[Webstral]

We should bear in mind that this latest horrible incident carries with it a significant emotional content. Rightly or wrongly, anyone who is serving or who has served in Afghanistan is likely to have a strong response to having this kind of event spread on a non-media website. I won’t say whether this response is reasonable, but I will say that it is completely understandable. With that in mind, I’m going to ask everyone to let these sorts of things go and not engage in the sort of one-upmanship that characterizes so much of the Internet.

I haven’t been to Afghanistan. What I’ve seen in video and heard from other vets suggests that there are certain physical similarities between a compound in rural Afghanistan and a compound in rural Iraq. I can see how the press might not make distinctions. Even if the reporter knew the difference between a house and a qualat, an editor Stateside is unlikely to let a Afghan word describing something outside the experience of the average American make it into print or onto a screen. From the standpoint of media management, news has to sell, not confuse.

Nine children… This is one of those moments during which I lose my articulation. Nothing short of profanity seems adequate to express my reaction. Nine. Children. Yes, American soldiers will die. I have a morbid curiosity regarding the soldier’s background. How many tours has he served? Did he just get served with divorce papers? What else is going on in his home life? Has his unit been hard-hit of late? Did his best friend just die? What motivated him to sign the death warrant for 16 Afghans and a yet-to-be-determined number of American troops?