calling-bullshit-on-rolling-stone

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Calling BULLSHIT on Rolling Stone

29 March 2011

Seldom do I waste time with rebutting articles, and especially not from publications like Rolling Stone. Today, numerous people sent links to the latest Rolling Stone tripe. The story is titled “THE KILL TEAM, THE FULL STORY.” It should be titled: “BULLSHIT, from Rolling Stone.”

The story—not really an “article”—covers Soldiers from 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) in Afghanistan. A handful of Soldiers were accused of murder. It does in fact appear that a tiny group of rogues committed premeditated murder. I was embedded with the 5/2 SBCT and was afforded incredible access to the brigade by the Commander, Colonel Harry Tunnell, and the brigade Command Sergeant Major, Robb Prosser. I know Robb from Iraq. Colonel Tunnell had been shot in Iraq.

The brigade gave me open access. I could go anywhere, anytime, so long as I could find a ride, which never was a problem beyond normal combat problems. If they had something to hide, it was limited and I didn’t find it. I was not with the Soldiers accused of murder and had no knowledge of this. It is important to note that the murder allegations were not discovered by media vigilance, but by, for instance, at least one Soldier in that tiny unit who was appalled by the behavior. A brigade is a big place with thousands of Soldiers, and in Afghanistan they were spread thinly across several provinces because we decided to wage war with too few troops. Those Soldiers accused of being involved in (or who should have been knowledgeable of) the murders could fit into a minivan. You would need ten 747s for the rest of the Brigade who did their duty. I was with many other Soldiers from 5/2 SBCT. My overall impression was very positive. After scratching my memory for negative impressions from 5/2 Soldiers, I can’t think of any, actually, other than the tiny Kill Team who, to my knowledge, I never set eyes upon.

The online edition of the Rolling Stone story contains a section with a video called “Motorcycle Kill,” which includes our Soldiers gunning down Taliban who were speeding on a motorcycle toward our guys. These Soldiers were also with 5/2 SBCT, far away from the “Kill Team” later accused of the murders. Rolling Stone commits a literary “crime” by deceptively entwining this normal combat video with the Kill Team story. The Taliban on the motorcycle were killed during an intense operation in the Arghandab near Kandahar City. People who have been to the Arghandab realize the extreme danger there. The Soviets got beaten horribly in the Arghandab, despite throwing everything including the Soviet kitchen sink into the battle that lasted over a month. Others fared little better. To my knowledge, 5/2 and supporting units were the first ever to take Arghandab, and these two dead Taliban were part of that process.

The killing of the armed Taliban on the motorcycle was legal and within the rules of engagement. Law and ROE are related but separate matters. In any case, the killing was well within both the law and ROE. The Taliban on the back of the motorcycle raised his rifle to fire at our Soldiers but the rifle did not fire. I talked at length with several of the Soldiers who were there and they gave me the video. There was nothing to hide. I didn’t even know about the story until they told me. It can be good for Soldiers to shoot and share videos because it provides instant replay and lessons learned. When they gave me the video and further explained what happened, I found the combat so normal that I didn’t even bother publishing it, though I should have because that little shooting of the two Taliban was the least of the accomplishments of these Soldiers, and it rid the Arghandab of two Taliban.

Some people commented that our Soldiers used excessive force by firing too many bullets. Hogwash. And besides, they were trying to kill each other. Anyone who has seen much combat with our weak M-4 rifles realizes that one shot is generally not enough, and the Taliban were speeding at them on a motorbike, which very often are prepared as suicide bombs. If that motorcycle had been a bomb, as they often are, and got inside the group of Soldiers and exploded, they could all have been killed. Just yesterday, in Paktika, three suicide attackers came in, guns blazing, and detonated a huge truck bomb. Depending on which reports you read, about twenty workers were killed and about another fifty wounded.

In the video, our guys would have been justified in firing twice that many bullets, but at some point you are wasting ammo and that is a combat sin. The Soldiers involved in that shooting told me that the Taliban on the back may have pulled the AK trigger, but the loaded AK did not fire because the Taliban didn’t have a round in the chamber. Attention to detail. At least one also had an ammunition rack strapped across his chest.

This could go on for pages, but Rolling Stone is not worth it, and thrashing them might only build their readership. I’ve found in the past that boycotts work. I led a boycott against one magazine and it went bankrupt. It’s doubtful that Rolling Stone will go bankrupt for its sins, but you can cost them money not by boycotting their magazine, but by boycotting their advertisers. That hurts. Just pick an advertiser whose products you already buy, boycott it, and tell the advertiser why you are not buying their product.

Now I’ve got to get back to work.

Comments

# Mike 2011-03-29 11:19

It is the CONTEXT that is disturbing. If they want to make a point, don't do it deceptively. We get enough of that from the Government.

# Derek 2011-03-29 11:27

I'm currently serving in Iraq in a non combat role, and I want to thank you for your constant fair and balanced reporting on our soldiers. Your spot on when you call out the wrongdoing, and spot on in pointing out when there is no wrongdoing to be heard of.

Thank you for your work.

# scarface 2011-03-29 11:37

Unless you've been in combat, your opinion is irrelevent. The entire combat landscape needs to be considered.

# Jonathan White 2011-03-29 11:45

Mikle, Spot on.
We had the same situation in Sangin last year. A motorcycle bomber tried to infiltrate the market place. He was spotted by a Cpl and a Pte sodier-both from Rifles who tried to stop him, gave warning shouts, fired and then shot the motorcyclist who initiated the bomb. this killed them both but in doing so they saved everyone in Sangin Market. Like to see that reported in Rolling Stone!!

Keep safe, move fast- long ime since Telic 9 at BAS with Lancs

# frank 2011-03-29 11:47

Thanks for the update have never read rolling stone and will certainly not start now.

# Charlie Foxtrot 2011-03-29 11:53

Well done soldier. And as I have not read RS in lo these many years, this lets me know that I am not missing anything. Bullshit indeed. And as has been said about being in the willywags, you ain't getting paid to bring ammo back. God Bless You and thank you for telling us the real news. Check six. Semper Fidelis

# Cliff 2011-03-29 11:56

I am so thankful for your e-mail today. Yesterday I watched the Rolling Stone video and was appalled at how they portrayed the action taking place. Today I am sending this to as many people as I can.

# Dan 2011-03-29 11:59

The point (?) of the article seems to be that our lads didn't give Terry a chance to sit down and dialogue before dispatching them to the 79 virgins and that they shot video of the aftermath. Heavens, what a violation of the rules of cricket! The whole thing lasted what, five seconds? If there had been a bomb on the bike, no video or soldiers would have survived. Good for our side!

# Melissa Achtien 2011-03-29 12:01

Thank you for this. I have been watching coverage of the story on the news and it is so disturbing. We have someone in Afghanistan now and I feel this story will just add to the danger he already faces everyday. I know he is a good solder and would never tolerate this from the men he leads. I hope the Afghanis see that the USA is prosecuting these criminals.

# Chuck Van Meter 2011-03-29 12:02

I agree with Scarface, every situation in combat is unique and must be reviewed in context. Objective journalism is rare with a few notable exceptions.

# Claudia Ochsner 2011-03-29 12:04

Just Thank you for support the good fight. Keep up your brave and important work!

# namwob51 2011-03-29 12:07

I read the story in Rolling Stone yesterday on face book and was very pissed the way they portrayed our soldiers. It's media coverage like this that get the population in an uproar. There needs to be some way to check out the stories before they are printed. I will never read another article from Rolling Stone.

# Frank DiMeo 2011-03-29 12:09

Thanks for standing up for our troops against the biased media.

# Jason McDaniel 2011-03-29 12:19

Mr. Yon,

First off, thanks for your no BS writing. I recommend your blog to all my fellow Soldiers. I am currently serving in Afghanistan and appreciate your take on this situation. And I will take up your boycott suggestion and encourage others to do likewise.

