I retired from the U.S. Air Force 24 years ago (after 23 years). I am seriously thinking of deleting the fact from all my profiles as the traitor and his toadies are well on their way to completely ruining the proud legacy of our military. I hope some of the accomplices carrying out these illegal/unethical orders are identified so we can AVOID saying “thanks for your service” to them!!
I am sure your service was nothing but honorable, Rick, and I thank you for it. It is doubly criminal that these sociopaths commit these acts and on top of senseless slaughter, take away from you the pride you surely earned by doing it the right way.
The torpedoing is a war crime and the follow up actions by both US and India breaks the law of the sea that stranded sailors/ civilians are always rescued. The Japanese in the height of WWII rescued stricken Allied sailors and civilians. The reports here in Australia are that the vessel was indeed an invited participant by India in a global boat parade. As was the US. Some reports say that the US was a last minute withdrawal others that it arrived but then left. All participants were to be unarmed. The Iranian ship participated then headed for home when it was hit. Their mayday to US and to India was ignored both far bigger to sustain a rescue than the far smaller Sri Lankan navy. The Sri Lankan Admiral press conference said why they helped- you never ignore a call if help from a stricken vessel. It is the unsaid law of the sea. Obviously US and India who both complain about Chinas actions in international waters need to be held accountable. Due to the AUKUS pact 3 Australian submariners were embedded with the US. Australians are furious that by being onboard that they are now complicit in a war crime.
Your writing makes me wonder whether the tone of your writing would be different if Trump weren't in office. But then again, we'd be having another 4-8 years of bullshit negotiations with Iran again!
The condemnation would be the same regardless...but this sinking of an armed ship wouldn't have been done by a different regime...even a GW Bush presidency. This a signature Trump/Hegseth action.
Are you forgetting there was a treaty with Iran Trump pulled out of that was actually restricting their nuclear activities? Including international inspections? But it was that Black guy that got it signed. What was his name again?
No it’d be the same I assure you. The US only gets involved helping it's Allies when its going to benefit. Since WWII the US has been a self imposed sheriff of the world. Hint - the world tired of it many Admins ago.
UNBELIEVABLE! Straight up, indefensible murder! Do they still not understand that every aggressive act creates more people that hate the US and may retaliate someday?!? Will somebody give drunk pete a breathalyzer test DAILY?!?
Once you get used to murder, it's easy. DonOLD polished off 1 million Americans with Covid, the majority of whom could have been saved. His reponse "it is what it is". 168 Iranian school children: enemy combatants. And this ship: they didn't stop there, they sank 45 other Iranian vessels. Their justification: more fun to sink them than to capture them. How many other non lethal sailors died?
This IS a war crime and these cruel, criminal violent murderers need to be taken down and arrested before they do something (nuclear comes to mind) that kills ALLof us.
And once you pretend to be a helpless victim who gaslights ethnic minorities into believing you're an ally who cant do anything beyond the following , why would you do anything subversive?
1. Voting in an election years away
2. Calling elected officials and asking nicely not to fund concentration camps
3. Go on useless marches that don't cause economic disruption, make specific demands or next steps to ensure it becomes an actual movement.
Of course it’s a war crime. The department of defense is now The Department of War Crimes, and the department of justice has become the Department of Injustice. The ship was unarmed and we didn’t help the survivors.
Whatever obstacles the Trump administration puts in front of you on your way to the voting booth, overcome it and vote Democratic. If we don’t we’ll be in very deep doo doo.💩
Kegseth has no morals. There was no reason to sink that ship or to watch survivors drown. Pretty obvious now why he wants to be secretary of war rather than defense. It’s all a game to him. Makes me sick to see how our “ leaders” are acting.
Trump and his administration should have been called to task for War Crimes Against Humanity. No one but no one does anything. It's talk. This man enjoys murder. He becomes more depraved every day. It's time to end his insanity.
