Child Soldiers, Hidden Problem in US

Americans like to think that this only happens in other parts of the world when it is taking place right under their nose

(SALEM) - According to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR), allowing children to serve in the military, in a combat environment is a war crime. This is simple for most people to understand. But if it is illegal, why does the US allow children to serve in its military and how is that not also a war crime?

I've seen them in Iraq and in Afghanistan; kids just barely 18 legally serving in the U.S. military; being trusted to function as rational human beings in an armed conflict when they should be at home with their parents.

I've seen kids in the war who didn't even look 17, and the annals of American history are packed with the valiant acts of child soldiers. Moreover, I have seen the scary eyed 17-year old kids serving in the military here in the US, it is shocking.

The problem is that the Americans are the first to point fingers, the first to label...[these people] defending their families as "terrorists" and the US media has enjoyed a hay day expelling criticism of unique groups like the now defunct Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka who used youth in their ranks. In that event, you are talking about a minority culture facing ethnic cleansing; total cultural annihilation.

But it's OK for the Americans to do it, after all their wars are all politically concocted wars, with no real reason or motivation that comes close to just.

In these wars, time and time again, Americans light children up with their machine guns, like in the famous Wikileaks video of the American Army at work in Baghdad mowing down journalists with tripods, then babies in a van. Sick sick sick!!!!

The UNHCR goes to great effort in its new report on Sri Lanka to fault the Tamils for using child soldiers. Well I can tell you that I know people who were Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE) and they tell me it was an honor for a young Sri Lankan Tamil youth to even be considered for such a role.

Unlike the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where M-23 rebels backed directly by Rwanda and indirectly by Rwanda's ally, the USA, rips sleeping children from their beds, raping the little girls and making them sex slaves and forcing the boys to murder their own parents as their "first kill"... the LTTE functioned in a protective role for its young soldiers, who were highly trained and effective fighters. They had little choice, as we all now know about that the war crimes against Tamils that (still continue) ended in a massive, US funded Genocide in May 2009.

According to novosti.rs, the youngest known soldier to serve in the First World War, was Momčilo Gavrić. He reportedly joined the 6th Artillery Division of the Serbian Army at the age of 8.

Even the UK is explicitly guilty of this use of children for military purposes of violence. About a fifth of new recruits in the UK are 16 or 17 years of age.

The Americans play a game of technicalities. In truth, children in the United States who are seventeen years old can join the armed forces. The US skirts international law by not placing these children in deadly combat situations, but that 18th birthday is all that is required to be able to kill for America.

It is a sad and interesting fact that the US military is packed with 17-year old kids and they are subjected to the same brutality that any recruit is, and all of the same dangers, but boy are they impressionable, imagine being 18 and killing a human being.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is the "gift" of war, and it doesn't require combat, only major trauma. There is no single institution in the USA that exploits weakness and youthfulness like the United States Marine Corps.

Plunging underdeveloped minds and bodies of youngsters into the melee of the US military's sadistic training ground is a recipe for disaster, and unquestionably, a theft of moral value and the innocence of youth.

But Americans like to think that this only happens in other parts of the world when it is taking place right under their nose. Add to that the fact that under former US president George W. Bush, recruiters were allowed into high schools for the first time in US history.

Tim King specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide. His years as a Human
Rights reporter have taken on many dimensions. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in
2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine. Tim is the news editor
for Salem-News.com and holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from traditional
mainstream news agencies like The Associated Press and Electronic Media Association; he also holds awards
from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and The Red Cross
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Anonymous March 5, 2014 10:32 am (Pacific time)

Tim I agree let's ban all wars. So how should we proceed? Will Russia, China and the world's radical Muslims simple cease their hostilities? How about the war going on right here on a domestic level. Would you agree that when you have a current population group being murdered, raped and violently assaulted disproportionately by other groups you have a war, even a potential genocide in the making? I am not talking about past suppositions, but what is going on currently, and you have sources that provide the data to show this violence. Now recall many felt Iran's development of nuclear power was for peaceful means? Maybe you can explain the above and following Tim? Thank You... Thankfully they have no interest in nuclear weapons.....
"Iran's Guard says it has multiple warhead missiles"--
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/iran-says-guard-has-multiple-warhead-missiles

Iran has plenty of weapons, but unlike the USA, they have not attacked another country in several hundred years. Historical record is a real enemy of propaganda, I know, but this country lays waste to millions for no legitimate reason at all. More Iraqi civilians were killed by the US in its false flag war than all Americans ever lost in war, how do you explain that? You can't, war is a horrible idea and the USA needs to lead by example, and I should not have to explain it.

Anonymous March 4, 2014 3:48 pm (Pacific time)

Tim the average age of those killed in Vietnam as per the Department of Defense, the "ONLY PRIMARY SOURCE" was 22. There are all kinds of people spewing different numbers, but then again, their numbers are not a primary source. Let's be intellectual honest for your readers, even though it may not fit your personal narrative, the truth and facts are the primary responsibility for real Journalists. Can you provide other numbers that have the reliability and validity of the DOD? Thank you.

