US Army Pays Tribute To Canadian Soldiers

[Wranglers110]

http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f...925-870009.php

The names of four Canadian soldiers killed during an accidental U.S. Air Force bombing in Afghanistan three years ago were added on May 23 to a memorial for slain members of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky.

[MarchHare]

Nice gesture by the Americans, but do you know what would have been a better tribute? Giving the pilots involved a real punishment rather than a slap on the wrist.

[CaptainCrunch]

I would agree but one has nothing to do with the other.

the tribute and placing thier names on the plaque is a unit decision and not a U.S. government decision or even a decision by the chiefs.

But I do agree that the punishment could have been more severe, but then again the pilot won't be flying for the national guard again.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally posted by MarchHare@May 27 2005, 05:03 PM
Nice gesture by the Americans, but do you know what would have been a better tribute? Giving the pilots involved a real punishment rather than a slap on the wrist.

If you don't mind me asking, but why? To get a chunk of skin, to make the families feel as though someone has been punished. He will never fly again. That is punishment in itself in my opinion. To put someone in prison (and not a nice federal prison) for a mistake made in wartime would be wrong, and to a certain extent inhuman.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally posted by Mean Mr. Mustard+May 28 2005, 01:10 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Mean Mr. Mustard @ May 28 2005, 01:10 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MarchHare@May 27 2005, 05:03 PM
Nice gesture by the Americans, but do you know what would have been a better tribute? Giving the pilots involved a real punishment rather than a slap on the wrist.

If you don't mind me asking, but why? To get a chunk of skin, to make the families feel as though someone has been punished. He will never fly again. That is punishment in itself in my opinion. To put someone in prison (and not a nice federal prison) for a mistake made in wartime would be wrong, and to a certain extent inhuman. [/b][/quote]
I see your point, but from everything I've read on the incident he disobeyed a direct order not to drop ordinance. If that's the case, he deserves to go to prison. I'm sure he wasn't intent on killing Canadian soldiers with his actions, but orders are followed for a reason.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

He did disobey orders to a certain extent, but if someone feels as though they are at some risk or danger, or they will be in the future if they don't act then I think you would be unlikely to find anyone that wouldn't act in the same manner. If you let the enemy (he though it was the enemy go) and they shoot you down the next day, you don't come out on top.

I have got to meet quite a few air force boys in the past couple years, and 99% of them think that grounding him was enough of a punishment. Things are always different you must remember when one is at war, it is easy to be the armchair pilot or soldier, but it isn't realistic.

[FlamesAddiction]

It's a nice gesture for an unfortunate event.

I'm not going to get too upset about a friendly fire incident that occurred in a war that I feel was just. I do however hope that lessons were learned from it.

Regardless, things like this will always happen in war.

[Five-hole]

Originally posted by Displaced Flames fan+May 27 2005, 06:16 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Displaced Flames fan @ May 27 2005, 06:16 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

If you don't mind me asking, but why? To get a chunk of skin, to make the families feel as though someone has been punished. He will never fly again. That is punishment in itself in my opinion. To put someone in prison (and not a nice federal prison) for a mistake made in wartime would be wrong, and to a certain extent inhuman.

I see your point, but from everything I've read on the incident he disobeyed a direct order not to drop ordinance. If that's the case, he deserves to go to prison. I'm sure he wasn't intent on killing Canadian soldiers with his actions, but orders are followed for a reason. [/b][/quote]
I agree with MMM in part, and DFF in part. I don't agree with harshly punishing the pilots as reparation for similar reasons as I don't agree with the death penalty. I'm not sure whether or not the punishment was inordinately lax based on pre-existing rules and such, but there's no point purposefully ramping up punshiment to satisfy the victim's family. It's just revenge at that point and I don't agree with it.

However: I think the pilots quite clearly fataed up and should be punished in full accordance with what the normal penalty for such a thing would be. Would the punishment have been more were it American soldiers killed? If that IS the case, then the punishment should be more in-line with that.

The memorial is a nice gesture though, I think it's a shame that it can't be received as such.