The Soldier Who Killed Herself After Refusing to Take Part in Torture

[Stuart G]

Huffington Post.

Greg Mitchel
posted 9/14/11 ll:47 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/the-soldier-who-killed-he_b_962211.html



In marking the tenth anniversary of 9/11 this past weekend, numerous reports in the media covered the enormous costs of the "war on terror," human and financial, that followed the attacks on America. No one, as far as I could see, mentioned one often hidden area that I have focused on since our first troops landed in Afghanistan: the shocking increase in the number of suicides within the US military, and among veterans who served in our recent wars.

Despite the decline in fighting in Iraq in recent years, that suicide rate remains at record levels. Just last week, a U.S. congresswoman revealed that a nephew had shot himself and died in a foxhole in Afghanistan -- after being hazed by his peers.

Over the years, I have written about dozens of sad, tragic, individual cases. But one of the saddest of all concerns a young soldier who died eight years ago this week. Appalled when ordered to take part in interrogations that, no doubt, involved what most would call torture -- another wrong turn by the United States following 9/11 -- Alyssa Peterson refused, then killed herself a few days later, on September 15, 2003

Spc. Alyssa Peterson was one of the first female soldiers who died in Iraq. Her death under these circumstances should have drawn wide attention. It's not exactly the Tillman case, but a cover-up, naturally, followed.

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Very very sad. This one incident is enough to condemn this idiot war.

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Stuart G.

[Mnemosyne]

2. K&R...

[jwirr]

3. K&R

[femrap]

4. k and r

war is a racket.

[dorksied]

5. When the rich wage war its the poor who die

[tcaudilllg]

6. I had been on the fence about whether Cheney and Rumsfeld's actions constituted criminality

but now I realize that both those men are accomplices to murder.

[sce56]

7. It was criminal when they took us to war based on lies. It was Treason when they outed a CIA Agent

to silence their critics! Now the former President of the US can not travel to Europe with out fear of Apprehension an trial for crimes against humanity. This is true he can not leave for security reasons, The SS can not keep him from being arrested

[The Doctor.]

8. It could take 20 years,

but they'll get him.

They'll do it the same way they always do.

[MedicalAdmin]

10. Eventually they will Pinochet both their asses.

Unless they die first... not that they are exactly fully "live" in my opinion. More like zombies.

[pansypoo53219]

9. along with GWB, iWaq has been

shoved under a big assed rug.

[defendandprotect]

11. Don't think enough can be said against TORTURE and any President/Government that does it -- !!

Sadly, against all evidence, some actually support torture -- evidently sharing the

same mindset as Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld --

Those who think their own safety and self-interest are protected by TORTURING others

should wake up to the reality that TORTURE is introduced as a way of controlling populations --!!

Egypt and Libya being the clearest examples of that as the history of TORTURE in those

countries is unveiled by rebels.

Nazi/Germany, of course, another example of using TORTURE to control their countrymen.

[me b zola]

12. K&R

[midnight]

13. This war in not neccessary... Let's stop this for the love of everyone's children...

[Stuart G]

15. Occasionally defense of yourself is necessary, so is war.

Necessary,...........World War II, initial Afghanistan effort. Civil War
Maybe................Korean War, Revolutionary War..(would have happened anyway)..defense of Kwuait.. Iraq I

No, definitely no,,,,,,,,,,,,
War of 1812
Mexican War
So Called American Indian Wars, (Wars against Native Americans)
Spanish American War
World War I
Viet Nam
Bush II.. Iraq War
current Afghanistan War

Certainly the maybes can be argued, Iraq I especially..but the mayham, chaos, hate, and needless death from the others..
What can be said?..
The soldier that killed herself over torture is but one moment in time in the needless pursuit of war.

[DeSwiss]

14. K&R

".....and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."