Friendly Fire
Of all the tragic follies wrought by war, this oxymoronic occurrence is perhaps the greatest. No fire, of course, is friendly if you happen to be on the receiving end of it. Every war has its grim litany of deaths caused by mistake, foolish heroism, or, more often, sheer incompetence. The most recent instance of this has been pretty well buried by the American media, but it’s front page news in Canada.
That’s to be expected since the victims were Canadian and the perpetrators were American. The basic facts are not in dispute. Canadian forces were conducting a night training exercise near Kandahar in Afghanistan. Two American pilots flying over the area were under the mistaken impression that they were under attack. One of them dropped a 500-pound bomb. Four Canadian soldiers were killed and eight injured. Beyond that, naturally enough, things get rather murky.
As soon as the tragedy happened, a blizzard of political forces came to bear, all of which are geared toward obscuring the truth rather than revealing it. Nonetheless, some facts are emerging, fueled primarily by Canadian outrage. Fortunately, in this age of information, it is not as easy to sweep such things under the carpet as it was during my war, Vietnam.
As one who has experienced the terror of combat, I can vouch for the fact that it can seriously cloud your judgment. However, modern military training is supposed to prepare pilots for such eventualities. I have my doubts about whether anything can prepare human beings for the realities of combat. It should be noted, fairly or not, that the pilots involved in this incident were not military Top Guns, but reservists called to duty in an emergency.
That whole Top Gun philosophy needs to be called into question. Kandahar isn’t Hollywood. Yet the American military cultivates the cowboy mentality of “shoot first, ask questions later.” The Canadians were using live tracer rounds in their exercise. They had thoroughly cleared their activities with all military authorities involved. No anti-aircraft weapons were being employed. One of the American pilots insists that he was being targeted by such weapons.
There were strict rules in force regarding aircraft attacks. Any defensive action was only to be undertaken after clearance from command. It appears that the pilot who dropped the bomb did so without such clearance.
It has also become apparent during the investigation that the pilot, rather than taking evasive action to avoid danger, actually slowed his craft and went in closer to investigate. Instead of avoiding the perceived danger, he seemed determined to engage.
Defense lawyers for the pilots, who may face court martial, may have done us all a favor by bringing to light the possible involvement of drugs. It seems that the Air Force issues amphetamines to its pilots in order to combat fatigue on long missions. They are called go-pills and their use is allegedly voluntary.
Whether or not the American pilots were under the influence of these drugs has yet to be made clear. Also unclear is whether or not these drugs can affect judgment rather than simply combating fatigue.
There is more than enough blame to go around in this story. It is morbidly fascinating to watch how the blame game plays out. Under ordinary circumstances, the American military covers its own ass without regard for the truth.
What makes this case extraordinary is that an American general has not only refused to cover up, but has accused his own pilots of reckless behavior. This may be the most damning indictment of all. But the fact remains that the system is just as much to blame as the pilots. Yes, they are being turned into scapegoats for a fatally flawed military mentality. That does not mean that they are blameless.
The reality of modern warfare is that the dealers of death from the skies never have to face the results of the carnage they have dealt out. They never see the broken and mangled bodies of those they have bombed. This is a calculated strategy. Warriors who never have to experience the blood on their own hands can kill much more easily.
The American pilots are up on charges that could result in as much as 64 years in prison. They may deserve it. But the ultimate guilt lies with those of us who do not oppose war with every fiber of our beings.
Friendly fire deaths are a footnote to every war. They are just a few more numbers among the millions who die. If we have any humanity at all, we must ask why so many must die. What do we gain from all this horror? If history is any teacher, we gain nothing at all. But, oh my God, how much we all lose.
11:59:03 PM 
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