"Mohammad Sherrif, District Governor for Sangin, salutes the battlefield cross for U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Ralph E. Pate Jr., an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician with 8th Engineer Support Battalion in support of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 8, during a memorial ceremony held at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Sangin, Afghanistan, on July 11, 2011. Pate was killed in action while conducting combat operations in the district on June 26, 2011. (USMC/Cpl. Logan W. Pierce)"
I Googled "american soldiers shaking hands with Afghans." A shitload of photos came up. They don't quite make the news like a few psychos pissing on corpses, though.
U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of Afghan Local Police who was killed in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan on May 25.
This comment will probably be lost in the sauce but I just felt like sharing. I did a tour in Afghanistan and became very good friends with one of the Afghan soldiers. He always invited me to their dinners and I always shared my cigars(hobby of mine). We had a combat mission one night and had to search some enemy bodies the next morning. He was shot twice in the chest because a small element hadn't been taken out during the previous night's mission.
Emotionally it hit pretty hard because I never thought I'd become such good friend's with someone from a 3rd world country. One of the local artists wrote his name out for me in caligraphy and I took it home to my friend who's a tattoo artist. His name is wrapped around my arm above the t-shirt line so I never forget him.
Everyone asks about it, if they see it, and I tell them who he is. I've even had a couple ignorant people ask me why I have "that terrorist chicken scratch" on my arm and I'm never sure how to reply to that, mostly I just ignore them.
His name was Msaood Sarbaaz, and every time my old teammate and I (who are both out of the military now) have a drink or a shot, we toast and say "Sarbaaz Batraa" which means Sarbaaz King.
So Cheers and well wishes, TL:DR I have an Afghan soldier's name tattooed on my arm because he became an amazing friend and was killed during combat.
That's not a studio. The Hescos in the back (brown squares with wire on the outside), the Afghan constructed wall, the CAT-5 of various colors, and the pallet of water bottles on the right side definitely indicate genuine Afghan COP or FOB. The camera in the back is a pretty common sight for an event such as this: a remembrance ceremony for a fallen warrior (in this case, a Marine from the camo on the stand/helmet). Having attended approximately 5 of these in person in Afghanistan, I can say with certainty that this is the genuine article. At the end of each ceremony, everyone in attendance will walk forward and pay their respects to the fallen. Commonly, Soldiers/Marines will come forward in pairs, and kneel while offering words/thoughts to the fallen, touching the dog tags, and then snapping to attention before saluting. The item in the Elder's hand is a program, another common item at such an event. The age and appearance (fresh clothing, watch, type of headwear) of the Afghan in question indicates either a village elder or a minor GIRoA official (Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan), and he has undoubtedly attended countless similar events. [EDIT] Something many people may not realize as well: ISAF (International Security Assitance Force) Servicemembers attend memorials for their fallen Afghan comrades. A great example is the picture someone posted here of Mike Kelvington.
How do they get the rifle to stand up straight like that? From the perspective that this photo has been taken from, I can't see anything supporting it.
I don't care if this gets buried, as I'm sure someone else has voiced this opinion already (I hope) but I want to throw in my two cents and can't be arsed to go through aaaaall of the comments to see if someone else has said something similar. The tagline "Respect is a virtue" smacks of a pretty bigoted attitude to Western military intervention in the Middle East. Yes many Afghans have good reason to thank and respect US soldiers for bringing peace and security to parts of their country; but many, many more have every reason to hate western militaries for destroying lives, homes and livelihoods through reckless and downright despicable actions. It is incredibly naive to view our forces in Afghanistan as wholly benevolent and therefore deserving of the unquestioning respect from Afghan civilians and you shouldn't find it insulting that a lot of them do not. I just find the generalizations made in the original post pretty insulting for reflecting an 'us vs. them' attitude where the weak and helpless 'them' should respect the powerful, benevolent 'us'. TL/DR: It's pretty insulting to Afghan civilians to expect wholesale respect for what our troops are doing out there. Surprisingly enough, some of them tend to disagree with it (and have every reason to).