The U.S. knew why the Iranian warship was there, they knew it was a participant in the event, as the U.S. was and most importantly, they knew the Iranian ship was unarmed. And since we all know now that it was unarmed, we know had they had an opportunity they would have said so. The ignoring of the mayday seems counter to what all Navy ships know to be the way, based on the Sri Lankan Admiral’s remarks. Making this murder that much more heinous.
Thanks David for rightly calling this what it is. Murder directed by a poser who should never have been confirmed. Thanks JD. I saw first hand the slaughter of so many in my time at war. And if the felon and his drunk phony really thought they could change the regime in Iran, you can't force democracy at the end of a bayonet.
- The DENA was a warship. That alone makes it a legal target in a de facto war.
- The DENA carried an Anti-submarine warfare helicopter that was, in itself, a lethal threat to the submarine.
- The CO of the DENA was heading the ship towards the Strait of Hormuz, where it must certainly would have rearmed, if it hadn't already.
The Geneva Conventions are based largely on land warfare. There are multiple examples to show why no submarine CO with a brain would surface to pick up survivors:
RMS Laconia incident, 1942. The Uboat that torpedoed the Laconia surfaced, picked up as many survivors as they could fit on deck, and they openly broadcast their position to enable allied ships to pick up survivors. A second Uboat joined in the recovery. They were "rewarded" by being attacked by a US bomber. The subs submerged to escape.
The Belgrano incident, Falkland Islands war. The CONQUEROR, which torpedoed the Belgrano, did not surface or pick up survivors. This is the only other ship sinking by torpedo since WW2, and it clearly happened after the 1949 and later Geneba agreements.
I retired from the U.S. Air Force 24 years ago (after 23 years). I am seriously thinking of deleting the fact from all my profiles as the traitor and his toadies are well on their way to completely ruining the proud legacy of our military. I hope some of the accomplices carrying out these illegal/unethical orders are identified so we can AVOID saying “thanks for your service” to them!!
I am sure your service was nothing but honorable, Rick, and I thank you for it. It is doubly criminal that these sociopaths commit these acts and on top of senseless slaughter, take away from you the pride you surely earned by doing it the right way.
Thanks.
Thank you for YOUR service and for seeing this act for what it is.
Thanks.
The torpedoing is a war crime and the follow up actions by both US and India breaks the law of the sea that stranded sailors/ civilians are always rescued. The Japanese in the height of WWII rescued stricken Allied sailors and civilians. The reports here in Australia are that the vessel was indeed an invited participant by India in a global boat parade. As was the US. Some reports say that the US was a last minute withdrawal others that it arrived but then left. All participants were to be unarmed. The Iranian ship participated then headed for home when it was hit. Their mayday to US and to India was ignored both far bigger to sustain a rescue than the far smaller Sri Lankan navy. The Sri Lankan Admiral press conference said why they helped- you never ignore a call if help from a stricken vessel. It is the unsaid law of the sea. Obviously US and India who both complain about Chinas actions in international waters need to be held accountable. Due to the AUKUS pact 3 Australian submariners were embedded with the US. Australians are furious that by being onboard that they are now complicit in a war crime.
Hegseth must immediately face a squad. Enough is enough
Your writing makes me wonder whether the tone of your writing would be different if Trump weren't in office. But then again, we'd be having another 4-8 years of bullshit negotiations with Iran again!
The condemnation would be the same regardless...but this sinking of an armed ship wouldn't have been done by a different regime...even a GW Bush presidency. This a signature Trump/Hegseth action.
Are you forgetting there was a treaty with Iran Trump pulled out of that was actually restricting their nuclear activities? Including international inspections? But it was that Black guy that got it signed. What was his name again?
Yes, the intelligent, productive and decent President who accomplished a great deal only to have trump undo much of it.
So, Sunny murder of innocents and not obeying an ocean tradition is OK with you?
No it’d be the same I assure you. The US only gets involved helping it's Allies when its going to benefit. Since WWII the US has been a self imposed sheriff of the world. Hint - the world tired of it many Admins ago.
UNBELIEVABLE! Straight up, indefensible murder! Do they still not understand that every aggressive act creates more people that hate the US and may retaliate someday?!? Will somebody give drunk pete a breathalyzer test DAILY?!?