I have a question though: why was Abu Ghraib such a big deal and this is not? I have been expecting a major media crapstorm over this and am amazed at the lack of attention it is getting in proportion to Abu. Is it because of Japan? Libya?

# MikeR 2011-03-29 12:40

That Rolling Stone article reeks of Jann Wenner and his "New Left" or "Hippie" political agenda; pure bullshit, at it's worst.

# Don Liveley 2011-03-29 12:57

Shimon Perez talks about the importance of moral shame in the public forum. That is to humiliate based on a moral premise the actions of others. Wished Israel was more effective at this. This is one of those cases. Rolling Stone will always have a core constituency of readers that blindly go where no idiot has gone before. Seems to me though that the challenge is really Pakistan and Afghanistan is a sideshow or inclusive sideshow.

# James 2011-03-29 13:05

Rolling Stone's been doing it for a long time, thank you for bringing it to light with a first hand viewpoint. You do fantastic reporting and give due honor to our soldiers.

+1 # Jake Havechek 2011-03-29 13:24

Your blog sucks, and you're a Nazi. :-)

# Ron Handke 2011-03-29 13:25

Having served years ago, Cuban Conflict. I stll follow the current events overseas, thanks to you. That said, Rolling Stones is nothing more than a crowd gathering magazine, that sells there side of the story, mainly to idiots and pot heads as they always have. Your articles are continued to bring out facts, good or bad, but from the front lines. Keep up the great work as this gives us first hand info about what is happening, like it or not.

# Ron Handke 2011-03-29 13:28

You Butthead "takes one to know one" except this time you are the only one !!!

# Paul Garner 2011-03-29 13:29

Mike;

I have only read Rolling Stone once and that was when I was in a dentist's office and the choice was The Dental Review and Rolling Stone. Bad choice. Like the idea of boycotting advertisers so will scan RS at the grocery store today and make note of advertisers whose products I normally buy, then let them know why I am boycotting their products. Hopefully it will help.

Bugger the bastards!!!

The Old Sarge

# Peter 2011-03-29 13:35

Michael,
I like the boycott idea. Who is an advertiser, because I have never read RS?
yours,
Peter

# The Interface 2011-03-29 13:45

Rolling Stoned presented a biased report? I am shocked!
:-*

Not!

Thanks for the rebuttal, Mr. Yon.

# Scott Evans 2011-03-29 13:56

My first message was to Jim Beam whiskey which I am a consumer of. I told them I will not buy another bottle until they stop advertising in Rolling Stone magazine.

# Tim 2011-03-29 14:06

There is no depravity worse than stealing the honor of our troops. You can not equate the sins of an incredible minority with the wins or the vast majority. Do not lament growing old - it is a privilige far too of our warriors get to enjoy.

# Peter Imhoff 2011-03-29 14:13

It was obvious that the soldiers thought they were to be fired upon. The soldier in the lead says something about him "drawing down on me". I couldn't see the weapon on the motorcycle but it seemed clear that the soldiers thought there was one. I therefor was completely confused by the Rolling Stone article.

# Thankful Citizen 2011-03-29 14:22

I've never served, but I watched the video on RS' site yesterday. To my untrained eyes it looked totally legit. RS's big gripe was that the soldiers were taking pictures! "A clear violation...." Maybe we should equip every solider and Marine with a body camera. Our police wear them and use them in their cars. As in this case, they would definitely confirm that our boys are under constant attack from unscrupulous war criminals. I thought our kids did a great job. One thing the video does show is how fast paced, intense and terrifying combat is. I was stunned after the first :05 seconds. I am so grateful to those young men.

# RICK 2011-03-29 14:23

I just love how these [censored] tree huggers can sit in their comfy offices thousands of miles away safe with their carmel machiattos and $200 shoes and criticize these brave soldiers who do an impossible job. Well done Mr. Yon. Your bullshit detector is working fine. Keep up the good work.

# Republicus Maximus 2011-03-29 14:24

Gen Curtis LeMay, Commander of SAC, said it well, "Kill enough of them and they quit fighting."
It's too bad we don't wage real war in Afghan. If we did, we might be out of there in 3 months. I am not concerned with a handful of dead muslim terrorists.

# Robin 2011-03-29 14:40

Please leave potheads out of this. RS is a rag, but not all potheads like that stuff. I just don't like the taste of alcohol.

# Tyler 2011-03-29 14:56

I'm all in favor of boycotting RS's advertisers on this poor reporting and misleading bit. It feels like a citizen's duty, and the smallest thing one could do to honor the honorable in uniform.

One of Rolling Stone's advertisers is Garnier, a shampoo line of L'Oreal, HQ'd in France. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Or%C3%A9al

Garnier can specifically be contacted by hitting this link: http://www.garnierusa.com/_en/_us/services/home_contact.aspx.

Not just 'not purchasing', but also letting them know you are not purchasing is effective.

# Tyler 2011-03-29 14:57

See my post below.

# Tyler 2011-03-29 14:59

See my post about boycotting below.

+1 # Shukri 2011-03-29 15:18

The damage was not done by Rolling Stone but by the soldiers involved. They deliberately killed a 15 year old kid for crying out loud. Who knows how many other civilians they killed? They have singlehandedly managed to severely damage US credibility and endanger the life of other troops who will be associated by the Afghans with this atrocity. I don't blame Rolling Stone for giving this story coverage.

# Black Sabbath 2011-03-29 15:22

OK, everyone. Who are we boycotting?

# Vicki 2011-03-29 15:24

Thanks for the Garnier link, I just sent them an email saying I won't buy their brought as long as they advertise with RS, POS rag publication.

Thanks Mike for the clarification.

# Vicki 2011-03-29 15:25

Won't buy their product!

# Helen 2011-03-29 15:48

Jason, thank you so much for your service. My answer to your question re: the lack of attention most likely has more to do with who's president than anything else. Take care and remain safe!

# Danny P 2011-03-29 15:52

Totally stand behingd you on that Mike. Rolling Stone is full of it.. I saw that video immediately after it happened. "Did you see that MothaF%$#@! try to draw down on me" hahaha.. They were dirty and got waxed, way to go 1-17 Buffalo's

# Josh Griffing, CPT 2011-03-29 15:56

Pity I don't know any of RS's sponsors. Do I boycott Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show? :lol:

# Anne 2011-03-29 15:57

But But But where is all the lefty outrage and blame of the president over war atrocities...oh wait a minute...it's a democrap in the White House so it's ALL good!.... stupid hypocrites

# Ghoht 2011-03-29 15:58

Any suggestions on products to boycott?

# Michael Yon 2011-03-29 16:04

Just got an email from FOX News. They asked to run this as an editorial and I agreed.

Would be nice to see a boycott of Rolling Stone advertisers take traction.

# Cullen 2011-03-29 16:13

Shoot the messenger much?

How much of the factual writing of the article is subject to doubt or consideration?

Agreed if they took the video out of context it is lamentable, but how many *facts* in the supporting text were wrong?

And if this is a small, rogue unit in a much larger brigade-size force, why the cover up? Why have no officers been charged? Are you saying a squad leader is really that autonomous in Afghanistan?

# Uncle Grumpy 2011-03-29 16:18

"Shukri"] "the soldiers involved...deli berately killed a 15 year old kid..." Boo-hoo. Obviously, a 15 year old "kid" with AK-47 poses no threat to anyone, right? You delusional Leftists seem to think that everyone in a combat zone wears a uniform. "how many other civilians they killed?" Who knows? When the "civilians" and "soldiers" all try to look alike, it's impossible to separate one from the other. But guess want? THEY WANT IT THAT WAY! "...this atrocity.?" No, honey. It's a combat action. And as one who spent time in combat, I can assure you, it's NEVER pretty and sanitized look you've been led to believe by Hollyweird. "I don't blame Rolling Stone for giving this story coverage." Me neither. I just blame them for their lies and their "hate American" slant.

