WAR MACHINE

.WAR MACHINE.

Assalamualaikum. May Allah bless us all.
ActuallyThis post is not about the fictional War Machine, the new character in the movie Iron Man 2.
It's about a real world war machine.

This was my situation on that night:

• around 10 pm
• driving back home
• listening to BBC Singapore

Yes, I was listening to an interview session. A soldier, ex-US soldier to be specific, was interviewed on air regarding his real life war experience in Iraq that was made into a documentary. That guy went to Iraq with his comrades, convinced by their government that the Saddam Hussein regime kept the so-called Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) that posed a huge threat. After he was sent back home from the Arabian country, he realised that through his experience in the Iraqi war, he and his country made a huge mistake. Thus, he worked with a documentary producer , by using his own video footage taken when he was in the real battle in Iraq, to make a special documentary. Among his comments was:

• "Now, I don't believe that what we're doing in Iraq was the right thing."
• "Among the things that video cant capture is smell. When I was there, I can hardly remember the last time I brushed my teeth or take a bath."
• "Seeing dead bodies lying on the streets were very common to us. Sometimes we could not even differentiate the smell between a corpse and other things as we're so used to the foul smell of the corpses."
• ''When you were not having any sleep for 98 hours, being thirsty and hungry, even the tough training sessions didnt help us in critical situations. ''
  
• "I want to share my experience with the viewers so that they can see how bad war is."

However,
one incident marked the turning point of this soldier's view
on the purpose of the war.

He said:

"One day, my friends and I were guarding a road checkpoint in Baghdad. Suddenly, we could see from far away that a car continued to accelerate even though warning signs to slow down the car had been shown. Fearing that the car would harm our safety, we had no other choice. We lit up (shot) the car. When the car stop, we were shocked that they were an innocent little girl and his father, both were dead. I saw and managed to record the girl's brain falling down from her skull as her neck bent and eventually broke. It was very tragic. Then I said to myself, we're here not to kill these people, we're supposed to help them."
Well, that is just of the minor, not major stories from the war veterans. Those soldiers are also human being, just like the people that they kill. Its not shocking to know that many US war veterans, involved in committing suicide when they came back from wars as they usually regretted their crime on other people.

Nevertheless, its critical to understand that these soldiers are located in the most bottom part of the military pyramid. They dont have any choice - follow the order and be safe, or object the order and they are going to be strictly punished. Therefore, its crystal clear that in any type of situation, the generals and the politicians - the most upper in the military pyramid- are the people who should be held responsible for the wars. This is because they are the ones who have full power and control over their soldiers. I still remember that not long ago, a group of soldiers were opposing and criticising their generals and politicians for sending them to Iraq and Afghanistan. Then, one of the generals replied:
"You soldiers, are WAR MACHINES! You have no right at all to voice out your opinion, you must listen and act according to our order!".

What did he mean about WAR MACHINE?
You should be treated no more than a machine.
A machine that can be controlled and manipulated by the people in power.
A machine that has no rights whatsoever as a human being.
You should have no humanitarian values at all.
You, your sacrifices and your life is meaningless to them.
Your life purpose is to serve those people in power.
You become a SLAVE.
Your are no longer A FREE MAN.

Quotes from Tun Mahathir:
IN WAR,
THERE IS NO REAL WINNER,
EVERYBODY IS A LOSER.