by Daniel G. O'Leary

Created on: September 05, 2010   Last Updated: September 06, 2010

The number one reason American Military Personnel were sent to Afghanistan was to seek out, find, and bring to justice those responsible for planning, training, and supporting the Terrorists that attacked the United States on 9-11-2001, an attack that resulted in thousands dead, thousands injured, National and International Commerce disrupted, and a World Community in shock (many of the dead and injured were from Nations other than the United States).

However, justice is never served by injustice! The killing of innocent people attempting to live their daily lives by extremists, does not justify the killing of innocent people attempting to live their lives as best they can in a troubled and fragmented land, especially by a country such as the United States with a military known for discipline.

That being said; let's clear the air a little more, and put some things in perspective; armed conflict/war comes with an extremely high price (lives lost, limbs lost, minds and bodies scarred, devastation, destruction, financial and emotional ruin, untold pain and suffering affecting and afflicting generations), and  because of that reality, every possible alternative should always, always be exhausted before war is waged.

In this particular instance, the title brings to the minds of any who have witnessed or experienced war, graphic images that would not be complete because the whole story was not told in the title. The images that would come to mind would be of a well-disciplined, well-equipped, well-trained force of U.S. Marines carrying out a planned and calculated slaughter of innocent civilians. Such an image would rightly, and justifiably cause worldwide condemnation, outrage, and concern! Such an image did not exist, so the title was poorly chosen or chosen with ill intent.

The Marines had been in a war ravaged area for some length of time, conducting numerous missions in a hostile environment. Death, injury, missions completed, some aborted, the ever present possibility of being blown to bits by an improvised explosive device (I.E.D.) tormenting them 24/7. They go out on patrol and are attacked by a suicide bomber in a vehicle packed with explosives. It rams one of the patrol vehicles and detonates, killing and mangling brother Marines.

They all should have been removed from the areas of operation right then, if only in a perfect war, but they weren't (and there isn't any perfect war). So, with the blood of their brothers soaking their uniforms, with

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