# Michael Yon 2011-03-29 16:32

Quoting Cullen:

Shoot the messenger much?

How much of the factual writing of the article is subject to doubt or consideration?

Agreed if they took the video out of context it is lamentable, but how many *facts* in the supporting text were wrong?

And if this is a small, rogue unit in a much larger brigade-size force, why the cover up? Why have no officers been charged? Are you saying a squad leader is really that autonomous in Afghanistan?

Mr Cullen,

Am not going to analyze the parts of the story that I don't have direct knowledge about, but the part that I do have direct knowledge about is garbage. And so I cannot put stock in the rest. Not from Rolling Stone, anyway. Source IS very important. Rolling Stone -- very poor source rating...

# Dori 2011-03-29 16:34

Thx Michael for your observations. I don't really see Rolling Stone (and never have) as a reliable source of any kind of news. They have seemed to me, to be biased and generally anti-U.S.A. Actually, imho, that is generally true of the American media.

# Huntingmoose 2011-03-29 16:42

There is also a smear-Palin campaign here:

"Morlock was the kind of bad-news kid who the Army might have passed on. He grew up not far from Sarah Palin in Wasilla, Alaska; his sister hung out with Bristol, and Morlock played hockey against Track."

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/photos/the-kill-team-photos-20110327/0854086

what could be the benefit of mentioning her here in this context? And to mention the connection with her because her son, o gosh, once played hockey AGAINST him?

by the way: we are not supposed to look at our commander in chief who happened to walk through the living room of 2 terrorists (Ayres and his wife) when he started his run for office. The difference here is once is by accidental proximity, the other by intention.

May be the rolling stones reporter should smoke less pot or use less heroine, two drugs that make you resp. stupid and a liar because you cannot distinguish any longer truth from facts.

# JJ 2011-03-29 16:54

http://www.jimbeam.com/global_pages/contact_us

# Ice Nine 2011-03-29 16:57

>>"Some people commented that our Soldiers used excessive force by firing too many bullets.'

The degree of gall of *internet commenters* deciding what number of rounds these seasoned grunts should fire at a couple Taliban with an AK bearing down on them is absolutely staggering.

# kansas 2011-03-29 17:05

Can someone post a list of advertisers. Not gonna buy a copy.

# Tyler 2011-03-29 17:08

Kansas - look at my post above regarding boycotting Garnier (contact details there, etc), but also notifying them that advertising here is bad business for them.

# retsoldier 2011-03-29 17:12

Would like to see more advertisers posted to hit RS in the wallet.

# Daniel 2011-03-29 17:15

When I was in Afghanistan in 2006-2007 we had the same thing happen as we were leaving sangin to head back towards Gereshk and then our FOB Tombstone. So I know what that is like. Keep up the good work.

# Michael Yon 2011-03-29 17:17

Quoting retsoldier:

Would like to see more advertisers posted to hit RS in the wallet.

I've got to go offline -- but if there be a complete online list of RS advertisers (I did not see one), I will publish it separately and ask others to republish. If you find a link, please publish it here and I will check back in about eight hours.

Thank you

# LT 2011-03-29 17:24

Just emailed Jim Beam at http://www.jimbeam.com/global_pages/contact_us

it was easy and took less than a minute. Thanks JJ

# Bill Treadway 2011-03-29 17:28

"Some people commented that our Soldiers used excessive force by firing too many bullets.'

The degree of gall of *internet commenters* deciding what number of rounds these seasoned grunts should fire at a couple Taliban with an AK bearing down on them is absolutely staggering.

Really very straightforward : When your magazine is empty and it was your last or when they ain't moving... as in breathing whichever occurs first.

You bubblebutts who presume to kibitz on subjects on which you are gloriously ignorant from your flippin couch are clear proof that the gene pool is way to shallow.

# dghealy 2011-03-29 17:36

Many of you think, "Oh, I am so happy that they will see how we are prosecuting these people!" Well Ive got news for you.
The Afghans don't believe it. Damage done. Period.

# Roger 2011-03-29 17:46

Saw this RS article and was worried but you have shed the proper light on the larger picture. I am forwarding this to many people who never dig deep enough to find out the whole story. GREAT JOB

# gherman 2011-03-29 17:48

Hey Havechek ... Haven't you heard, "The truth shall set you free" ... but first it may p!ss you off !!

Or how about this little bit of truth from another great American, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder" :-)

# Roger 2011-03-29 17:52

Quoting LT:

Just emailed Jim Beam at http://www.jimbeam.com/global_pages/contact_us

it was easy and took less than a minute. Thanks JJ

Tried that link and got this:
http://www.centurycouncil.org/ an anti-drinking site (gahhhh!)
But will see if there is some work around.
Thanks

# Roger 2011-03-29 17:56

My mistake, didn't realize they were 'carding' me to just see the darn site.

# mountaingirl 2011-03-29 17:57

Great job! I'm really grateful we have you to elucidate issues like this. Keep bringing it to them!

# Mark Behnke 2011-03-29 17:59

I am consistently amazed at the breadth of Michael Yon's contacts, knowledge, etc.

If there is a better war reporter...ever ...I'd love to know who it is.

Go get 'em Mike!

+1 # Michael Yon 2011-03-29 18:08

I've led a boycott that bankrupted a magazine back in 2006. It can be done and I know how to do it. If folks really want to beat Rolling Stone back into a corner, I will lead the way.

See this: http://www.punditreview.com/2006/12/early-christmas-present-for-michael-yon-shock-mag-folds-after-8-issues/

# gherman 2011-03-29 18:18

Thx for the link to Jim Beam. Corp will hear our outrage.

# MaryIndiana 2011-03-29 18:24

Jim Beam
T Mobil
Samsung
Garnier Fructis
Shop Top Belgian Wheat

# MSO 2011-03-29 18:31

We have seen this deliberate attempt to erode public confidence in our men and women in the military before.
Veterans suffering from PTSD, suicide, homelessness and blood on their lips. Viet Nam veterans faced overwhelming disapproval both in combat and upon their return home.
Google John Kerry and the Winter Soldier for an eye opener.

# Paul Hausser 2011-03-29 18:32

It is long overdue for the US to reject what the whole Nuremberg show trial claimed happened vis a vi Germany and how it conducted military operations.

The USSR never signed or operated under the Geneva Conventions.

Try fighting that war against a Soviet army of millions of Asian mongrels under no rules and then after losing(because the US and England saved the USSR) to be hauled in front of a kangaroo court in one of your own cities and be told how bad and evil you are

Total BS.

The victory of Stalin and the USSR was a major tragedy for Western culture and Europe

# timb 2011-03-29 18:46

Hold on! You, Michael Yon, fluffer of the military have called bullsh*t on an investigation? Wow, what a shock. Seems there are a lot of "rogue" enlisted men in the Army and all the officers are as pure as the driven snow.

I call bullsh*t on your "career" of stealing the money of angry right wingers who believe you document our Holy Wars against Muslims. What a sad career it has been

# timb 2011-03-29 18:50

Seriously?? this story is about the dereliction of command of NCO's and Lts and captains and how those men were promoted DESPITE what their soldiers did and you criticize a picture accompanying the story.

I have a forest outside my house, Mike, care to come and tell about it by looking at one tree?

# R. McTaggart 2011-03-29 18:52

I noticed Jim Beam advertises with Rolling Stone so I will never buy their products again, and they now know it!

http://www.jimbeam.com/contact-us

Thank you Mr. Yon for your commentary and your service!

# Brandy 2011-03-29 18:55

Thank you Mr. Yon! When I watched the video this morning I kept scratching my head, wondering why they were making such a big deal about that video. Even the discussions amongst the soldiers after the shooting sounded appropriate as they were talking about the event. I didn't hear anything inappropriate.

