My statement that I heard soldiers on TV say they are doing their job, not following orders is much more recent than that. More like Iraq and Afghanistan wars. If I had known I was going to be challenged on this, I certainly would have taken notes and references. I did a search for it, found lots of things, but not that. I just read three articles re soldiers in these two wars. I don't wish to read them again. One of the places I might have heard it, and I know it's more than one, is people interviewing soldiers saying good bye to their families just before they are sent.
Veronica Caley Milford, MI----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Paul" <rpaul@xxxxxxxx> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 9:52 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Warrior world.
I wrote, as part of a longer post that one interpretation of 'I was only doing my job,' would be'I was only doing my job (so don't blame me).'and to Veronica that I was sure this was the interpretation she had in mind. She repliedThat's what I had in mind. Though I have not heard it in defense of a reprehensible act in particular, except possibly in the Mi Lai case, but I can't remember for sure. Although I believe following orders was the reason given for the events there. I have heard soldiers say numerous times, on TV, in magazine articles, that they do what they do because that is their job. Not in context of reprehensible behavior, but in general.I can't find where Lieutenant Calley, or any of his troops, said this. At his trial, Calley said that he 'was only following orders (Captain Medina's).'This is the Wiki entry on My Lai. Despite whatever flaws it may have, no one disputes that Lt. Calley gave the orders to his platoon to kill everyone—men, women, children, infants—in the hamlet. I'm interested in the 'following orders' defense, in general; I'm not really up to discussing My Lai.Robert Paul ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
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