{"id":3627,"date":"2012-05-27T13:03:38","date_gmt":"2012-05-27T18:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/?p=3627"},"modified":"2024-09-12T08:54:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T12:54:49","slug":"iraq-vet-bravado-100-meters-or-you-will-be-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2012\/05\/27\/iraq-vet-bravado-100-meters-or-you-will-be-shot\/","title":{"rendered":"IRAQ VET BRAVADO: \u201c100 METERS… OR YOU WILL BE SHOT\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I was testing the beer yesterday at a Rockville, Maryland, Memorial weekend event, my eye was caught by a t-shirt with the following bilingual motto:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The black t-shirt was worn by a late 20-something with a military-style haircut. He was accompanied by his wife who was pushing baby stroller. I ambled around to get in front of the guy – his shirt had some type of unit logo but it was obscured by the baby he was holding up against him. Unfortunately, I did not have the ol\u2019 Nikon D-40 hanging around my neck.<\/p>\n

This \u201c100 meters\u201d warning sign was commonplace for U.S military vehicles in Iraq. I glanced at a few photos of such vehicles online and I wondered how close a person would need to be to read such lettering. Probably far closer to 100 meters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But since the vehicles had the warning notice, any resulting killings of civilians were justified – because the victims should have known.<\/p>\n

Shootings of innocent Iraqis<\/a> at U.S. checkpoints and near U.S. vehicles were so commonplace that the military usually ignored the carnage. U.S. checkpoints were often poorly marked – turning them into death traps for unwary Iraqis. Here is one of the most iconic photos of the Iraq war, depicting five-year-old Samar Hassan wailing after U.S. troops killed her parents at a checkpoint in Tal Afar in 2005.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author Chris Hedges <\/a>noted, \u201cTroops, when they battle insurgent forces, as in Iraq, or Gaza or Vietnam, are placed in \u2018atrocity-producing situations.\u2019” Placing U.S. troops in hostile foreign venues with almost-impossible missions that practically guarantee that innocent people will be gunned down.<\/p>\n

But congressmen ignored the carnage they helped spawn because they never ran into one of the \u201c100 meters… or we\u2019ll shoot\u201d warning signs on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

When I see Iraq vets proudly wearing the \u201c100 meters… or be shot\u201d slogan on their shirt or car, I can\u2019t help wonder: Was this the guy who made Samar Hassan an orphan<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

FWIW – Here’s a link to an essay I wrote last Memorial Day<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

On Twitter @jimbovard
\nJames Bovard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I was testing the beer yesterday at a Rockville, Maryland, Memorial weekend event, my eye was caught by a t-shirt with the following bilingual motto:   The black t-shirt was worn by a late 20-something with a military-style haircut. He was accompanied by his wife who was pushing baby stroller. I ambled around to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nIRAQ VET BRAVADO: \u201c100 METERS... 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