Will do what I can to help with the boycott. I was receiving RS for a while even though I never ordered it and had to call a few times to get the rag canceled.

# russki top 2011-03-29 19:04

Rolling Stone could have reported on the Kill Team; instead they took the yellow rag way out and confused a correct action with illegal and uncondoned activity. read it slowly, get straight on why this was wrong, then try again. Rolling Stone can cover the Kill Team till they're tired of it, but don't confuse the rest of the unit's actions in country with one small group's criminal behavior.
Jack@$$.

# russki top 2011-03-29 19:11

....really good job staying on track with the story at hand, dude. "mongrels, huh?" No hidden stormwatch agenda there or anything......
Go spew elsewhere.

# russki top 2011-03-29 19:16

And the story about criminals has NOTHING to do with the video window dressing RS chose to put on the page with it. If you can't separate the two and deal with them independently, your judgment is clouded beyond repair, and you should just suck down another Ambien and go back to sleep in the head-down position you took in the sand. He's not defending the criminals. He's objecting to broad-brush condemnation where none is warranted.
Figure it out.

# jason hughes 2011-03-29 19:23

Hey mike, you were embedded with my unit. You saw us everyday and what we were and weren't about. You reported the truth. Thanks from all of us man.

# jfm 2011-03-29 19:28

How can you dispute the entire article as BS when you admit you never met the accused soldiers? You dissect one part of the article and then claim the entire article is BS. If the article is BS why are those soldiers that committed murder going to prison? Why did the army investigate in the first place? The worst part is the mindless commentators on your blog. For all of you complaining about the article but who haven't read it, try thinking for yourself.

# T Dharma 2011-03-29 19:29

The article referred to in this blog was quite intense...the 'motorcycle kill' video did not appear to have relevance to the story, so I didn't bother to watch it. But, don't discount the story because of that video. Just like any institution, there are good seeds and bad seeds...this article did not appear to attempt to bias the reader against the war or our servicemen and women... It was what appeared to be a well-researched story about a few people within a unit in Afghanistan. One of the guys just got 24 years in prison. I would suggest that before any one goes and boycotts the advertisers on RS at least read the article.

# Scott Likely 2011-03-29 19:34

Probably a bad idea for RS to put the video along side the trophy photos, since it is from a different group of soldiers. It really should be part of a separate story about the fog of war and the decisions that have to be made in a war zone. The video is too grainy and shot from an angle that doesn't show the weapon or weapons the guys on the motorcycle had. It would get different treatment if it did. It would be good if there was some confirmation from locals that those guys were Taliban.

# Scott Likely 2011-03-29 19:36

I don't see the point of a boycott, though. The article is about a group of rogue soldiers that committed crimes. Nothing wrong with reporting on that.

# Jake 2011-03-29 19:38

Yeah, i dont think any of these get read, but i went ahead and sent this link on to some other sites hoping that it might better inform the public of some of the distinct points you have made. thanks for the support of the truth be it popular or unpopular.

# Paul 2011-03-29 20:06

i honestly don't. However, I do believe that you believe what you've written. That's a real shame.

# garpin 2011-03-29 20:20

Why our defense department would allow a journalist from a meaningless drivel filled magazine that reports on the music industry to embed with our HEROES; is beyond me.

# Alex Chaney 2011-03-29 20:22

I saw the motorcycle video via a link from another site and immediately thought that it was BS putting that up and associating it with the kill team. Definitely poor journalism and gives the impression that the RS is trying to use the kill team as a basis to smear a larger group. I think we have seen that played out before.

# Priss 2011-03-29 20:25

As if the garbage they emblazon the cover of the magazine wasn't enough to keep me away, it appears that it's one of those occasions where the cover indicates how much trash is inside as well.

It's good for people who don't like to think for themselves though, isn't it?

# Kirk A. Linn 2011-03-29 20:34

Rolling Stone should stick with critiquing music. It's about the only thing they get right. Their socio-political commentary is just to the left of Mao Tse Tung.

I wouldn't give validation to anything they write about warfare, since the magazine is run by a bunch of ageist hippies whose ideas of the world are still stuck in the 60's.

I can hardly wait to see what they write to try to justify Obama's war in Libya, (entered into without Congress' consent I might add) all the while ignoring other hot spots in the world where governments are "killing their own" (e.g. Iran China, NK et. al).

# Dori 2011-03-29 20:48

I just want balance in reporting...war is war and I would imagine it's not easy being over there; being shot at; not knowing who to trust when even little kids can carry bombs. All the armchair quarterbacking is easy when you're sitting safe and sound and comfortable in the U.S.A. because those soldiers are ensuring our freedom. Not defending the abusing soldiers, just saying I want balance.

# GM Roper 2011-03-29 20:51

Mr. Yon, as one of your long time readers, thanks for putting paid to the rascals at Rolling Stone. Thanks

# JR 2011-03-29 20:58

I think the point here is that they were boasting about taking the video. There was definitely a blood sport sort of attitude you could hear and see in the video. And the video shouldn't have been shared even if the ROE were followed. In your article you seem awfully certain that these were armed Taliban, but that may or may not be true. In the end Rolling Stone already has a ton of points for the McChrystal interview, no boycott has a chance in hell of hurting them.

# Shukri 2011-03-29 21:04

The crime the soldier was convicted of was deliberately killing a 15-year old boy in front of his father and then planting weapons to imply that he was an insurgent.

Reading through the comments, I see that a lot are military folks and families who do not want to condemn one of their own. At the same time, these guys in the unit were convicted of murder and we should be people of principle and condemn murder no matter who the perpetrator(s) happens to be.

# Judy Daggett 2011-03-29 21:06

Rolling Stone Magazine is pulling the old 'Britney Spears' routine; which is, the badder you are, the more shameful you act, the more you get noticed. People and organizations do this when they lack brains and credibility. So....... most people know that Rolling Stone Mag is a worthless magazine.

# Large Sarge 2011-03-29 21:10

thx for the Beam link. I posted this on their site:
Concerning the recent article, filled with distortions and outright lies, in Rolling Stone magazine about our troops in the Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan. I realize that you have no control over what that magazine chooses to publish, but you certainly do have control over where you place your advertising dollars, and accordingly, I have control over what brands of alcohol I purchase. I have been your customer for over 40 years, but will no longer continue that practice so long as you do business with Rolling Stone. They are a disgrace to our country, our soldiers, and your fine product, but I cannot continue to support you, if you continue to support RS. Thanks you for allowing me to express my opinion. Your move.

# Peggy Pollen 2011-03-29 21:11

Thank you so much for this and all your articles. I guess I'll have to scan a Rolling Stone at the store so I can see whom I have to boycott. My husband and I really appreciate your news releases. I myself gave up on the news media a long time ago. How's the book coming? I can't wait to get ours.

# Norman Rogers 2011-03-29 21:28

You CANNOT explain the context of combat to the fringe left of American society. Everything MUST be fair. These are the people telling us that kids shouldn't keep score during soccer games so that no one gets their feelings hurt.

Ours is a military that punishes soldiers that do the wrong thing. That's what makes it a disciplined, well-trained fighting force. Your garden variety African or Middle Eastern military wouldn't bother filling out forms for such things. The US military has lawyers, due process, and severe punishment for anyone caught, tried, and convicted of a crime. Why can't anyone point that out BEFORE they tear into a unit, as Mr. Yon says, that is full of thousands of good soldiers?

Kudos for speaking up.

# sgi 2011-03-29 21:30

Michael Yon's article is an objection to the sensational video of the motorcycle incident and it's inclusion in the article about the soldiers convicted of deliberately killing Afghan civilians. They are two separate incidents. One was a crime and the other was not.

But this is what Rolling Stone intended to do and if you are a typical Rolling Stone reader, then that is what they have accomplished.

