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Originally Posted by jb2000
Just an aside, and forgive me if its a little off topic here, but as long as we are talking heroes and courage and such, I think its relevant.
Why are roadside bombings and the now infamous IEDs so often used with the word 'cowardly'? I mean do we really have such a romanticized sense of the battlefield that we expect our opponents to come out and challenge us to a duel? Plus, its perposterous to think that we don't do the same thing. Who do you think invented the Claymore Mine, or hundreds of other devices designed to strike our enemies without warning while not exposing our own troops to to harm?
I mean seriously, do we cal SEALs cowardly for planting explosives? Do we call a stealth fighter pilot when he drops a 2,000lb LGB on a terrorist hide out, giving them no warning or recourse? Heck, were the Rovolutionaries cowards for hiding behind rocks and shooting at the Redcoats from cover?
Seriously, can anyone give me a good reason why we should consider these attacks cowardly versus other military tactics? Or is our continued attachment of 'cowardly' to 'roadside bombing' evidence of an effective propaganda machine?
Josh
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gosh... i thought everyone understood this. guess not.
the reason that IEDs are considered to be cowardly is that they are placed there by people who are not wearing a uniform and are not sanctioned soldiers by any government or treaty. once these guys detonate an explosive they waltz back to their homes wearing their day-to-day clothes and put their families and neighbors in grave danger. U.S. and iraqi soldiers must engage those who try to kill them, but the cowardice of those who set IEDs dictate the terms of engagement. US and iraqi soldiers must go door-to-door and raid entire neigborhoods to find the guerillas. the cowards have the luxury of obviously marked vehicles and uniformed soldiers to target.
people seem to think that soldiers wear their uniforms just to look snappy and maybe get a military discount on a Subway sandwich. nope. those uniforms are there to restrict combat to engagements between two recognizable forces in order to limit civilian damage and loss of life. U.S. soldiers honorably wear their uniforms (at their own peril)... those cowards who try to kill and shrink back to hide among women and children do not.
i can't stand it when ignorant people whine about the horrors of war and the tragic damage it does to those caught in its scope... yet they are unable to recognize the deliberate things the enemy does that make it worse.