty of only marginal embellishments? Or was he a white liar? Or, more to the point, was he a "red, white, and blue" liar? He certainly had good reasons to "over-write" and exaggerate his story, perhaps even being encouraged by our military to do so.

I might have more confidence in Marcus Luttrell's honesty and overall quality of character, if it weren't for all those goddamns. Why is it that I, a Buddhist, am bothered by this? Why aren't Luttrell's fellow Bible-belt Texans raising any voice of protest?

Or maybe God doesn't really matter to those who decided that a counterbalance (in the form of this book, complete with all its scarcely-noticed goddamns) to the embarrassment caused by the Pat Tillman episode was needed.

Reminder: Pat Tillman was a pro-football player who gave up a promising career in the NFL in order to enlist in the U.S. Army, becoming a Ranger. His enlistment was inspired by the 911 terrorist attacks, though he later became critical of US involvement in Iraq. Tillman was accidentally(?) killed in action by friendly fire. [The jury's still out on that one.]

Quotes from Lone Survivor, and my comments

QUOTE [from the book's jacket notes]: ...Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him...  [Luttrell] crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.

COMMENT:  These six "assassins" were trying to kill Luttrell, who himself was sent in to assassinate a top Taliban leader. Let's be very clear about this: Though his orders were to "kill or capture" this man, could there be any doubt that capture was out of the question? Also, it's a bit disingenuous to describe "the bad guys" as "killers" - all members of all militaries the world over are either killers or are expected to be when called upon. So let's stop it with the "they're killers" routine.

QUOTE [page 9]: In general terms, we believe there are very few of the world's problems we could not solve with high explosive or a well-aimed bullet.

COMMENT: This type of delusional thinking has to be called on the carpet. If I am elected US president in 2008, thereby making me Commander in Chief, I fully intend to do just that.

QUOTE [page 312]:

...The enemy is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve victory, terrorizing its own people, if necessary, and resorting to barbaric practices against its enemy, including decapitating people or butchering them.

We are not allowed to fight them on those terms. And neither would we wish to. However, we could fight in a much more ruthless manner, stop worrying if everyone still loved us. If we did that, we'd probably win in both Afghanistan and Iraq in about a week.

But we're not allowed to do that. And I guess we'd better start getting used to the consequences and permit the American liberals to squeak and squeal us to ultimate defeat.

COMMENT:

That's right, Luttrell really wrote: "...we'd probably win in both Afghanistan and Iraq in about a week." A week?!  That sounds too much like a set-up line, to be followed by: "We lost in Afghanistan because we were stabbed in the back by liberals and their concerns for international law and following Rules of Engagement (ROE)." Oh, well, it's nice to have a scapegoat ready for sacrifice.

QUOTE:

It wouldn't have been much good if I'd been blasting away through the window at Taliban down the street when a couple of those sneaky little bastards crept through the front door and shot me in the back.

COMMENT:

"Sneaky little bastards?" What exactly were Luttrell and his team of assassins, if not sneaky? Or do we prefer to use the more elegant word stealth to describe our sneakiness. A rose by any other name...

Liberals, liberal media, and ROE

Luttrell takes a few swipes at liberals in his book. You know who liberals are - the kind who say goddamn a lot. The kind who don't share "our values" - which include virtual worship of our Commander in Chief because he's a fellow Texan. The kind who denounce waterboarding, and remind us that we had convicted Japanese war criminals of exactly this offense, calling it what it was then and still is now - torture.

As for following the Rules of Engagement, all U.S. military personnel are under orders to follow these Rules. These Rules have the force of orders issued by military command. Since when do following lawful orders without hesitation and without question become a problem for a US Navy SEAL?

Post Script

I know we all need heroes - someone to believe in, someone to emulate, someone of almost mythical proportions. History is full of them - on both sides of all conflicts. Even among the Taliban killed by Luttrell and Company. These guerillas had no way of knowing whether American helicopter gun ships were on the way, ready to blast their ragtag group to Paradise. They certainly did not have the training, pay and benefits, and superior weapons of their four American battlefield adversaries.