# Jimmy 2011-03-29 22:10

RS is a music magazine and their reporting clearly displays they are out of their lane. Remember, this article is coming from a magazine who prides themselves by placing "Snookie" from Jersey Shore on their cover. Their lack of credibility speaks for themselves. Hopefully this horrible reporting should result in a ban from the military and a boycott on their product. Not collecting a paycheck can result in a stinging impact.

# Jimmy 2011-03-29 22:14

Their insinuations are that of those who imply that all Muslims are radicals and terrorists. This is no different when implying that all Soldiers or other Soldiers are killers and murders. Separate the wheat from the chaff, do not implicate. I have no need to take sides, only encourage unbiased reporting, and not reporting to sell magazines. If so, then they should change their name to "National Inquirer."

# Morning Calm reader 2011-03-29 22:40

Thanks Michael!

I believe that anyone who truly knows the situation was never and will never be swayed by the likes of RS and their brand of advertising, I mean story telling, I mean reporting.

They preach to their own and no one needs that group on our side.

# Tommy Barrios 2011-03-29 22:59

I call for a boycott of ALL MEGA-GLOMERATE MAINSTREAM MEDIA. PRINT, BROADCAST, and WEB.

They lie and defame our nation and our troops worse than the Rolling Turd ON A DAILY BASIS!

Don't stop with the Rolling Turd!

BOYCOTT THEM ALL :lol:

# David 2011-03-29 23:22

Thanks Mike for bringing that to light. I have send off emails.

To all those who cry "stop killing civilians!" Guess what? They are all [censored] civilians! Thats the problem. When is someone actually going to pull the rod out of their ass a start questioning why they WANT to wear civilian clothes to a gunfight? Or why they want to turn a house full of kids into a firing position? Or why they stockpile ammunition in people's bedrooms?

I am not condoning what these Kill Team cats did but how many of you could be in a firefight and wait for a kid to charge you screaming and pull a pin from your grenade to kill you and 2 of your mates just because he was 15?

This is a warzone. The taliban chose to fight in amongst civilians and civilians allow them to do it. Cameras should not be allowed. It would be over by now.

# Cass 2011-03-30 00:10

"I was not with the Soldiers accused of murder and had no knowledge of this."

'Nuff said. I have other sources, and you didn't see these guys. Why would one guy plead guilty and go to jail for 24 YEARS if there wasn't something to it?

# steve buzash 2011-03-30 00:49

I'll never peruse or support Rolling Stone magazine again.

# timb 2011-03-30 00:54

"Uncle Grumpy"]"Shukri "] "the soldiers involved...deli berately killed a 15 year old kid..." Boo-hoo. Obviously, a 15 year old "kid" with AK-47 poses no threat to anyone, right? "

Learn to read, Grumpy. The 15 year old kid was chosen BECAUSE he was unarmed. It was murder and the fact that you are too lazy to read the article and just relying on "super patriot" Michael Yon, whose main character trait is believing what he's told, you turn out not to know anything

# Paul Hausser 2011-03-30 00:57

Sorry to burst your bubble but Stalin employed at gunpoint Tartars Uzbeks Khazars Mongolians etc that had no dog in the fight.

What I state is 100% relevant.

The defense of these men is that these folks were untrustworthy and savage like.

Which based on the German experience from 1941 to 1945 bares witness to what these men say.

Open your mind man. Eastern front WW2 was not Saving Private Ryan cut and dry.

Stop being a self hating White American of European heritage.

The gig is up.

You still worried about 'Stormfront"

Roll eyes

# Skytrooper 2011-03-30 00:57

Anyone who thinks the Rolling Stone article is about "The Kill Team" is missing the point. Rolling Stone is trying to use "guilt by association" and "misleading vividness" to paint this entire SBCT and, ultimately, the US Military as a group of psychopathic murderers.

# timb 2011-03-30 00:59

The story is the thing, not your moronic swallowing of his "rationale."

Dear RS,
I read your article on how poorly led US soldiers murdered 4 Afghan civilians and their officers did not know, did not care, and were promoted, but on page 23 I noticed an ad for Justin Beiber and I hate him, so I think this means your credibility on reporting a news story is wrong.

Signed, Michael Yon, in desperate need for donations from scared white guys who can't read"

# timb 2011-03-30 01:00

How much do they sell to trailer park denizens in their 70's

# Kenneth 2011-03-30 01:04

Thank you for that article and explaining what goes through us soldiers/Marine s mind in combat and what we're facing. It's easy to Monday morning quarter back events without even knowing just how dangerous a situation is, or how hard it is to protect yourself, your fellow Marines/soldier s, and the Iraqi/Afghan people. I get annoyed when someone who hasn't been in or even trained for combat thinks they know how we should have responded to a situation. We go SOOO far to make sure we don't kill if we don't have to. So far it's cost some Marines and soldiers lives and so I believe a bit too far. Anyways, thanks for this article and trying to educate people on ALL the facts.

# Skip 2011-03-30 01:37

This kind of shit went on repeatedly in Vietnam. The Army/Marines worked their asses off to keep it below the radar.

When are you young fools going to realize this is (like Vietnam) an illegal war. We are so [censored] brave we can attack a third world country. Why? Because we can. The outcome will be the same...Death, chaos and nothing accomplished. Der Spiegel, the paper who broke the story has 4,000 photos like these. Think they were all the result of a small rogue group of soldiers/Marine s? Denial is what people do when they won't do drugs. Get a damn life.

However the blame doesn't like with the ground pounders, but it starts with the commander in cheap and rolls like shit down hill, all the way through the chain of command. disgusting and sad.

# RobO 2011-03-30 01:50

Mike - Thanks for the info and all that you do. Stay safe out there

# Ron Handke 2011-03-30 02:09

I would supose that if we all stood on the shore line around the entire USA we could make believe that other countrys could not fire the ammo over our heads and the USA would be safe. If you want to win the war, you do not wait until the enemy crosses your line, that is what this is about. Got to say I would be one of the first to not play fair, unless I had a death desire. And at age 72 I did serve my time !!!!

# Dennis Hanson 2011-03-30 02:20

Thanks for exposing the filthy liars at Rolling Shit

# 5/2 Vet 2011-03-30 02:40

I was on that patrol in the Dab. Thanks for going to bat for us.

# Franklin Brown 2011-03-30 02:59

Doesn't surprise me, but this takes it to a new level. I see a reader has posted a list of advertisers... I'll start boycotting immediately.

# Jim Pipkin 2011-03-30 03:11

I've grown so incredibly weary of pseudo-journali sts like the hacks at Rolling Stone pulling stunts like this. Thanks for calling them out.

# Marsh626 2011-03-30 03:12

You've single-handedly debunked and thoroughly discredited one of the largest and most well known leftist mags in the world. And you do it to an Oscar winning writer no less. Simply fantastic. Play that that little engine that could clip from Major Payne again.

# Salgofnir 2011-03-30 03:14

I watched the vid. The paragraph next to it said a soldier can be heard BOASTING "I got it all on camera." There was no boasting. He was responding to the other soldier that stated did you see him drawn down on me. It was just a statement of fact. Since I don't have a bird and my dog is house trained, I don't need/read RS. Would someone please post a list of the main advertisers.

# Mary-Ellen Davis 2011-03-30 03:21

RS has always been anti-military and pro-liberal. It should stick to music and entertainment.. . and a boycott of their advertisers should help them get back to their own genre.

# russki top 2011-03-30 03:24

i don't need to hate (and how do you know what color or continent spawned me? maybe i'm your worst nightmare, you racist piece of krap, an intelligent person of color), it clouds my judgment and throws my aim off when using good fire discipline to headshoot vile, generalizing bigots like you. the less ammo i waste, the more idiots like you i can keep from reproducing. no, i don't worry about stormfront, because they (like you) are a self-defeating genetic dead-end that will self-exterminat e soon enough.

