Mr. Speaker,
Last week, United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Mattis made public comments that were unbecoming of a military officer. As quoted in numerous newspaper articles and media broadcasts, Lt. General Mattis told a San Diego, California audience of 200 civilians that “It’s fun to shoot some people.” Referencing combatants in Afghanistan he added, “You know, guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway. So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.”
Lieutenant General Mattis has no doubt served his country with courage and distinction as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. It is, nonetheless, inexcusable that, as a high-ranking officer of the US military, he would make these callous and insensitive remarks that denigrate the value of human life.
Furthermore, comments of this nature reinforce negative perceptions of US military actions abroad and have the potential to incite greater animosity toward our troops. The price to be paid for this irresponsible conduct cannot be exaggerated given the vital role support from the Iraqi people and the international community is to the success of ongoing operations in Iraq.
The US Marine Corps Commandant has said that he has counseled Lt. General Mattis with regard to his comments. However, it is incumbent on our military’s leadership to ensure that this behavior is not repeated on the part of Lt. General Mattis or any other military officer in the future.
It is critically important that a clear and resounding message is sent that this type of conduct will not be tolerated in the United States military. It is wholly inconsistent with the values we hold dear as Americans.
Mr. Speaker, it is hard enough in this day in age to protect my 9 year old son – or any child -- from graphic violence rife in popular video games, which demean the value of human life and portray killing as just a game -- an act without moral consequence. I suppose they make war look like fun, but tell that to the over 10,000 Americans who’ve been critically wounded or the families of the nearly 1,500 Americans who gave their lives in Iraq.
Now, we have a general from the field saying how fun it is to shoot people. I think that’s wrong, its despicable, it’s an unconscionable message to be telling our children.
It is time to put a stop to this unnecessary, obscene war in Iraq and the obscenities of generals like James Mattis, both of which demean and denigrate the moral fabric of our country.
