By: Steve Lendman, 09/03/2013
On September 2, London’s Daily Mail headlined ”‘I didn’t join the Navy to fight for al Qaeda in a Syrian civil war’: Picture of serviceman goes viral… but is it real?” More on that below. The Pentagon goes all out to avoid dissent in the ranks. It surfaced in Vietnam. Until 1967, order was well maintained. After Tet in late January/February 1968, things changed. Mutinies forced the Pentagon to disguise them with language like “combat refusal.” Soldiers disobeyed orders. Most were search and destroy missions. They were put in harm’s way. They faced formidable enemies. At times, entire companies defied commanders. As fear of punishment faded, incidents mushroomed. So did fragging. It’s committed when soldiers target a superior with intent to kill. Fragmentation grenades were used. As frustration and anger grew, so did fragging incidents. They became the price for being ordered in harm’s way against enemies refusing to quit.
After Tet, 1,000 or more incidents occurred. Precise numbers aren’t known. Pentagon officials stopped counting. They downplayed what happened. They suppressed incidents best they could. Officers shot by their men were excluded. They were those listed as wounded or killed in action.
For more on this story visit http://www.shiftfrequency.com/stephen-lendman-obamas-war-on-syria-dissent-in-the-ranks/