# russki top 2011-03-30 03:25

so some murderous soldiers trying to justify their evil equates to your blanket indictment of that many human beings because it somehow 'serves them right'? by that same empty logic, when your daughter comes home raped because of how she was dressed, don't be afraid to tell her that it serves her right, she invited the behavior.....
did it ever occur to you that maybe afghans and other central asians weren't put on this earth for other societies to try to dominate? and that when their turf continues to be fought over, they take it a little personally? and that no external power ever to try to conquer afghanistan has even tried to help the people who live there, just to dominate and bleed them dry?

# russki top 2011-03-30 03:27

that jackasses like you and hausser continue to read this blog - are you doing jackass IPB? keeping an eye on the opposition?

# Blonde 2011-03-30 03:31

Cause no one in that "third world country" had it under the Talibs and I guess to you, sitting in the comfort of your kitchen, THEY don't matter. When people like you talk/whine about an "illegal war," I never hear any of them offer up a reasonable and practical solution to stop more 9-11s. You seem to forget that had the Talibs and their cronies not flown planes into buildings in Manhattan and D.C., we wouldn't be in Afghanistan now. Accept the fact that you aren't in Berkley anymore....but if you want to keep reading Rolling Stone (or Der Spiegel for that matter), isn't it great you have the right to read anything you want? Thought so.

# Blonde 2011-03-30 03:34

Would you trust as your source of information on the war in Afghanistan any publication that would put Snooki on the cover? Rolling Stone has become a cartoon of itself.

# Upper Middle 2011-03-30 03:37

I will diligently boycott any product or service that advertises in this slanderous fishwrap.

Money talks, BS gets published in Rolling Stoned

# morgan 2011-03-30 03:38

As usual, you give no quarter on either side. I will gladly boycott every company in compliance with any magazine who would publish that video as part of that story. Those two things are in no way related. Thanks for your hard work and clear insight! We are with you!

# Axeman 2011-03-30 03:49

Ok, timb, you can't have it both ways. Who now is believing just what he's told? People like you whine and cry about not trusting what anybody involved with our military has to say, but lapping up ANYTHING spewed by (insert leftist's name here) as the God's honest truth. I would trust Yon a long, long time before buying in on Rolling Stone's drivel.

# John House 2011-03-30 04:11

Tank you Michael for trying to keep RS honest and supporting fairness in reporting on our military. We expect nothing less of you. I am boycotting every Rolling Stone advertiser I become aware of and notifying them of my intended boycott, until such time as they influence RS to retract or correct their slanderous and false story.

+1 # Danny 2011-03-30 05:10

Helen, That is a very ignorant remark. Our President has nothing to do with what media stories get the most attention. President Obama has been no worse a Commander-in-Ch ief than President Bush was. Whatever your views on domestic politics are, not everything in this world is an Obama-related conspiracy.

As for why these killings haven't gotten as much attention as Abu Ghraib, I think honestly the American people are just tired of hearing about the wars. It's been 9 years since we began fighting the war on terror and the American people have probably just gotten used to hearing bad news. Also, I'm sure all the news about Japan and Libya are occupying a lot of the news agencies' resources.

[quote name="Helen"]th e lack of attention most likely has more to do with who's president than anything else.

+1 # Danny 2011-03-30 05:30

Grumpy, You obviously never read the Rolling Stone article about the murders Bravo Company committed. You're just a 'drive-by headline reader' who saw that Rolling Stone mislead readers regarding the motorcycle video, and you automatically assume that the story about the murders committed by Bravo Company is false.

Wake up! The US Army has been investigating the murders and the cover-up for months and is already prosecuting the soldiers who committed the murders. So it is not some leftist made-up story. It is fact.

And just because Rolling Stone made the story public does not mean that they are un-American. The killers are un-American. And you don't hold a patent on patriotism!

+1 # Danny 2011-03-30 05:46

Trying to increase awareness about PTSD and military suicides is not an attempt to erode public confidence in our troops. It is an attempt to get better mental health services for our toops!

They DESERVE better mental health care.

It is people like you who keep the stigma of mental illness going strong and put fear in troops who think about asking for help. PTSD is not some made-up liberal conspiracy.

Oh yeah, and nobody cares about John Kerry anymore. You're just as bad as the liberals who keep whining about Bush. It's not relevant anymore!

# Michael Yon 2011-03-30 06:12

Quoting 5/2 Vet:

I was on that patrol in the Dab. Thanks for going to bat for us.

You are most welcome. Thank you for your service. 5/2 fought well, hard, and honorably. It is my duty to tell the truth just like it's your duty to kill Taliban. (Make no mistake -- if I came across that Kill Team I would have outed them. I just reported what I saw.)

# Mommie 2011-03-30 06:15

As the mother of one very dedicated soldier, I appreciate your honest reporting of the situations our soldiers experience in the field. Most Americans don't have the slightest clue what it's like to be in a war zone, let alone an actual combat situation. Yet they judge harshly and flail misguided opinions without hestation. You speak with experience, and that's what counts in my book.

# Shawn Alladio 2011-03-30 06:42

Wearing the uniform is a sacrifice. It's a harsh reality, the job is to fight a war, and it's Hell in that fight. RS is not presenting journalism to viewers or readers, they are a discredit to the profession. RS is misrepresenting their sponsors, and the clients who purchase those sponsor products by altering reality and selling a cheap shot at our Nation, our warriors and their families. RS needs to restore Honor or get out of the way. We cannot afford weakness in American any longer. Fight for what is right and not ignore what is wrong and allow the wrong to go unaccounted for. That's what allows free speech is not free, and neither is freedom. Michael Yon protects that standard and I thank him for that.

# mitch 2011-03-30 07:15

well i am in the same company as the soldiers in that video and can tell you for a fact that they did have a weapon and the guy on the back did try to bring it up to shoot and in fact may have tried to shoot as for the video footage on RS it seems doctored from the clip that i have seen from the people who took the video

# mitch 2011-03-30 07:19

the issue isnt with that part of there story its with the inclusion of video footage from units that had no contact with the soldiers on trial both the motorcycle video and the thermal videos were shot from units in my battalion 1-17IN while the soldiers on trial are from 2-1 IN

# mitch 2011-03-30 07:21

i personally met mister yon on the ground in afghanistan and he went on patrol with platoons from my company countless times and lived with us for a while so no he doesnt just believe what he is told he lives the same stuff that soldiers do

# mitch 2011-03-30 07:27

i was part of 1-17IN the unit whos videos were wrongly included in the RS story and i can tell you squad leaders have tons of control and such i cant count the number of times i went on patrol as a squad with out any officers or people out ranking my squad leader so yes they can be that autonomous

# mitch 2011-03-30 07:30

as a soldier in the unit whos video this is of i commend you for this comment becuase unless it was your life on the line you have no idea how many bullets were justified and in fact you can hear cease fire called in the video

# Raine Walker 2011-03-30 08:04

I will boycott any product or service that advertises in RS.

# Jean Kary 2011-03-30 08:41

:sigh:: If it walks like a duck ane it talk like a duck then it is a duck. I will boycott any products and service that advertises in RS. In my opinion they fear the truth so they twist it. What is there agenda or goal?

# Haakon Dahl 2011-03-30 09:23

I'm so mad I could swear a blue streak. instead, I'll make it my business to point up the anti-American hostility which has enveloped the Rolling Stone. I don't care if they did it just for the readership; I know my enemy when I see him, and I do not care why he is my enemy.
Fire in the hole.

# Corey Mondello 2011-03-30 11:21

At about 5:20, a soldier on the upper left side looks as if he is slicing open the dead man's face. This must be what i done prior to extracting the skull to keep as a trophy. I can almost smell the burning timbers of the next 9/11-like attack the USA deserves again.

# Lazybum 2011-03-30 11:31

Good article. The only surprise to me is they wrote it about Obama's war, and Obama's military.Althou gh, I am sure somewhere, some how the blame Bush.

