GIs ask Iraqis what they can do to make up for U.S. atrocities

The following military maxim, “Bad leadership leads to bad behavior,” should condemn the Pentagon brass. On April 5, the organization WikiLeaks released a horrific video that vividly exposed the true character of the U.S.-led war of occupation in Iraq. Surreptitiously leaked from the Pentagon, the video portrayed graphic details of a massacre which killed at least 11 helpless civilians, including two Reuters journalists, and severely wounded two children.

Two former GIs from the ground unit shown in the video, Josh Siebert and Ethan McCord, have stepped forward to take responsibility and apologize to the victims of the massacre.

In a document of courage and humanity, these former GIs lay bare the criminal nature of U.S. wars and occupations that train young men and women to “kill or be killed,” and then ship them off to countries where invariably the entire population becomes their enemy.

The following are excerpts from their letter, which is an important step in confronting and opposing the U.S. occupation of Iraq and can also be applied to Afghanistan:

An open letter of reconciliation and responsibility to the Iraqi people from current and former members of the U.S. military

Peace be with you.

To all of those who were injured or lost loved ones during the July 2007 Baghdad shootings depicted in the “Collateral Murder” Wikileaks video:

We write to you, your family and your community with awareness that our words and actions can never restore your losses.

We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. Josh Stieber was in the same company but was not there that day, though he contributed to your pain and the pain of your community on many other occasions.

We have been speaking to whoever will listen, telling them that what was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. From our own experiences, and the experiences of other veterans we have talked to, we know that the acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war: this is the nature of how U.S.-led wars are carried out in this region.

We acknowledge our part in the deaths and injuries of your loved ones as we tell [U.S.] Americans what we were trained to do and what we carried out in the name of “god and country.” The soldier in the video said that your husband shouldn’t have brought your children to battle, but we are acknowledging our responsibility for bringing the battle to your neighborhood, and to your family. We did unto you what we would not want done to us.

More and more Americans are taking responsibility for what was done in our name. Though we have acted with cold hearts far too many times, we have not forgotten our actions towards you. Our heavy hearts still hold hope that we can restore inside our country the acknowledgment of your humanity that we were taught to deny.

We have asked our fellow veterans and servicemembers, as well as civilians both in the United States and abroad, to sign in support of this letter, and to offer their names as a testimony to our common humanity, to distance ourselves from the destructive policies of our nation’s leaders and to extend our hands to you.

With such pain, friendship might be too much to ask. Please accept our apology, our sorrow, our care and our dedication to change from the inside out. We are doing what we can to speak out against the wars and military policies responsible for what happened to you and your loved ones. Our hearts are open to hearing how we can take any steps to support you through the pain that we have caused.

Solemnly and Sincerely,
Josh Stieber,
former specialist, U.S. Army
Ethan McCord,
former specialist, U.S. Army