Do read the article, and the book if you can get hold of it.
Bravo the vets for putting the real war in writing. A little different form the sanitised version the mainstream media would have you believe.
"Aside from the Iraqi people, nobody knows what the United States military is doing in Iraq better than the soldiers themselves. A new book gives readers vivid and detailed accounts of the devastation the US occupation has brought to Iraq, in the soldiers’ own words.
Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan is a gut-wrenching, historic chronicle of what the US military has done to Iraq, as well as its own soldiers.
…
“I remember one woman walking by,” said Jason Washburn, a corporal in the US Marines who served three tours in Iraq. “She was carrying a huge bag, and she looked like she was heading toward us, so we lit her up with the Mark 19, which is an automatic grenade launcher, and when the dust settled, we realized that the bag was full of groceries. She had been trying to bring us food and we blew her to pieces.”
…
Four days of searing testimony is consolidated into the book, which makes for a difficult read. One page after another is filled with devastating stories from the soldiers about what is being done in Iraq.
Everything from the taking of “trophy” photos of the dead, to torture and slaughtering of civilians is included.
…
“An act that took place quite often in Iraq was taking pot shots at cars that drove by,” he said. “This was not an isolated incident, and it took place for most of our eight-month deployment.”
Kelly Dougherty, the executive director of IVAW, blames the behavior of soldiers in Iraq on the policies of the US government. “The abuses committed in the occupations, far from being the result of a ‘few bad apples’ misbehaving, are the result of our government’s Middle East policy, which is crafted in the highest spheres of US power,” she said.
…"
Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs