FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The armed forces of the United States are arguably the greatest fighting force ever assembled. More importantly, it traditionally has been used only for the noblest of causes. The most recent example is Libya, where President Obama ordered our military to assist in protecting innocent civilians from being slaughtered by the ruthless dictator Moammar Ghadafi.
But as with any organization, sometimes it only takes the actions of a few to call the reputation of the whole into question.
Over the weekend, the German newspaper, Der Spiegel, published photographs of what appear to be two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan standing over the bodies of dead Afghan civilians, in what's been described as trophy-like poses.
One of those soldiers, Army Specialist Jeremy Morlock, is being court marshaled for the murder of three Afghan civilians. He will plead guilty tomorrow. In all, 12 soldiers have been charged for offenses related to the murder of Afghan civilians last year.
The Army released a statement yesterday apologizing for the pictures and for the actions of 12 soldiers, saying:
"The photos appear in stark contrast to the discipline, professionalism and respect that have characterized our soldiers' performance during nearly ten years of sustained operations."
The incident is reminiscent of Abu Ghraib during the war in Iraq where U.S. soldiers took pictures of each other torturing Iraqi prisoners.
Whether the lengths and numbers of deployments of our military, which has been stretched to the breaking point, contribute to these kinds of things is a debate for another day.
Here’s my question to you: Does the latest Army photo scandal change your view of the U.S. military?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 6pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Brianna:
Absolutely not. The U.S. military took these photos very seriously and is court marshaling the soldiers involved in the scandal. If there was nothing done about this, then that's a different story.
Fred in Los Angeles:
Not one bit. But then again, the Iraqi prison photos didn't offend me either. War is hell, Jack.
Michael in Tampa:
This and Abu Ghraib are only the tip of the iceberg. The U.S. does evil things in the countries it invades, and the Obama administration has attempted to cover-up the atrocities through the solitary confinement of Bradley Manning and attempts to imprison WikiLeaks personnel.
Teresa:
No, because not every member of our armed forces is as tasteless and evil as these individuals. I am the wife of an Air Force Veteran and we are both embarrassed and disgusted by this display of moronic activity and disrespect of human life.
Peg in New York:
What shameful photos. No excuse can forgive this mess.
Gordon in New Jersey:
As a veteran, it disturbs me that the training of these troops can be so poor that any GI might think this kind of behavior is acceptable. That said, the stress of multiple combat tours is taking a terrible price on the small number of soldiers who keep getting sent back into combat again and again. We need a fair draft, and we need it now or our proud Army will be destroyed from within.
Paulina in Chicago:
Our troops are our troops. As Americans, we need to support them for fighting for our freedom and for the freedom of others. There are millions of soldiers within our military, one can not expect them all to be perfect. Unfortunately, more focus is placed on the negative than on the positive aspects of their actions. I stand behind our troops and if you don't, feel free to stand in front of them.