As a third-generation military veteran, I have seen my fair share of service members performing their duties under volatile, emotionally-charged, extreme circumstances. I’ve heard stories from brave men and women in situations that most of us would only see in movies or hear about on the news. Even in my own family, there are tales of intrigue, terror, heroism and heartbreak encountered during their selfless service to this country. So I find myself at a loss to understand the current events involving the three Navy SEALs charged with assaulting a detainee in September.
The details of the alleged assault involve Special Operations Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe striking a recently-captured suspect. Detainee Ahmed Hashim Abed was being held at the SEAL base at Camp Baharia after spending five years on the most-wanted listed for purportedly masterminding the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater security guards at Fallujah in June 2004. The attack on these guards was a brutal ambush; their bodies were burned, dragged through the streets and hanged from a bridge over the Euphrates. The emotional impact of such a heinous crime is nearly palpable, affecting all of those who see, hear or read about it. Therefore, examining this situation fairly requires two different viewpoints: the big picture and the close-up.
In the big picture, prisoners are innocent until proven guilty; they should be treated with respect and dignity, given basic necessities, brought to trial for their alleged crimes. When viewing this situation as a big picture, it seems simple to charge McCabe with assault for striking an unarmed suspect in custody. But that requires the observer to ignore a very important factor: human nature.
In the close-up view of this situation, it is important to take into consideration the human elements of stress, frustration and anger. Navy SEALs belong to an elite group of the most talented, dedicated and skilled service members in our nation’s history. As part of their training, SEALs learn tactical measures, weapons expertise and camouflage techniques in order to infiltrate, evade, attack, capture and successfully carry out highly-classified missions the rest of us would rather know nothing about. But their training and skills do not exempt them from human emotion. For several years, Americans have been inundated with extremists waging terroristic war on the very fabric of our society. There have been suicide bombings, IEDs, attacks and ambushes against our soldiers and citizens. Sadly, the undercurrent of violence and hate is so common we are almost numb to it.
The real question is: do we judge these SEALs in the “big picture” or give some allowance for human nature? No one knows what the detainee said to McCabe before the alleged incident occurred. Did Ahmed taunt or ridicule, slander or threaten McCabe? If prisoners should be treated with dignity and respect, shouldn’t those in charge of them be treated the same? How much verbal, emotional and physical abuse must our service members endure?
Soon, the three SEALs charged in this incident will go to trial. Because they opted for courts-martial instead of non-judicial punishment, all statements, testimony and evidence will eventually become public record. Maybe the best thing to do in this circumstance is wait for the final word, look at the big picture and be patient enough to examine things close-up before condemning those who continually sacrifice so much to keep us safe.
December 14th, 2009 - 6:49 pm
I find it unbelievable that 3 SEALs may have to go to trial for “allegedly” giving some greasy terrorist a fat lip. I’d feel a lot better knowing these guys were out there looking for more bad guys instead of preparing for this stupid trial. Those Blackwater fellas sure got a hell of a lot worse than a fat lip. Let’s let these guys go back to work. Hell, if it were up to me, I’d give all three a medal.
December 15th, 2009 - 7:15 am
Looks like the charges are as much about what happened after the incident as giving the guy a fat lip itself. I suspect that the Seals were aware of this Administration’s position on how to treat the enemy when captured and thought they’d get in trouble for hitting the guy. So I think they just lied about it and that is why they are in this much trouble. The charges as I’ve seen them are:
Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault.
Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement.
Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.
The climate created by the Administration, where even the CIA interrogators may be prosecuted (unbelievable) has had a ripple effect and this is just one example. The capture of this a..hole was in September 09 and I firmly believe that had it happened a year prior nothing would have come from it except praise for capturing the man responsible for murdering 4 Blackwater employees in 2004. It the President wants support from the military he’d better step in here and tell Robert Gates to dismiss the charges.
December 15th, 2009 - 8:20 am
Amen, Cory! This whole situation just makes me shake my head in disbelief. Not only are these guys in danger of being hung out to dry by the apparently PC elements in the military (now THAT’s a scary thought!), but I shudder to think about the suppressive impact this could have on our human intelligence gathering capabilities.
December 15th, 2009 - 9:06 am
And maybe we need to believe our men instead of a known terrorist who murdered and mutilated our fellow citizens!!! SO McCabe denies striking the prisoner. Instead of finding excuses/reasons for him doing so — let’s just take him at his word. After all, it’s right there in the Al Quaeda training manual — chapter 18 — http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34710&s=rcmpb Claim abuse while detained — isn’t that what this guy did?
December 15th, 2009 - 7:47 pm
This is the most unbelievable thing I could ever imagine. Men who have given up the best part of their lives to defend us who live here comfortably, to be charged with giving a filthy terroist ,cowardly thug, a fat lip.
Most every kid at one time or another got one of these growing up and it was usually just a lesson in respect and to establish a pecking order. Many kids got these unjustly, but they all learned a lesson from it. either the other person is a bully and you stayed away from him in the future .. or, you desrved it and you learned not to smart off again, These were just childhood school yard lessons. I t caused me no trauma, no emotional pain or scars. We called it character building. Something these lousy thugs have nothing of.
Who are these people that would even think to charge our young men, our young brave men, nay our young selfless courageous men who are willing to sarifice their own very lives to protect us, with such a PETTY accusation?
Something really doesent look good about this picture and it isnt the Navy’s finest !
God help this nation that has been derailed by such justice perverted, ‘politically (in)correct’ minds.