sam, whoever you are, you are a sick and twisted person. believe me you really are NOT well. go and hand yourself in.

We must have got it all wrong. They're good, gentle soldiers really. Look!
They pray to the Lord Jesus, right before they head off to drop missiles on civilian areas.
They hold children in their arms, after they've cluster-bombed them.
They high-five cute little lads, in an effort to "win hearts and minds".

How could we have ever doubted their basic goodness and decency?

And here's some more reality, for when you're finished wanking to the other one.

O dear did that not fit in with your cosy little view of how all US troops are evil torturers ? What a shame.

Welcome to reality, welcome to the truth about Iraq that Indymedia and its supporters can't bear to see and hear.

The liberated population
The US and UK troops welcomed with open arms by a grateful people
The freedom that years of oppression couldn't kill

You may want to believe that this was an oil led war run by an administration bent on world domination, you may want to believe that all US troops are rednecks, you may want to think the operation was a failure. You were wrong in the past, you are wrong now and you will no doubt be wrong in the future.

In the words of President Bush:

"Let Freedom Reign"

I'd say we are seeing these pictures, but not that often.

There have been some very good news reports, especially on Channel Four over the last few months, which have dealt with the reality of life at war in the army in iraq.

They have shown US and Brit soldiers at play with local kids, trading jokes, fooling despite language barriers and so on.

Of course it's not news.

"Soldiers are human beings too shocker!"

Recently there were some excellant pictures uploaded from the D Day 60th anniversary commemorations in Trouarn and Honfleur (small towns in Normandy) and the cemeteries at Banneville:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/06/293068.html

In retrospective media the truth is often more to the fore, but all too often so too is the romanticisation. That said some of the d-day coverage was quite honest (probably because of the angle that was played out re this will be the last major anniversary with so many veterans still alive), with many veterans being shown crying - of course this is an example of a quoted 'good just war'.

What sticks in the throat and leaves a bad tatse more than the main war reporting is the long list of statistics and anecdotes of soldiers after conflict.

A brief look through the web at veteran support pages will show you the reality of making war. It's not just the civillians who suffer, but those that do the killing. Don't get me wrong this is not condoning any war, or saying look at the poor soldiers... It's just the basic fact that after conflict a large number of ex soldiers change their views about war, beyond the initial and ongoing post traumatic stress disorders.

The veterans support group 'The South Atlantic Medal Association' says more veterans of the Falklands war have killed themselves in the years since the 1982 conflict ended, than died during the fighting (255) - and what kind of support do they get from the authorities in whose name they have fought?

On top of this you now have to add the more modern post war problems like the debacle around 'Gulf War Syndrome' with the official cover ups that went on both from the US and UK governments.

In an age when the armed services, especially the army, sell their recruitment through flashy tv ads that either push good times adventure or humanitarian aid and peace keeping hero roles, the division between marketing hype and reality on the ground and in the aftermath is getting wider and wider.

The systematic deluge of horrific images made possible by widespread and international modern electronic medias has opened up the fault lines between patriotic propaganda domestic war reporting and embedded news management, and the ugly dirty and sordid reality of warfare, painting a truer picture of the horrors of war.

The pictures above are important too, but the less told story is in fact the effects of war on the soldiers themselves - it's the real other side of the story. And one which has a distinct anti-war message.

As the investigations into torture, abuse and killings of iraqi prisoners rumbles on, it mirrors to an extent the investigations into abuse, killings and suicide at the UK army bases like Deepcut Barracks.

The reality of the army is that it trains people to kill. No number of pictures of soldiers with babies and children will change the horrific truth of war. No, we don't need more pictures like the above ones, we need more reporting of the culture and reality of war and experiences of soldiers before, during, and after conflict. This must be part of the wider analysis against war, and the movement against war - it is surely necessary if our societies are ever to move beyond the sad cycles of conflict we see every day on our tv screens.

Peace.

"the truth has two sides"

Yes indeedee! Both sets of pictures are true.

Your first byline "the reality of the US troops" is not true.

It would be much more accurate to say "another reality of the US troops".

There's alway at least two sides to any story, often more. Hopefully indymedia can provide several.

Either way both sets of pictures are tragic and give pause for thought.

Pete,

You are of course right, my pictures show only one more angle on the liberation of Iraq.

Why don't you go and waste somebody else's time, loser?

Still hanging on to your childhood fantasies of how we are the "good guys"?
Still trying to keep that wool firmly pulled over your eyes?
Can't believe that you've been lied to?
Wanna convince yourself that "we" were a;ways right? Always good? Always trying to do our best?



Have a look. Are you tellign me these kids are better off?

The little girl in the top right picture looks in distress, is that blood?

She wouldnt be in distress and need to be comforted if the American had not used the tactics they use. Infact thousands of innocent people wouldn't be dead!

Here's some more stuff for Sam to look at, in case he ever tries to plead ignorance.
 http://www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/VISIE/extremedeformities.html

and links to how it could have been prevented
 http://www.robert-fisk.com/depleted_uranium_links.htm

Yes, the truth has two sides to it: the side of the poor and opressed on the one side and the wealthy and opressor on the other.

In order to be truly objective you first have to chose which side you stand on.