LCpl. Joshua Bernard
Not too long ago, the Pentagon lifted the ban on pictures of KIAs returning to the US from Iraq and Afghanistan. The poignant images of the flag draped coffins have always been a somber and painful reminder that the cost of war goes beyond a news headline about another casualty.
As much as I was opposed to the lifting of the ban, I could almost see the reasoning behind it.
And as our Military was unleashed against the Taliban and Saddam Hussein, I found myself glued to the television as I hunger for news about our Military, as it was reported by the embedded journalists.
The new Pentagon policy of embedding had its negative side also, as the enemy was able to watch too, and when the Media begun to openly use the Military, casualties and the horrors of combat to build the opposition to President Bush’s policies.
It has been some time now that I have lost all credence into the garbage the Media feeds the American people, and the following does nothing to change my mind, instead it reinforces my already lugubrious opinion of these bottom feeders.
Here are the facts. On August 14, 2009, a Marine patrol in Helmand province of Afghanistan was ambushed by a Taliban force. The Marines were attacked with small arms and RPGs and in the ensuing battle LCpl. Joshua L. Bernard was hit by an RPG. Joshua was gravely wounded, but made it to the medical facility where he unfortunately died of his injuries.
Upon his return to the States and his funeral services, someone from the Associated Press showed his parents pictures of the battle, including one that showed their son mortally wounded. Joshua’s father, John Bernard, a retired Marine, asked the Associated Press not to publish the picture of his son, as it would induce further pain and suffering upon the family.
The Associated Press, in a show of true journalistic compassion, raised the metaphorical middle finger to the grieving family and published the photo anyway, citing they wanted to show their admiration for the Military and honor their services and sacrifices. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates also had urged the AP to grant the John Bernard’s wish and refrain from publishing the photo, but even his plea was unsuccessful.
These are the facts, now my thoughts.
During the Vietnam War, there was a unofficial term called “fragging” which derived by fragmentation grenades (mostly known as hand grenades). But in some instances the term was used to describe the way some soldiers felt about their officers, meaning that they were so incensed by the behavior of some of their superiors, who were placing their lives in unnecessary danger, that they refer to the use of the weapon to take out such officers.
The reason I am mentioning this is because as soon as I read the article regarding the actions of the Associated Press in the case of LCpl. Bernard, I immediately hoped that the next time Julie Jacobson or any other AP reporter is embedded, maybe someone would think of fragging. But that was only my initial reaction. Very seldom I write my rants upon an initial reaction, because I rather use logic than emotion.
During WWII, the Media was highly censored in what they were allowed to show the American people at home. And there was a reason for it, as almost every family in the country had someone serving somewhere in the world. The first pictures of dead soldiers published were from the Tarawa campaign in the Pacific. The horrible images of the beaches littered by bodies of Marines had a shocking effect on the American people, who reacted by supporting FDR and the war effort even more, following the logic that the harder they worked, the sooner the war would be over. This was the America of the time. Today, the pictures like Joshua’s are glanced over by individuals who are busy packing for their next vacation or temporarily distracted from the tabloid depiction of the latest Hollywood breakup. And the reaction is that we must end this useless war.
As I am writing this, my feeling about the actions of AP remain agitated, mostly because I place myself, as I try to do as much as possible in every situation I write about, in the shoes of the Bernard family. I try to imagine the pain and suffering they must have been going through while gazing at the picture of their son in his last moments of his life. And to top this off, they had to endure the cold blooded rejection on the part of the Ass_ociated Press to abide by the decent request to keep the picture private. In my humble opinion, these actions are inexcusable and revolting.
I remember when the game of the day was to paint the war in Iraq as America’s doomsday in the Media relentless effort to attack Bush. Most of those reports were filed by so-called journalists who never left the relative safety of their hotels in Baghdad’s Green Zone, never once venturing out in the field with the 19 and 20 years old soldiers who were doing all the heavy lifting. And I can recall how the Media completely ignored our Military efforts in Afghanistan as it did not fit their agenda. Today it does.
Their declared support for our troops is a total fabrication, a façade to cover up their true feelings of loathing for the Military.
But the falsehood of their agenda is so apparent. As they used the picture of Joshua Bernard to claim a false support for what is now called Obama’s War, they would have used the same picture five years ago to bring the horrors of war into the American living rooms to boast John Kerry candidacy and his desire to retreat and abandon Iraq. Nothing is the MSM is by chance!
So, although I do not wish for the fragging of reporters embedded, I do wish there was more decency and compassion among the media prostitutes. Hope against hope.
Certainly, was I a CO for a combat unit, I would not accept the embedding of Ms. Jacobson or anyone else from AP on the grounds that I could not insure their safety.
And these are my thoughts!
Frank “Semperpapa”
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