Pregnant soldiers leaving Iraq
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| Thu, 06-17-2004 - 4:14pm |
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/003200406170322.htm
Pregnant soldiers leaving Iraq, US "unaware of numbers"
Washington, June 17. (PTI): Many U.S. women soldiers in Iraq are leaving the frontline and returning home, but the Pentagon does not want to reveal their numbers as the "embarrassing" statistic includes unwed mothers, media reported on Wednesday.
"U.S. Central Command is not tracking the number of troops who must leave the Iraq war theatre due to pregnancy, prompting military advocates to charge that the Pentagon wants to keep secret what could be an embarrassing statistic," The Washington Times said in a report.
The paper said that there have been anecdotal reports of unmarried women soldiers becoming pregnant in Iraq. One military police unit reported losing three women for that reason.
Lynndie England, the 21-year-old photographed holding a leash attached to a naked Iraqi prisoner, became pregnant during an affair with another soldier at the Abu Ghraib prison compound in Iraq, it said.
But overall numbers are hard to come by. "We are definitely not tracking it," said a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which runs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I have been attending operations briefings for two years, and I don't think I have heard once that pregnancy has come up."
As in the case of England, said the paper, pregnancies can be embarrassing to the military. In May 2003, the Marine Corps was forced to bring a Marine back home after she gave birth on a Navy warship in the Persian Gulf. She told superiors that she did not know she was pregnant.

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Why? Because "that sort of mentality" is the truth?
I've got an example for you: Jessica Lynch.
But the reality is...is that there ARE many soldiers (both male & female) who are capable of maintaining basic humanity while fighting a war.
You asked, "How much humanity will we give up in order to 'win'? Based on this administrations OBVIOUS plans to commit war crimes (evidenced by the resolution they made the UN sign barring them from charging us with war crimes), a whole lot.
Are all wars worth winning...or even beginning?" I don't think most wars are worth fighting. However, it is an option that we have used since the history of mankind,and I think we are going to keep on using it until we blow ourselves up.
P.S. I'm sorry you felt insulted by my comments - I must have been insulting myself, as I didn't know about the chemicals in the food until a reservist told me about it a few months ago. God bless.
Not quite: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3834089.stm
The ICC itself is a joke and no US citizen, soldier or not, should be subject to an International court. We have Constitutional rights and we should not be subjected to a UN court. We were right not to ratify it.
Jim
Actually, I wasn't insulted. I was just stating that I've 'been around' for a while myself and have experienced (although only secondhand) the ugliness of war.
Difficult or impossible to do, in a society where Moral Relativism is the norm and Absolute Morality is viewed with Disdain.
How do you raise the bar when there is no definitive standard telling us where to put the bar?
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It may be YOUR truth, but it's not THE truth.
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"If you don't stand up for something, you'll lie down for anything." -- B
Why is it a falsely noble Ideal. It is a noble Ideal. To hold the door for a woman, to walk nearest the street, to stand when she enters the room are all noble. There is nothing false about it. As a man I can tell you that I AM more compelled to help a woman in need than another man. There is logic and rationale attached to it, and yes it is emotional as well.
My son will be taught these "falsely noble ideals", by my words and my deeds.
My daughter will be taught that it isn't an insult to accept these ideals and to understand this treatment is not only normal but desireable.
Jim
I guess I don't need a 'definitive standard' or 'Absolute Morality' in order to believe we can better ourselves as a species.
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