That it? Why not waterboard him until he confesses.
Woks for me! And cut his dick off so he can’t enter these pissing contests since his “masculinity” is ridiculously important to him!
Normalise this sort of talk. People have gotten soft
“Works”
Once you get used to murder, it's easy. DonOLD polished off 1 million Americans with Covid, the majority of whom could have been saved. His reponse "it is what it is". 168 Iranian school children: enemy combatants. And this ship: they didn't stop there, they sank 45 other Iranian vessels. Their justification: more fun to sink them than to capture them. How many other non lethal sailors died?
This IS a war crime and these cruel, criminal violent murderers need to be taken down and arrested before they do something (nuclear comes to mind) that kills ALLof us.
And once you pretend to be a helpless victim who gaslights ethnic minorities into believing you're an ally who cant do anything beyond the following , why would you do anything subversive?
1. Voting in an election years away
2. Calling elected officials and asking nicely not to fund concentration camps
3. Go on useless marches that don't cause economic disruption, make specific demands or next steps to ensure it becomes an actual movement.
Of course it’s a war crime. The department of defense is now The Department of War Crimes, and the department of justice has become the Department of Injustice. The ship was unarmed and we didn’t help the survivors.
Whatever obstacles the Trump administration puts in front of you on your way to the voting booth, overcome it and vote Democratic. If we don’t we’ll be in very deep doo doo.💩
I did exactly that early voted today David!
Kegseth has no morals. There was no reason to sink that ship or to watch survivors drown. Pretty obvious now why he wants to be secretary of war rather than defense. It’s all a game to him. Makes me sick to see how our “ leaders” are acting.
Me too Deb H me too, literally sick and I'll spare you the emoji
They've gotten by with blowing up Venezuelan fishing boats for so long that they think they can pull that stunt anywhere now!
add it to the list
Trump and his administration should have been called to task for War Crimes Against Humanity. No one but no one does anything. It's talk. This man enjoys murder. He becomes more depraved every day. It's time to end his insanity.
These are not the GOP of old. The one's that told Nixon resign or you'll be impeached and covicted
Exactly.
Thank you for this writing that so clearly and compassionately expresses what so so many of us sadly feel and despise.
The U.S. knew why the Iranian warship was there, they knew it was a participant in the event, as the U.S. was and most importantly, they knew the Iranian ship was unarmed. And since we all know now that it was unarmed, we know had they had an opportunity they would have said so. The ignoring of the mayday seems counter to what all Navy ships know to be the way, based on the Sri Lankan Admiral’s remarks. Making this murder that much more heinous.
At the very least it was a dishonorable act.
Thanks David for rightly calling this what it is. Murder directed by a poser who should never have been confirmed. Thanks JD. I saw first hand the slaughter of so many in my time at war. And if the felon and his drunk phony really thought they could change the regime in Iran, you can't force democracy at the end of a bayonet.
Disgusting. No regard for human life.
The torpedoing itself is not a war crime.
- The DENA was a warship. That alone makes it a legal target in a de facto war.
- The DENA carried an Anti-submarine warfare helicopter that was, in itself, a lethal threat to the submarine.
- The CO of the DENA was heading the ship towards the Strait of Hormuz, where it must certainly would have rearmed, if it hadn't already.
The Geneva Conventions are based largely on land warfare. There are multiple examples to show why no submarine CO with a brain would surface to pick up survivors:
RMS Laconia incident, 1942. The Uboat that torpedoed the Laconia surfaced, picked up as many survivors as they could fit on deck, and they openly broadcast their position to enable allied ships to pick up survivors. A second Uboat joined in the recovery. They were "rewarded" by being attacked by a US bomber. The subs submerged to escape.
The Belgrano incident, Falkland Islands war. The CONQUEROR, which torpedoed the Belgrano, did not surface or pick up survivors. This is the only other ship sinking by torpedo since WW2, and it clearly happened after the 1949 and later Geneba agreements.
But we haven’t declared war against Iran!