Redstate

By Leverkuhn Posted in User Blogs — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

My first reaction when I saw this article on Drudge (mucho hat tip) was to say "BS."  The title struck me as ridiculous: "Iraq Battle Stress Worse Than WWII." As I said, my first thought was, "what a crock!!"

However, the more I read, the more I understood how this could really be true.  Apparently, the British are way more anal about legal niceties than we are, and it is having some seriously negative consequences:

The revelations follow the collapse last week of the court martial of seven paratroopers accused of murdering an Iraqi who died near al- Amarah just after the war and amid signs of a dramatic drop in morale among frontline infantry soldiers.

The doctors' warnings came in post-operational reports submitted by senior officers to their formation commanders after serving in a battle zone. They are exceptional because of their content.

One source said: "There doesn't appear to be any overt consideration or understanding of the pressures that our soldiers are under.

"The unpopularity of the war at home and a belief that firing their rifles in virtually any circumstances is likely to see them end up in court are sapping morale."

One corporal said that troops arriving in Basra were confronted by warnings from the Royal Military Police. "They make it clear that any and every incident will be investigated. It is also made clear that if you shoot someone, you will face an inquiry that could take up to a year.

"The faces of the young lads straight out of training drop as the fear of being investigated strikes home and many ask whose side the RMP are on."

The article goes on to say that the "more complex situation" in Iraq has pushed stress levels for British soldiers up just as high as during WWII, and perhaps higher. Perhaps this is unsurprising. Whenever you put lawyers in the mix of things stress is inevitable.