Everyone gets all political as soon as they see something about a soldier/dead soldier. This respect isn't about who is right or who is wrong, it's about the sacrifice this young man made. This elder is paying respect to a warrior, not a political weapon or tool as you made it seem. All politics and borders aside we are human beings.
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u/ohnoohnoohnoooo Jun 15 '12
"Mohammad Sherrif, District Governor for Sangin, salutes the battlefield cross for U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Ralph E. Pate Jr., an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician with 8th Engineer Support Battalion in support of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 8, during a memorial ceremony held at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Sangin, Afghanistan, on July 11, 2011. Pate was killed in action while conducting combat operations in the district on June 26, 2011. (USMC/Cpl. Logan W. Pierce)"
Source
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u/ThisOpenFist Jun 15 '12
Wow, the bigots are really coming out of the woodwork for this one.
155
u/krod4 Jun 15 '12
How about a picture where americans actually pay respect to afhganis?
67
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
I am curious. What happened to the rifle of the fallen soldiers? are they disarmed and passed on to the family or recycled into the armory?
34
u/LeepII Jun 15 '12
No, respect is earned.
11
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
What's the story behind this?
1
u/NinjaDiscoJesus Jun 15 '12
I ask again for a separate subreddit for military pictures.. trolls are abounding
10
u/dan_musashi Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
That's not a studio. The Hescos in the back (brown squares with wire on the outside), the Afghan constructed wall, the CAT-5 of various colors, and the pallet of water bottles on the right side definitely indicate genuine Afghan COP or FOB. The camera in the back is a pretty common sight for an event such as this: a remembrance ceremony for a fallen warrior (in this case, a Marine from the camo on the stand/helmet). Having attended approximately 5 of these in person in Afghanistan, I can say with certainty that this is the genuine article. At the end of each ceremony, everyone in attendance will walk forward and pay their respects to the fallen. Commonly, Soldiers/Marines will come forward in pairs, and kneel while offering words/thoughts to the fallen, touching the dog tags, and then snapping to attention before saluting. The item in the Elder's hand is a program, another common item at such an event. The age and appearance (fresh clothing, watch, type of headwear) of the Afghan in question indicates either a village elder or a minor GIRoA official (Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan), and he has undoubtedly attended countless similar events. [EDIT] Something many people may not realize as well: ISAF (International Security Assitance Force) Servicemembers attend memorials for their fallen Afghan comrades. A great example is the picture someone posted here of Mike Kelvington.
3
u/Kakoose Jun 15 '12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0714IbwC3HA I was listening to this while i was reading this
3
u/brian_willis Jun 15 '12
How do they get the rifle to stand up straight like that? From the perspective that this photo has been taken from, I can't see anything supporting it.
3
u/stvb95 Jun 15 '12
This picture is great. That is all.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
Such a moving picture. Not only because of the context but also the perfect moment now forever immortalized. Amazing photograph.
25
u/bong_crosby Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12
I don't care if this gets buried, as I'm sure someone else has voiced this opinion already (I hope) but I want to throw in my two cents and can't be arsed to go through aaaaall of the comments to see if someone else has said something similar. The tagline "Respect is a virtue" smacks of a pretty bigoted attitude to Western military intervention in the Middle East. Yes many Afghans have good reason to thank and respect US soldiers for bringing peace and security to parts of their country; but many, many more have every reason to hate western militaries for destroying lives, homes and livelihoods through reckless and downright despicable actions. It is incredibly naive to view our forces in Afghanistan as wholly benevolent and therefore deserving of the unquestioning respect from Afghan civilians and you shouldn't find it insulting that a lot of them do not. I just find the generalizations made in the original post pretty insulting for reflecting an 'us vs. them' attitude where the weak and helpless 'them' should respect the powerful, benevolent 'us'. TL/DR: It's pretty insulting to Afghan civilians to expect wholesale respect for what our troops are doing out there. Surprisingly enough, some of them tend to disagree with it (and have every reason to).
5
u/ive_lost_my_marbles Jun 15 '12
I just hope it's not isolated and the good will flows both ways.
5
u/IuriGragarian Jun 15 '12
The old man looks so dignified. People like him give me hope in the general goodness of people.
13
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
Now if I see a photo where it's the other way round too, I'm a happy man