In this Aug. 23, 2011 Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System photo, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, right, participates in an exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Five days after an attack on Afghan villagers killed 16 civilians, a senior U.S. official identified the shooter in that attack as Bales. The man at left is unidentified. (AP Photo/DVIDS, Spc. Ryan Hallock)

War crimes

EDITOR: This latest attack on civilians in Afghanistan should not be a surprise to anyone. I'm surprised that it doesn't happen more often. Can you imagine the terror our soldiers live with every day while stationed in various war zones? Eventually, no matter how sane a person starts out, the atrocities they witness will change that.

There is no way to tell what will make a person snap. The fear of being killed 24/7 must be the ultimate stress a human can endure. This is especially true when you cannot distinguish friend from foe. These conflicts, occupations, invasions or whatever we call them remind me of Vietnam, where a soldier couldn't tell if an approaching civilian, even a child or woman, might be planning to kill them.

We continue to put our military in harm's way, in places where we are not welcome and with people whose religions, philosophies and ways of life we can never understand. We need to get our soldiers home before more of these incidents happen and give them back a somewhat normal, terror- and stress-free life that they deserve.

RICHARD SMITH

Santa Rosa

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.
Send a letter to the editor