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Sgt Alexander Blackman |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Scottish Borders
Posts: 30,167
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Sgt Alexander Blackman
I know I could have bumped the old thread.
He was the guy who shot dead a wounded and captured insurgent. He received a sentence of 10 years. He has now launched an appeal, I wonder what he will be appealing on , that's right ,he "bitterly regrets" the incident.I'll be surprised that many killers don't "bitterly regret" what they have done after they were caught. What are your thoughts on the appeal, should he be released? I think he got off lightly, life sentence of only 10 years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-26827027 |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,361
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The guy should've got a bloody medal, not a prison sentence.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Jun 2012
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Quote:
The guy should've got a bloody medal, not a prison sentence.
How brave. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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I see no grounds for an appeal either Woodbush. I think he's incredibly lucky he didn't get life.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
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A 10 year tariff is very lenient for a life sentence tbh. He did kill someone so i think he got off quite lightly.
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#6 |
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,318
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I think he was very unfortunate.
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#7 |
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,091
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Quote:
A medal for killing an injured captive?
How brave. |
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#8 |
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 7,436
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Quote:
Unless you have experienced the stresses of a war situation (I haven't), then I don't think you are in a position to make such sarcastic remarks.
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#9 |
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,318
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Quote:
I have and you do not shoot a wounded enemy...
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#10 |
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Join Date: Oct 2013
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Quote:
Unless you have experienced the stresses of a war situation (I haven't), then I don't think you are in a position to make such sarcastic remarks.
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#11 |
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Join Date: Aug 2009
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Quote:
Unless you have experienced the stresses of a war situation (I haven't), then I don't think you are in a position to make such sarcastic remarks.
Blackman and his colleagues weren't in the stress and confusion of battle. This wasn't the fight-through, where the shooting of a surrendering enemy combatant might be justified. The engagement was over and the Marines were fully in control of the battle space. The prisoner in question was clearly no threat to them. Anyone who knows my posts on here knows that I'm a big supporter of our armed forces but there's simply no justification for acts like this. Quite apart from the moral issue, if your troops get a reputation for executing prisoners out of hand, your enemy is more likely to fight to the death. This makes no sense militarily and endangers the lives of your comrades. The reason that we admire our armed forces is partly because we hold them to high moral standards, even under the pressure of operations. Whenever some copy-and-paste teenage 'pacifist' comes on here with their daft rhetoric about 'trained killers' they can be easily refuted. Blackman was lucky to get away with 10 years. |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Feb 2014
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Cards on the table I do feel a degree of sympathy for the individual involved , it's not a high street in Watford it's taken place in the enviroment of Helmand province in the kind of situation that thankfully the vast majority of the population will never encounter nor possibly imagine how it feels.
All that said he executes a bloke on camera and makes a comment about breaking the geneva convention , there is pretty no other option than a conviction . It seems he's been given a sentence at the lower end of the guidelines , which I personally think is right, and I also admire the way the Corps has , without seeking to diminish what's happened , generally been fairly supportive to him. I just don't see any other option than the conviction that happened to be honest although as I say I think the minimum tariff would also seem right in my opinion just given the circumstances . |
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#13 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 9,275
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Quote:
Unless you have experienced the stresses of a war situation (I haven't), then I don't think you are in a position to make such sarcastic remarks.
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#14 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
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Just for the record - it was common practice during WW2 for GIs to shoot dead surrendering Japs who were infamous for their cruel barbaric treatment meted out to
surrendered GIs and British POWs . It was also surprising to learn that British troops during WW1 would sometimes shoot dead captured German troops, with the full knowledge and approval of their officers. |
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#15 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,318
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Quote:
Just for the record - it was common practice during WW2 for GIs to shoot dead surrendering Japs who were infamous for their cruel barbaric treatment meted out to
surrendered GIs and British POWs . It was also surprising to learn that British troops during WW1 would sometimes shoot dead captured German troops, with the full knowledge and approval of their officers. |
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#16 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 9,275
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Quote:
Just for the record - it was common practice during WW2 for GIs to shoot dead surrendering Japs who were infamous for their cruel barbaric treatment meted out to
surrendered GIs and British POWs . It was also surprising to learn that British troops during WW1 would sometimes shoot dead captured German troops, with the full knowledge and approval of their officers. In the modern era we know this is wrong do we not...? A bit like murdering captured enemy combatants... |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
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We also used to live in caves and club women over the head before dragging them off for a bit of non consensual rumpy puppy.