# Frank DiMeo 2011-03-30 11:47

Keep up the good work, Mike!

# 1-17 IN BN Vet 2011-03-30 12:06

I was with 1-17 IN BN in the Arghandab River Valley and people back here in the states have no idea what it was like to be there. To go out and wonder if you were gonna come back alive or be leaving in a bag. Thanks Mr. Yon for your no bs reporting on our unit, it is greatly appreciated.

# Joseph Meissner, POA 2011-03-30 12:20

Michael

Rolling Stones may do some good with its articles, but it also has done a lot of harm. It really is a question of trust and betraying trust for a "story that sells."

Keep writing. Keep your head down.

# A Concerned Citizen 2011-03-30 12:40

Who cares? They killed a bunch of muslims. It's not as if they were killing people.

# angryvet 2011-03-30 13:18

This is preposterous. The video is over 40 minutes long from start to finish. The guy riding on the back of the bike raises an AK in his right hand. If you watch the complete video you clearly see the taliban were wearing chest racks and the weapon was recovered from underneath his body. I know because I was there..or you could ask the reporter from the seattle times who was there too. Pictures are taken to show the bodies as they lay WITH all evidence untouched. It keeps us infantry guys out of trouble. They are not meant for distribution but sometimes people do not dispose of them accordingly.

# angryvet 2011-03-30 13:31

You hit it spot on. The Buffalos of 1-17 IN did good work. It is absurd to link any of our combat operations to the kill squad by posting legitimate combat operation videos in the article.

# devildawg 2011-03-30 13:36

My guess would be because Abu Ghraib was seen as being institutionaliz ed and the Mahmudiyah Rape and "Kill Team" incidents were carried out by individuals.

# Tim Krebs 2011-03-30 13:53

This is also known as 'Raising the BS Flag'. Maybe a BS Flag emoticon for such reports. Good job, Michael. Keep rolling.

# angryvet 2011-03-30 14:12

they're people too. pretty ignorant dude.

# Michael Yon 2011-03-30 14:20

Fox News picked up on it and published the dispatch calling BS on Rolling Stone:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/03/30/bogus-report-rolling-stone-troops-afghanistan-crying-bullst/

Rolling Stone will be some unhappy cats if this boycott continues to gain traction. The concept is not to boycott the magazine itself, but the advertisers.

# Violette 2011-03-30 15:03

SPIEGEL is a BS'S publication, every body knows it,like RS=BS just to sell BULLSHITS to butt heads
Michael a NAZY ????? Je reve !!! Liberalism is REALY a MENTAL DISORDER,unfort unately very spread around.

# Craig 2011-03-30 15:13

I had read the RS "report" and it made my blood boil. I also saw the Motorcycle Kill video and saw the AK ammo holder on the dead talban. This was a legit kill and I wanted someone with an audiece to decry it, Mr. Yon has done just that and I offer my thanks. I will be letting RS advertisers know that I will not buy thier products.

# Ex11B 2011-03-30 15:49

Have not bought RS in years and that will certainly continue. I hope people continue to list RS advertisers here because I will be boycotting these companies. RS's blatant attempt to distort facts and decieve its readership is laughable - the level of ignorance and arrogance that they out on display with this is simply amazing. God bless our troops who endure the risks, threats, stress, and violence on display in RS's video clip EVERY day.

# ElCapitanAmerica 2011-03-30 16:00

He's talking about the very real incident of member of the so called "Kill Team" killing an innocent 15 year old boy, and staging the scene to make it look like the boy was a threat.

# politicaljules 2011-03-30 16:03

PLEASE LEAD THE WAY to boycotting RS MR. YON!!

I am ready to help, but do not know where to start.

LETS ROLL!

# ElCapitanAmerica 2011-03-30 16:06

Mr. Yon;

The 2 videos were included because the article claims they were part of the collection of videos that the so called "Kill Team" had.

Disclaimer they have;

-------

The clip presented here is excerpted from 'Motorcycle Kill,' a video collected and shared by members of the “kill team” of U.S. soldiers who murdered civilians in Afghanistan and mutilated the corpses. The jumpy, 30-minute video – shot by soldiers believed to be with another battalion in the 5th Stryker Brigade – shows American troops gunning down two Afghans on a motorcycle who may have been armed. Even if the killings were part of a legitimate combat engagement, however, it is a clear violation of Army standards to share such footage. The video was taken on patrol with a helmet-mounted camera; at one point, the soldier shooting the images can be heard boasting, “I got it all on camera.”

# MSG ret Chuck 2011-03-30 16:21

Jason, The reason you aren't hearing anything at all about Afghanistan or Iraq in the news is because Obama is in charge and the media LOVES LOVES LOVES Obama. The Left accused Bush of war crimes and called for his impeachment after Congress voted to invade Iraq. Obama gave the order to bomb Libya, Special Forces are on the ground there and Marines from Camp Legeune are enroute for a one year deployment and not a peep from the news outlets. They have waaaaaaaaaaaaay to much invested in Obama, they have to put a pretty face on everything. Reminds me of a saying,
you can put lipstick on a community organizer...... .........

# Andres Diaz 2011-03-30 16:47

Michael,

Thanks for standing up for our military. RS has always been, is and always will be BS. The only reason they survive is by taking money from Soros groups and the like to spew their anti-military, anti-America crap. God bless and keep safe.

# Mommie 2011-03-30 17:45

It's not boasting, you idiots who think that. If you have never been in combat, under fire, and filled with the adrenaline, fear, and intense emotion, you can't possibly understand how that soldier was feeling or what the tone in his voice inflected. Listen again and really hear ...puh-leeze get it right.

# Brian 2011-03-30 18:38

I will boycott some products they advertise, and let the advertiser know why. Does anyone have a list? I saw some online--but I'm not going to drop the dime to buy the magazine and support them further.

# Don Liveley 2011-03-30 18:42

How this "Kill Team" Is Different

TIME's Jim Frederick, who wrote a book about the desperate brutality of one ground-down platoon of U.S. soldiers in Iraq...

The extent and length of the conspiracy: Although the platoon I chronicle in Black Hearts became "combat ineffective" within months of its arrival in Iraq, and a small handful of the members were sending warning sign after warning sign that they were a threat to civilians, the heinous rape-murder plan was concocted over one long day during which three or four unsupervised soldiers with access to alcohol dreamed up the plan, carried it out, and then conspired to keep the truth among themselves and one or two additional soldiers. In the Kill Team case, it appears that a much wider group of soldiers (as many as 12 have been charged with some type of crime) were aware of, if not abettors or participants in, at least four separate murders that spanned four months.

continues downbelow

# Don Liveley 2011-03-30 18:42

he complicity of the chain of command: In Black Hearts, the unit's leadership may have been dysfunctional, but once it became aware that U.S. soldiers might be involved in a crime, it moved swiftly to investigate the matter. If the Rolling Stone account is accurate, the Kill Team's superiors never seriously investigated any of the unit's suspicious kills, even when confronted with direct accusations by Afghans and the father of one U.S. soldier whose son had confided in him.

# Diana Dunham-Scott 2011-03-30 19:33

Michael,

Just heard a teaser on KFI-640 am radio here in Los Angeles that was the title of your dispatch, so I'm sure they were going to talk abut your piece. Did not get to hear it, but knowing KFI, I'm pretty sure they wold have been in your court. this is a HUGE station here...you are being heard brother!

# archy 2011-03-30 19:36

I forget the technical term, but there's a legal phrase for those who wage war on the United States- OR Give aid and comfort to those enemies, adhering to them. If the US Gov won't take action against the traitors at Rolling Stone, I guess it's left for veterans to take care of it for each other.

# Katie P 2011-03-30 19:58

I think I will have to join this boycott...Garni er jumps out at me as an advertiser that I use regularly, and as my Marine husband likes my hair long, I use ALOT of their Length & Strength conditioner.... ....no more!