"Let's be intellectual" you say... Good idea, why don't we. Even if you were right your point is still very small, all war should be banned, all leaders who suggest war should be impeached. Tax the rich and feed the poor. War has ravaged our planet, enough already. Send the politicians to war first.

geral March 4, 2014 8:57 am (Pacific time)

fbi's Cointelpro operative seeks to discredit this combat war vet (& fbi whistleblower) by claiming that vet's service makes him a murderer and possibly a mass murderer.

http://sosbeevfbi.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fbi-s-cointelpro-operative-falsely-labels-combat-war-vet-as-a

In startling developments the fbi sends an anonymous fbi operative online (Abu-Jamal, aka, paint me doubtful, aka James Duval) to fraudulently label this fbi whistle blower ( see my sworn affidavit, 2007) and United States combat war vet as *"murderer" for his service in Viet Nam; and in a different post the fbi calls this vet a possible **mass murderer.

Additionally, the fbi in its desperation to silence this former fbi agent commits a crime in Dallas, Texas, plants the name G Sosbee at the scene of the crime and thereby causes federal and state agents to descend on Sosbee's home in a fraudulent fishing expedition; at the same time the fbi orchestrates the menacing presence of a police officer for obscure purposes:

http://www.sosbeevfbi.com/dilemmafacingciv.html

*Monique Abu-Jamal 25.Feb.2014

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2014/02/426594.shtml

**paint me doubtful 26.Feb.2013

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2013/02/422103.shtml?discuss

Meanwhile, as an apparent response to this report, the fbi continues assaults on Geral Sosbee 24/7 via directed energy weaponry as set forth here (note that the fbi now resumes DEW-sleep deprivation attacks on my wife):

http://www.sosbeevfbi.com/hightechassau.html

Also, as I have previously reported the fbi continues to vandalize my car by driving nails into the tires, etc.

For all who use the internet to post messages, or who otherwise use emails, be aware that the fbi hacks into my emails and hacks my messages as I type them for posting on various news boards. The most recent example of such changing of my text is as follows: The fbi changed the phrase "fishing expedition" to read "fish hunting expedition" on my recent reports online. Then, the fbi routinely sends their operatives to claim that my spelling and text are of poor quality.

Alt Links:

http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2014/03/19176.php

http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/480384/index.php

CK March 4, 2014 8:09 am (Pacific time)

Tim King here is some referenced material you may find helpful: Over 72% of those killed in Irag/Afghanistan are over 22 years old, and nearly 50% over 25. The 18-21 years old account for 28.2%. Those engaged in regular combat operations are less than 10% of the entire military. The super majority of 18 year olds in the military are far removed from combat exposure and are in essentially supportive roles for the combatants, as are the majority for all military personnel. Some in recent years have espoused that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan affect minorities more heavily than whites. The DOD data dispels that notion. Whites make up 75.6% of the U.S. population (ages 18-44), and 67% of the total DOD force, but experienced 75.2% (3,525) of the combat casualties. Among the 18-44 age-group, Blacks make up 12.2% of the U.S. population, 17% of the total DOD force, and experienced 9.3% (437) of the total casualties. WOUNDED IN ACTION: Whites made up 25,254 (77.0%) of the WIAs, blacks comprised 2,688 (8.0%), and hispanics made up 2,061 (6.3%) of those wounded in action. VIETNAM: "Myth": The average age of an infantryman fighting in Vietnam was 19. Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth, it is actually 22. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. [CACF] The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action) [CACF] http://usmilitary.about.com/od/terrorism/a/iraqdeath1000.htm --- http://www.vhpa.org/info/stats.htm

In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war

but it wasn't

It was different in many ways, as so were those that did the fighting

In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26

In Vietnam he was 19

In inininininin Vietnam he was 19

In inininininin Vietnam he was 19

In inininininin Vietnam he was 19

n n n n nineteen

19 - Paul Hardcastle (1985)

Jimmy March 4, 2014 1:35 am (Pacific time)

I'm at a loss here. On one hand you despise the horrible US for sending "children" into war, yet you enlisted at 18? I don't have to imagine my girls volunteering to serve, they have no intention on doing so. Would you suggest that the military take us 40 something's instead? Your article is grasping for legitimacy but falls very short. Perhaps it should have been left on press.tv.

Yeah I'd say you're lost, on this issue and many others. You use the word "horrible" when I didn't. I've covered both wars and you haven't. You think my suggestion that kids in the military lacks legitimacy, tell that to the parents whose kids were killed overseas. Nothing like having an aloof attitude Jimmy. Sorry you are pro war, not an evolved position to take bud.

Jimmy March 3, 2014 3:15 pm (Pacific time)

Tim, how old we're you when you voluntarily enlistsed in the marines?

18, and I was way too young. You know, you have a kid almost that age, just try to imagine...

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Child Soldiers, Hidden Problem in US

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