“Let the bodies hit the floor.”

[NNN0LHI]

http://wvgazette.com/section/Editorials/2006080314

August 04, 2006 Web Tools:

Atrocity?

Iraq war horror

SEVERAL U.S. soldiers in Iraq testified this week that they were ordered to shoot all young male Iraqis — and such killings were listed on a headquarters bulletin board bearing the slogan, “Let the bodies hit the floor.”

These horrifying allegations emerged in Baghdad hearings for four GIs facing murder charges in the deaths of three Iraqi detainees during a raid on an island near Samarra.

In Wednesday testimony, Pfc. Bradley Mason said his brigade commander and other officers instructed troops to “engage and kill all military-age men” they encountered in the island assault. He said soldiers in his unit previously had been urged to compete in racking up “enemy kills,” which were posted on the bulletin board. The commander awarded a knife to each soldier who killed an Iraqi.

As U.S. troops moved across the island, they met no resistance. When an old man looked out a window, Mason shot him to death. “We were told to kill all the males on the island,” he testified.

Before the raid, Lt. Justin Werheim testified, the brigade commander told soldiers to “hit the ground shooting. ... We were to positively identify and kill any military-age male on the island.”

[Philosoraptor]

1. Sounds rather Biblical.

Go ye into thine enemy's village and smite all the male children and all the animals and take thee all the women who have not known man to thyselves.

[KoKo]

7. That's what came into my mind when I first read this....and it's awful to

believe that someone with that mind set ordered this...and that there wasn't a rebellion of the troops to refuse to do it.

How much more are we going to find out about what's been going on in Iraq...I hate to think. And, we invaded their country. There's no reason for this anger against the Iraqi's unless it's because of the circumstances these soldiers found themselves in and a lack of training by some incompetent commanders who themselves were not propoperly trained.

It still comes down the Bush Doctrine of hate. When you have someone who talks about wanted dead or alive, talks about killing and displays Saddam's sons and every other trophy capture in their death all over the cables...it sets up a blood lust in the hearts of weak people. It sets a tone that means that the President wants this killing...let's do it for him.

Look at the hate of just some of the callers to C-Span's Washington Journal every morning. Some of those people would kill every person who doesn't agree with them and think they had done a good thing for America and their President. :-(

[magellan]

2. But the violence that's been growing in Iraq

...since a few months after the invasion isn't our fault.

Yeah, not much it isn't.

[4bucksagallon]

3. Body counts, smells like Nam again.

Winter soldiers anyone.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. That phrase...

Comes from the chorus of metal song. A song that, I expect, they listen to a lot. Like when they are riding into battle.

You hear it a lot in the videos that are coming out of the war zone. You know, the hamburger and boom videos.

[acmavm]

5. Support the troops? Anybody here support these guys? Comes a time

when each and every individual has to make a decision for himself as to whether or not to pull that trigger, kill that old man or baby.

All the blame can't go on the commanding officers. These guys were fatally flawed to begin with.

[Disturbed]

6. Iraq is a free fire zone.

All Iraqis who have not managed to get out are fair game.

[Brewman_Jax]

8. That line is from

"Bodies" by Drowning Pool. Can't post the lyrics (damned firewall :thumbsdown:)

[Soloflecks]

9. Lyrics

Here's your lyrics:

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor Beaten why for
Can't take much more
One - Nothing wrong with me
Two - Nothing wrong with me
Three - Nothing wrong with me
Four - Nothing wrong with me
One - Something's got to give
Two - Something's got to give
Three - Something's got to give
Now
Let the bodies hit the floor
Push me again
This is the end
Skin against skin blood and bone
You're all by yourself but you're not alone
You wanted in now you're here
Driven by hate consumed by fear
Let the bodies hit the floor