U.S. soldier accused of beating Iraqi prisoners says, `It is war' DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer Tuesday, November 25, 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (11-25) 10:26 PST PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- One of four American MPs charged with beating prisoners of war at a detention camp in Iraq said Tuesday: "We were doing our jobs. ... It is war. It is not back home where everybody is safe." Shawna Edmondson, a 24-year-old Army reservist, accepted a demotion and a discharge rather than face a court martial, and returned to her hometown in northeastern Pennsylvania last week. Three other members of Edmondson's Military Police unit refused to accept a plea bargain and are on restricted duty in Kuwait. They could go to jail if convicted of abuse and misconduct. Fellow soldiers testified that the four Pennsylvania reservists punched and kicked prisoners who were being brought to an American camp in southern Iraq on May 12. One prisoner suffered a broken nose. One soldier said that during the attack, a beaten prisoner was "screaming for his life." Another testified that Edmondson told her that the attack was to "teach the prisoner a lesson on how to treat women." The reservists have said they were acting in self-defense. Edmondson, a former student and security guard at the University of Scranton, would not discuss the allegations in detail Tuesday, saying she will probably be called back to Iraq to testify. But, speaking by telephone from her parents' home in Clarks Summit, about 110 miles north of Philadelphia, she said conditions in the camp were frightening and unsafe. Sometimes as few as 100 MPs were guarding 8,000 prisoners, she said. "We were doing our jobs, and that's about all I can say. People don't understand the conditions out there. It is war. It is not back home where everybody is safe," Edmondson said. "Mistakes will be made. People are dying. Our soldiers are dying every day. But they seem to want to be nicer to the Iraqi POWs than our own people." Edmondson said she will see if she can get her old job back at the university. Her discharge, which came after a demotion from sergeant to private, will probably bar her from pursuing her plan to become a police officer. Edmondson said she joined the reserves 41/2 years ago with the intent of getting training that would be useful in a career in law enforcement. "I was naive. I never thought I'd have to go to war," she said. She said she has gotten a warm reception in her hometown from family and friends but has also encountered some coldness. "There are some people who are not so proud," she said. "There are always going to be mixed feelings and mixed emotions. Me, I'm just glad it's over."
She has a better grasp of the situation than the Defense Department weenies who are supposed to be running things.
Then you would suspend the Geneva convention when it suits your purpose? You showed outrage at the claims of our dead soldiers being desecrated (a false story for which you offered no apology or retraction for your comments about the allegation ), yet you defend barbarian behavior toward prisoners of war? Why do you constantly have the position that behavior you deem right is always right and never wrong? Today you attack a respected republican for acting properly, when he found his aide acted improperly. Now you justify behavior that is deemed inappropriate by our military and their rules of conduct, thinking a female reserve MP knows more about war than our officials. You really are sounding most irrational.
on this. If an investigation reveals abuse merely for the sake of it, that's obviously wrong and the soldier should be held fully accountable. However, if that investigation reveals that the MPs had to use more force due to a situation that arose with the prisoners, compounded by not having enough MPs there to do the job, well, that's different. It is premature for AAA to be claiming the soldier's innocence, and for ARogueTrader to convict the soldier so readily without a full understanding of what went on.
Here is what we know: Shawna Edmondson, a 24-year-old Army reservist, accepted a demotion and a discharge rather than face a court martial, and returned to her hometown in northeastern Pennsylvania last week. Do innocent people accept demotions and discharges if they are completely innocent of charges such as these? Sometimes they do. However in this case, she did admit to guilt suffient to be demoted and discharged. So what we know is that she admitted some level of guilt with the plea bargain, the remaining three will face a court martial trial. We also know the following: "Fellow soldiers testified that the four Pennsylvania reservists punched and kicked prisoners who were being brought to an American camp in southern Iraq on May 12. One prisoner suffered a broken nose."
Good for her. But seriously, our military is top notch, both in its performance and humanitarianism. Anyone giving them shit, compared to all the other atrocities occurring on a regular basis, esp. to any women who smacks around some fanatic, needs to get their head out of their ass. Yeah, give her a slap on the wrists. I'm not crying for the fanatics.