Unacceptable: Five troops “responsible” for Quran burnings may suffer reduction in rank

No friggin’ way. Volunteer to defend the United States of America – putting your life on the line in Afghanistan while your family stresses out for years – and you could be subject to a reprimand and reduction in rank for inadvertently throwing out the wrong garbage?

What kind of message does this send to our troops? Posted yesterday on the Washington Post’s website, but no longer available on the home page is this story, with my emphasis in bold.

Military investigators have concluded that five U.S. service members were involved in the incineration of a pile of Korans in Afghanistan last week, according to U.S. military officials who have been briefed on the inquiry. …

Investigators appointed by Marine Gen. John R. Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, found that the service members removed the Korans from a prison at Bagram air base after they were discovered to contain extremist messages.

The books were then placed in an office for safekeeping, according to the inquiry. But they were mistaken for garbage and taken to a landfill on the base.

Afghan employees identified the books as Korans just as the pages caught fire, a major desecration according to Muslim teachings. …

“For the soldiers, it will be serious — they could lose rank. But you’re not going to see the kind of public trial that some here seem to want,” said one U.S. military official.

Another military official said: “What they did was careless, but there was no ill will.”

Careless? Just to be clear, is the politically-correct military official suggesting prior to burning a bag or box of trash, the troops – who are putting their lives on the line in unfriendly territory and have the shit duty – should be opening said boxes and bags and inspecting said garbage to see if what they burn could be seen as offensive to someone?

Oh come on now…

As I understand it, the burn pits in Afghanistan are somewhat standard operating procedure for the military even though it’s probably not healthy for anyone. That said, nobody is accused of finding the Qurans and saying “hey, let’s go burn them.” Except of course for the radical Islamists.

In this case over the past few days we’ve found President Obama’s apology was a mistake, but maybe it’s more about appeasement and capitulating to radical Islam.

I sit here and wonder how the investigation is going as to which prisoners actually did desecrate the Qurans while being held at the airbase. Alas, that news investigation does not fit the narrative…

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

16 Comments

  1. Sad4CT on March 3, 2012 at 12:34 pm

    I still don’t understand exactly what was done that was so wrong.? As I understand it, several Qurans in a prison library were found to have been written in by prisoners.? It was believed that prisoners were sending messages to each other by way of the holy books, not to mention that writing in the Quran is not something that is acceptable in the Muslim faith.? On several radio and TV news reports, I have heard that burning the Quran is an APPROPRIATE way of disposing of it.? Again…? I don’t understand what was wrong with burning the books.



  2. sammy22 on March 3, 2012 at 1:12 pm

    Methinks that throwing the Qurans in an incinerator may not exactly be appropriate. I would not throw a Bible in an incinerator nor in my fireplace for that matter. Would you?



    • ricbee on March 3, 2012 at 10:27 pm

      ? If it was ready to be discarded that is the ONLY way I dispose of it.



  3. Sad4CT on March 3, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    I don’t know about that…? If I had a reason for destroying my Bible and buring was deemed an appropriate way to dispose of it, I might burn it in my fireplace.



  4. Sad4CT on March 3, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    This incident was not intentional.? We have apologized 10 times over.? The entire issue should be over.



  5. sammy22 on March 3, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    So why did Steve post it w/ “Unacceptable” as a lead in?



    • winnie on March 4, 2012 at 8:06 am

      I believe that Steve was referring to reduction in rank as unacceptable — not the accidental burning of prisoner defaced qurans.



  6. Shock and Awe on March 3, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    The president’s actions have done nothing less than “give aid and comfort to the enemy in a time of war”
    ?



    • GdavidH on March 4, 2012 at 9:03 am

      Sounds treasonous.

      Par for this president. Pun intended.?



  7. ricbee on March 3, 2012 at 10:28 pm

    What would be an honorable way to dispose of it-burial at sea?



  8. gillie28 on March 4, 2012 at 10:04 am

    The reality is that the imans in the mosques incited the people to attack the US/Nato troops and civilians. ?Since most of the people cannot read or write, and have no access to objective news reports, the imans and Taliban were free to?give them their version of events, with nothing to countreact it.??There is?a weak President (Kharzai, I mean!!!), not willing to go out on a limb for those who have padded his salary and kept him from being assassinated lo these many years,? and they certainly did not hear the truth from him.??This was coupled?with?a weak, US President who hardly ever supports the troops and actually APOLIGIZED to those who have murdered?them ?(un*****believable); and then we have military leaders who have not given much support to the troops?either, or taken any responsibilty?-has anyone actually heard from the commander who GAVE the order??????? So, now some poor “grunts” are going to be the scapegoats????

    By the way, how did this become public information in the first place??



  9. gillie28 on March 4, 2012 at 10:06 am

    Just out of curiosity, when Sunni and Shiites burn each other’s mosques, and bomb each other’s homes, aren’t there Korans in there????? Just asking.



    • Lynn on March 4, 2012 at 12:21 pm

      Great point!



  10. JBS on March 4, 2012 at 11:00 am

    This is totally unacceptable and it is politically motivated! Imagine this: You volunteer, yes, sign away four or more years of your life, all with the hope of a military career or learning a skill set transferable to civilian life. Good so far?
    However it occurs, you find yourself on garbage duty. Thrilling! You joined, but, to pull garbage duty? So, you go about your rounds. Visit all of the trash and garbage collection sites. Haul it all to the burn pit. Lovely. It’s the military, and you’ll be in trouble if you don’t do your job! Hey, someone has to do it. Now you’re in trouble for doing your job?
    Please remember: everything in the military is done through orders and directions. SOP. There is very little free will allowed in the military. That five people all of a sudden decided to do something illegal is plausible, but, together, in concert? Defies logic.? LOL!
    Anyone who has been in he military knows what I am talking about. Call your CongressCritter. This is unacceptable. This is a politically motivated witch hunt.



  11. Lynn on March 4, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    Thanks JBS. Good recap and hard to refute. I am not even in the military, but I know that when troops are trained, the first order of business is to FOLLOW ORDERS. If you are on garbage duty, you do NOT have to check every item in the bag. I would defend these 5 troops with my life, however they would never ask that of us. I thank them and their families for their service.
    And you owe it to yourself to see our Navy Seals in action. I went to see “Act of Valor” last night. My heart swelled with pride as there was a full house. Especially to see young boys there who watched in respectful silence. That was a sign of great parenting or perhaps teaching?



  12. PatRiot on March 6, 2012 at 5:11 pm

    Did we really think that a President who goes back on his word to a religious organization would respect any other organization?
    And when the time is right, the media will get the same treatment.



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