Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
I would expect that this Sergeant when the story is released is a multi term veteran, probably did a spin or two in Iraq, saw some close friends get blown away, and probably had something bad happen recently.
I'm not trying to excuse him, or force an understanding of him, but its important to know.
|
Quote:
A U.S. official said the suspect is a conventional soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Another U.S. official said the sergeant is married and has two children. He served three tours in Iraq, and had been serving his first deployment in Afghanistan since December.
|
from:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1338123.html
Nail on the head CC.
In regards to the issues in Afghanistan, I am of the opinion that they stem ultimately from the poverty and lack of prosperity in the country. This facilitates the issues of extremism, tribalism and xenophobia. The goal of the NATO countries from the get-go should have been building roads to prosperity for the country.
Alas, the Bush Administration decided that a better idea would be to spend (at minimum) 750 billion dollars on Iraq. According to Wikipedia, the accrued costs in Afghanistan to 2011 only total 468 billion. I assert, though it's impossible to prove I admit, that Afghanistan would be nearly stable had that 750 billion from Iraq been poured into it instead.