I find it fascinating that this militia band would have been so willing to suffer so many casualties, when they could have cut their losses fairly early on. Their commander must have been aware of the possibility that his whereabouts had been communicated to American reinforcements just over the horizon. Especially, why persist in tracking down one last remaining (though badly wounded) opponent [Luttrell], who was no longer a threat though could still kill if pressed?

Marcus Luttrell describes the rigors of his training in Lone Survivor. However, I wish that even a small fraction of that effort would have gone toward eliminating some simplistic and fuzzy thinking.

I know that some might think of me as being disrespectful or unduly harsh in this essay. However, I expect much more from members of our military than what I've seen in this book.

Steven Searle for U.S. President in 2012

Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

"These words are part of the ethos of U.S. Navy SEALS, ‘My word is my bond.' My sentiments, exactly, which is why I codify my word in the form of a written contract with America's voters. I am the only candidate daring to do this. My word, unlike George Bush's [then, and Barack Obama’s now], is no small thing." - Steven Searle

Contact me at: bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

Osama bin Laden: Reflections on his "death"

Disclaimers and Cross-References:

Today, I am posting two blogs on Osama bin Laden with these titles:

Osama bin Laden: A Eulogy by a US President

Osama bin Laden: Reflections on his “death”

I am going to assume, at least for the sake of these posts, that Osama bin Laden is really dead and that he died, as advertised, at the hands of a Navy SEAL team. I make this assumption knowing full well the ease with which our leaders lie to us, and their unparalleled capacity for doing so.

What follows are just my initial reactions to what must qualify as a breaking story.

General comments

ONE: I find it hard to believe that the SEAL team went in without being ready to document this event. Most likely: Each team member had a vid cam mounted on his helmet. That must be why it had to be admitted Bin Laden was unarmed. If Wikileaks had ever obtained SEAL footage that contradicted the official version, the political fallout would have been devastating.

TWO: The commandos had to have known at least two things: That Bin Laden was definitely home and that no high-level member of the Pakistani government or military was there. Had that been Osama’s hiding place and he’d been out in the neighborhood taking his dog for a walk, we’d have blown a perfect opportunity. If he had had a high-level official visitor, that would have been awkward to say the least.

THREE:  How is it that the commandos were there for 40 minutes and making all that noise – with explosions to boot – and the Pakistani military didn’t interrupt the proceedings?

FOUR:  I have other comments, which appear below as posts I’d made to various news articles appearing on Yahoo News:

My Yahoo News Postings

In my usual style, any quotes appearing at the beginning were taken directly from the articles I was commenting on:

ONE:

"The Pakistani intelligence official acknowledged bin Laden's whereabouts may cause problems with the United States, and also embarrass Pakistan."

Oh, the Pakistanis shouldn't worry too much about that. After all, Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard was responsible for the gravest leak of classified info in our history (Wikileaks has nothing on this guy). And yet, Israeli PM Netanyahu visited Pollard in prison in 2002 and actively seeks his release from a life sentence.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

"Just as we keep wrapping our ever-luvin arms around Israel, so shall we around Pakistan. But...give us a couple of days to get over their complicity."

TWO:

"U.S. military planners had to take pains to move in and out of the country without having to shoot at Pakistani military forces..."

Be very sure about one thing: We would have opened fire on any Pakistani military that tried to protect its turf against an unknown and unannounced invader. If, for some reason, though, the Pak air force had shot down the SEAL team and killed them all (allowing Bin Laden to get away), our ally could have scolded us by saying, "Why didn't you tell us? Then we would have known not to shoot at you."

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

"There were a lot of ways this thing could have gone wrong - and a lot of ways it can still go wrong."

THREE:

"Americans have been absorbing the world-changing news..."

What's changed, except we've informed the world we shot an unarmed man and that man's wife rushed one of his attackers? So we've created sympathy for the unarmed and made a [hero] of a woman protecting her husband.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

"Too often in my life, I have found those who seek 'justice' are really seeking vengeance. Too few instances of turn the other cheek or has that turned into another hated Islamic teaching?"

FOUR:

Why didn't the SEAL team simply leave the Osama's body where they shot him? Let the Pakistani's take care of the remains. As our ally, that would be the least they could have done. I'm sure Saudi Arabia, where bin Laden's kin still live, would have taken his body. No doubt about it. And we could have gotten that body there within 24 hours - easily.

