Soldier removed from the war
 

Okay he shot a Koran, what is the other officer doing kissing it..... is this what we have become???




By KIM GAMEL - Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD(AP) An American sniper was removed from Iraq after he used a copy of the Quran for target practice, the military said Sunday, a day after a U.S. commander held a formal ceremony apologizing to Sunni tribal leaders.

The elaborate ceremony _ in which one U.S. officer kissed a new copy of Islam's holy book before giving it to the tribal leaders _ reflected the military's eagerness to stave off anger among Sunni Arabs it has been cultivating as allies.

The tribesmen have become key in the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq militants, who depict the American forces as anti-Islamic occupiers. One anti-U.S. Iraqi Sunni group condemned the Quran shooting, calling it "a hideous act." Similar perceived insults to Islam have triggered protests throughout the Muslim world.

Iraqi police found the bullet-riddled Quran with graffiti inside the cover on a firing range near a police station in Radwaniyah, a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman Col. Bill Buckner said.

American commanders launched an inquiry that led to disciplinary action against the unidentified soldier, who has been removed from Iraq, Buckner said.

Members of the local U.S.-allied group said the Quran was found with 14 bullet holes in a field after U.S. troops withdrew from a base in the area.

Sheik Ahmed Khudayer al-Janabi, a local tribal leader, said the group had planned a protest march last Thursday but called it off under pressure from U.S. forces and to prevent any insurgent violence as retaliation.

The incident, which occurred on May 9 and was discovered two days later, was first reported by CNN, which broadcast a ceremony at which the top American commander in Baghdad apologized to tribal leaders Saturday in Radwaniyah. The military confirmed the details Sunday in an e-mailed response to a query.

So much for that toilet paper!

Do you think Patton woulda kissed it???

If OUR OFFICERS are kissing Korans it is time to bring our guys home, I am sorry.....

Gen. George Patton was not PC. Thank God and wish we had more of him around today.

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Its time to stop being PC and move forwards in this world.

I have as much a problem with a non-Muslim U.S. soldier kissing the Koran as with the piss poor judgment to shooting one while occupying a Muslim country. We really don't need these kinds of PR disasters while on foreign soil.

Seems like stupid behavior by the solider.

It may be unpleasant for some you hawkish types to see an officer kissing a Quran, but it strikes me a responsive management move. We have been sorely lacking in that department.

Now that I can agree with.

Although I utterly hate this stupid war and the fabricated "reasons" behind it, the fact is if we commit troops to a mission, you don't saddle it with political correctness and make them fight with one hand tied behind their back.

I agree the soldier's behavior was stupid. All we should have done is disciplined the guy and issued an apology. I think the kissing the Koran thing is inappropriate. Our military shouldn't be kissing or publicly revering ANY religious icons, regardless of denomination. The last thing we should be doing is mixing up military and religious dogma. . . Slippery slope and no good can/will come of it.

Clearly the sniper wanted to make a statement. He did: He is Anti-islamic.

If you can't perceive how this plays right into the insurgents hands, how it would anger the local populace, how it endangers fragile alliances, how it puts his fellow soldiers at risk, you are not looking very hard.

The US is not anti-islamic, nor are our troops in Iraq for any religious reason, but this act creates the opposite perception.

Since everyone seems hooked on Patton, please consider that George S Patton, won because he was a great tactician. That he was "not PC" was a severe handicap which almost cost him his career.

If he had showed just a bit more tact, he would not have been removed from command by Ike after Sicily. He could have commanded at D-Day. But he had to let his ego and attitude get in the way. Too bad.

For every copy of Koran shot:

5,000 new insurgents/terrorists are created
50,000 on-the-fence Iraqi's now hate America
500,000 Iraqi's who like America are now on the fence

That said, I understand the concept of kissing the Koran...we are in their home. it was an attempt to have only:

500 new insurgents/terrorists created
5,000 on-the-fence Iraqi's now hate America
50,000 Iraqi's who like America are now on the fence

I respect the Officer's decision, I feel terrible that he had to do such a thing, I strongly believe no member of our Militaryshould ever have to do something so gut-wrenching. That Officer is as much a hero as the guy covering a hand grenade with his body so his buddies are spared. Kissing that Koran saved a few American lives IMHO.

The Sniper was screwing up the mission. The Officer was putting it back on track. Some days your job means you got to do the nasty, even if it is pandering to a bunch of religious wacko's.

I think the funniest thing is the Officer's actions are so much more dangerous to the Islamists, than the sniper could ever be. I think the developed world has shown that becoming a developed nation = major declines in religion.

IMO, Hawktel has concisely nailed the point. :)

You need to extract yourselves from there and let the primitive children of Allah get on with their book kissing lives.

it is sooo awesome when facts are interjected into a discussion. beautiful post.

Let's hope this happens soon, and that we can do it appropriately and effectively.

Tom

Too bad the 'book' wasn't in the vest pocket of one of these maslums...

Good one. Still remember when a sniper was asked by one of the stoopid television people "what do you feel when you shoot a terrorist" and his answer was "recoil."

R50/2,

I agree with most of your post but Gen Patton's job was to kill Nazi's and end the war. Even at this stage in the world the damm press was getting their noses where it did not belong and effected the outcome of the war. Yes, Patton did get replaced and did not fight during the Normandy invasion but Bradley knew that he was the only man to command the Army group once on-shore and turned him loose once things had died down.

His march across Europe to defeat the Nazi's was one for the textbooks, especially his 3rd Army group breaking the Bastogne blockade with no notice in the middle of a fight in winter.

Do you have some basis for these numbers or did you just pull them out of your ass?

The real idiot here is the guy who made an issue of this.

The first thing that struck me after reading this story is how absolutely silly all of this butt kissing seems when you stand back and realize that Allah doesn't even exist. All this pomp and circumstance and walking on eggshells to coddle some people because they share a common delusion. The unfortunate part is that they are more than willing to die for their delusion.

Wasn't it Wil Rogers who said, "Diplomacy is the act of saying 'nice doggie' until you can reach a big stick"?

Problem is that the muslims and especially the terrorist muslims believe that he exists and are ready to martyr themselves for him.