In the modern era we know this is wrong do we not...? A bit like murdering captured enemy combatants... I make no judgement regarding the Sgt Blackman and what horrors he may have witnessed from the enemy. Having thankfully not served in the Afghan hell hole. I did my time in SE Asia where in a relatively 'modern era' it is on record that a Jap officer having attended the beheading of an allied POW then dipped his hand inside the body to retrieve and eat a body part, regarded as some kind of medical cure. I doubt many would have objected had this Jap been shot dead.. |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,040
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Soldiering can be a nasty business. Once you switch 'them' on it can be very difficult to switch 'them' off again, and shit happens unfortunately. What happens in vegas should stay in vegas for the most part imo.
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#19 |
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Scottish Borders
Posts: 30,167
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Quote:
The guy should've got a bloody medal, not a prison sentence.
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#20 |
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 6,870
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I think the sentence is fair.
If islamic insurgents in Afghanistan want to behave like savages that's their business. Soldiers serving in Her Majesty's armed forces have rules and responsibilities to follow. Those do not include murdering an enemy they may capture whenever they feel like it. We are not the Gestapo. |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 5,898
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Quote:
We did this to death at the time (as it were).
Blackman and his colleagues weren't in the stress and confusion of battle. This wasn't the fight-through, where the shooting of a surrendering enemy combatant might be justified. The engagement was over and the Marines were fully in control of the battle space. The prisoner in question was clearly no threat to them. Anyone who knows my posts on here knows that I'm a big supporter of our armed forces but there's simply no justification for acts like this. Quite apart from the moral issue, if your troops get a reputation for executing prisoners out of hand, your enemy is more likely to fight to the death. This makes no sense militarily and endangers the lives of your comrades. The reason that we admire our armed forces is partly because we hold them to high moral standards, even under the pressure of operations. Whenever some copy-and-paste teenage 'pacifist' comes on here with their daft rhetoric about 'trained killers' they can be easily refuted. Blackman was lucky to get away with 10 years. His two colleagues were lucky not to have also faced a murder charge under the doctrine of Joint Enterprise. |
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#22 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 36,992
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Quote:
And of of course there is the fact that the insurgent was dragged to cover to prevent the US copter, that was doing BDA, from seeing what they were doing.
His two colleagues were lucky not to have also faced a murder charge under the doctrine of Joint Enterprise. Plus for the ones saying we don't understand wasn't he convinced in a military court so the ones who sentenced him have also had battle/war experience. |
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#23 |
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Leeds
Posts: 1,901
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Quote:
Just for the record - it was common practice during WW2 for GIs to shoot dead surrendering Japs who were infamous for their cruel barbaric treatment meted out to
surrendered GIs and British POWs . It was also surprising to learn that British troops during WW1 would sometimes shoot dead captured German troops, with the full knowledge and approval of their officers. B) The Japanese had a habit of pretending to surrender and then blowing themselves up when getting captured (which wasn't the case here) so you couldn't afford to be as careful. C) The stresses were probably much worse in the Pacific in WWII than in Afghanistan. |
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: The cheap seats.
Posts: 8,713
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Quote:
Unless you have experienced the stresses of a war situation (I haven't), then I don't think you are in a position to make such sarcastic remarks.
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#25 |
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,230
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This argument that those of us who haven't served in the military are in no position to judge infuriates the hell out of me.
It's like when people say that unless you're a woman you're not allowed a view on abortion. This is a liberal democracy. Those with particular expertise or experience of certain things should certainly be listened to, but in the end the decision on whether certain behaviour is permitted in our society is one for us all to make. Blackman should be grateful for his far too lenient sentence. |
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, that's right ,he "bitterly regrets" the incident.