I can tell you this much: We had no intention from the get-go of doing anything but burying him at sea and, no, we didn't even bother to ask if any country would accept the corpse. NOTE: I've developed knack of knocking down the BS lies of govt spokesmen -- not a bad talent to have in this day and age.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

"I hope, after all our chest-thumping, self-righteous, bloodlusty cheering dies down, that we will conclude (cost/benefit wise) that chasing down bin Laden was worth it."

FIVE:

“U.S. special forces set out to kill Osama bin Laden and dump his body in the sea…”

And then the article says if bin Laden would have waved the white flag of surrender, they wouldn’t have killed him. Those are the ROE, you know.

Well…I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but that’s not true. If he would have surrendered, he would still have been shot dead. Those were the orders, straight from Obama’s mouth.

Anyone paying attention over the past 8 years has seen how, when convenient, we violate our own most cherished values. “We don’t torture.” Yes we do. “Our citizens have inviolable civil rights granted to them by God.” No they don’t. The only part anyone got right: “We will spend whatever it takes.” I recall one of Bin Laden’s goals was to get us to spend ourselves into bankruptcy. In that, we have been his greatest ally.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

“Be careful what you ask for.”

SIX:

It doesn't take much in the way of brains to be a late-night humorist, a point [David] Letterman has labored mightily for years to prove. For instance, it didn't occur to any of these jokers that they've just painted a bulls-eye on themselves. And, unlike the secretive SEALS team (smart enough to lie low and avoid bragging), the whole world knows where they live. And all in the name of pandering for ratings.

These puppies are sick, and lack even the brains to have self-preservation skills. A public display of sheer glee is never pretty to look at. What I'd like to see is an audience greeting such "celebratory remarks" with the comedian’s worst enemy: Stone, stark silence. That's worse than being booed. Even that can be converted into a joke.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

"Careful of joyous escalation - you know what they say about he-who-laughs-last."

SEVEN:

“Closure” is a loaded and deceptive word, for nothing is ever truly and entirely left behind us. Our existence is a continuum, therefore anything we might like to think of as “closed” has a mind of its own and continues its ripple effects. That’s basic karma.

It is much to the preference of Western-style accountants to “close the books” and “move on.” But those are mere conventions of convenience, which have nothing to do with reality. This might also have a lot to do with our current economic malaise but that’s another story.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

“Reality has a funny way of morphing and refusing to die, preferring to reincarnate in forms to test men’s souls.”

EIGHT:

"We got beat up for it, but those efforts led to this great day," said Marty Martin, a retired CIA officer who for years led the hunt for bin Laden.

So what Martin is saying is, "The end justifies the means." Hmm...seems there were some guys who thought the same way, and flew some planes into some towers once upon a time. Politics do make some strange bedfellows indeed.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

"Well, Marty, ask yourself this: 'What did we give up by ignoring our values to get one guy...a guy admittedly no more than a bit player at the end?'"

NINE:

Obama’s plan is brilliant. “Deathers” (same kind of people as “birthers”) will start claiming Osama’s still alive. They’ll blast Obama for not showing off the body. “Show us the death certificate,” they’ll bleat. Then, just before the election, Osama’s body will mysteriously show up – as in “washed up on shore” or “that burial-at-sea stuff was just a story…of course we’ve got the body.” And that will discredit the “deathers” (careful before you jump on this bandwagon, Donald [Trump]) – good riddance, too.

TEN:

I wonder if the Pakistani government had been asked permission for the US to conduct this operation. In a perfect world, US intel would have told our Pakistani allies, “We know where bin Laden is; now you guys should go get him.”

But it’s not a perfect world. And to prove it, the death of bin Laden (in the long-run scheme of things) won’t matter. To be sure, we have created a martyr with all that implies. Young boys will be inspired by this legend and will willingly blow themselves up in his memory. But after a while, even bin Laden’s martyrdom will fade into memory. What’s going on at ground level has more to do with just one man. But, sadly, there will be the bloodthirsty and vengeful among us who won’t see that point.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

“It will be interesting to see what we do with the body. Return him to Saudi Arabia ? For a hero’s welcome?”

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

“The hardest thing is to fight the temptation to exact revenge.”