# simonferrer 2011-03-30 20:09

Quoting timb:

The story is the thing, not your moronic swallowing of his "rationale."

Dear RS,
I read your article on how poorly led US soldiers murdered 4 Afghan civilians and their officers did not know, did not care, and were promoted, but on page 23 I noticed an ad for Justin Beiber and I hate him, so I think this means your credibility on reporting a news story is wrong.

Timb, that statement is, in my opinion, both unfair and a poor allegory. What Mr. Yon objected to was RS including video footage of an unrelated incident from parties not involved in the subject of the main article. Undoubtedly RS chose this footage because it looked appropriate to them, but the overall effect is for the reader to associate the video (depicting legal combat action) with the crime described in the article. This is unfair to the majority of soldiers who didn't commit any crimes, and demonstrates both bias on the part of RS as well as lazy editing.

# Jamar Harden 2011-03-30 21:02

Thank you Mr. Yon...

Thank You.

# SGT C. 2011-03-30 22:49

Mr. Yon,
From a soldier who was stationed in the Korangal as an ETT, thank you for telling the truth on this matter. Whether it be for better or for worse, you did what was right! RS, kiss my @ss and everyone else who is hell bent on a 15 year old kid getting killed. He's of fighting age and I was engaged by kids younger than that throwing grenades into my OP. You have gangbangers in Los Angeles younger than that who are doing drive byes. If you've never served, been embedded as Press, or just plain out seen Afghanistan/Ira q first hand for longer than a day and you know how daily life is while fighting for your life.... Then you have no idea, can't fathom what it is really like, and rely on Hollywood for your first hand experiences while you lie about your war stories at the local bar. Libtards, just shut it already!

# NavyMom 2011-03-30 23:12

Thank you for your honest and supportive reporting from Afghanistan. As a military parent, I am grateful we have reporters of your caliber. :-)

# Ann Biz 2011-03-30 23:15

God Bless and keep you safe..and honest. Please don't let anyone dishonor you or your fellow soldiers....You 're about all we civilians, have to put our trust in.
Thank you for speaking out this time...it was disturbing (dangled out there like bait for America's Haters)

# timb 2011-03-30 23:21

since he's bait and switched you and hidden behind the flag. He calls "bullshit" on the article (his first line: Seldom do I waste time rebutting articles..."

He ten proceeds to rebut a video un-related to the article. If he wants to critique the article, then why doesn't he?

"I was embedded with them, but have no knowledge on the other part of the story. And no opinion of whether NCO's who cut off trophies of the dead were promoted, despite what their soldiers were apparently murdering people.

You think Yon's handing you oranges when he promises apples makes him innocent of bias? Go to any study of Afghan civilian casualties and see them rise over the last four years and ask yourself if Yon favors the military so much, why is against them coming home?

# timb 2011-03-30 23:23

The military told him one thing and he re-sells it here for cash and the rubes come running.

THAT'S all Michael Yon need to see

# C. Gannon 2011-03-30 23:35

Quoting Jake Havechek:

Your blog sucks, and you're a Nazi.

You looking in the mirror when you said that, boy?

# Rickey 2011-03-30 23:58

M.Y....
Thanks for the awesome job that you have done here. Will spread the word

# Denise 2011-03-31 00:12

Danny, That is a very ignorant remark.

# Dillon 2011-03-31 00:35

Denise, what an incredibly stunning display of creative writing there in your rebuttal.

How is the President of the United States in any way, shape or form responsible for what the media writes and reports? Contrary to apparently popular belief, the President is not omnipotent and is not directly responsible for every facet of life in America. People need to grow up and start taking responsibility for their own world, rather than continually blaming the man on top for everything, even when he obviously has no control over the situation. Do you think there was some secret memo sent out to news agencies telling them to hush up on this? Hardly. If the President had that much power, don't you think Bush would have used it to kill some of the outright hostility he faced from the press when he was in office?

# Jenn Jenn 2011-03-31 00:47

Michael Yon! You never cease to amaze me! Thank you for your unbiased reporting - it is nice to hear both sides from one source. Hard to believe 22 years ago we were going to college together!! Keep up the great work and we will continue to keep you in our prayers! Stay safe!!

# Paul Hausser 2011-03-31 00:53

You really need to come with subtitles

# Paul Hausser 2011-03-31 01:03

The only person using and dominating "central asians" was Stalin(a Georgian). You know like your "CinC" an outsider(non native Russian) placed as a figurehead for the Bolshevik Dictatorship that you live under right here in the old USA.

The scum from the USSR simply packed up and left and went to Columbia, Princeton the SCOTUS etc

Man you are very twisted and foolish

You still arrogant enough to think you have it figured correctly and the 'evil germans" needed to be stopped?

Get real

They have you coming and going burning up your energy 10K clicks away while the homeland faces destruction

# Denise 2011-03-31 01:09

HA HA I thought so too! "Incredibly stunning display of creative writing". If you like that you'll love this- you, Dillon are incredibly naive- Bless your heart!!

# Paul Hausser 2011-03-31 01:17

Yes and American soldiers in the ME do not feel racially culturally and morally superior to Arabs.

Fact is Marines in the Pacific did this stuff all the time. Tarawa Leyte Iwo Okinawa

Please spare me the fake moral higher ground argument

The Germans simply felt that Bolshevism/Comm unism had to be destroyed before it destroyed them.

Trust me boy I know alot of these guys. They are on my side.

I just have the stones to not deny or hide from this fact

Don't worry fellas Americans are to immersed in Tiger Woods "reality TV" ESPN and Lady Gaga to even care anymore.

Just throw up another Hollywood bullshit scandal and get some sleep.

Nobody cares anymore.

But Nixon and Watergate is still "evil" so rest easy.

What a joke

# Paul Hausser 2011-03-31 01:29

The Germans are simply pointing out or maybe reaching out to Americans by telling them to drop the BS condemnation about what they did was right and proper from 1941-1945 when they fought against this same type of opponent times 10 million

Understand?

The EU is zilch without them.

Time to leave Germany and let them Prussian re-militarize.

Patton and Rommel side by side in 1942 against the USSR would have been the shit.

# Paul Hausser 2011-03-31 01:42

Mike it really doesn't matter.

PD knows who I am.

Just go about giving us the cold hard facts.

What those boys need to be doing is icing the invaders along OUR borders right here.

The so called "Obama Census" claims 20 million illegals have invaded OUR homeland.

The "CinC publicly claimed on Tuesday to Univision this week that he was not enforcing our laws against illegals who he says are "trying to be good citizens"

You all are stuck in 2005. Chasing ghosts
THAT is a National Security threat. We can use nukes in Afghanistan if need be.

We need these men back in the homeland.

Yall are chasing 2005 ghosts

# MyonWebMaster 2011-03-31 01:46

From the Webmaster: Paul Hausser, others, you've said your piece here. Please take the ongoing and unrelated conversation elsewhere.
Thank you.

# Gary Flossmann 2011-03-31 02:44

I like how Rolling Stone also managed to get Sarah Palin into the story...geez.

# Danny 2011-03-31 04:29

Dillon, I agree with you whole-heartedly . However, people like Denise and Helen are not interested in reality. They prefer to live in a world where everything can be explained by some sort of conspiracy. They probably spend their days chugging down Glenn Beck's Kool-Aid and believe that President Obama is secretly a Muslim, Communist, anti-Christ who wasn't actually born in America. Unfortunately, millions of these people exist and the best thing to do is just ignore them. Let them enjoy their blissful ignorance and let you and I bask in the joy of knowing that the joke really is on them

# Call Me Mom 2011-03-31 05:32

I shared this on facebook. It is one thing to cover a story and another to embellish it in a manipulative manner.
Combat involves people getting killed. The truth of that is bad enough. It should never be used as an embellishment to another story - especially one meant to demonize people who are doing their best to keep us safe. :-x

# Freedom Now 2011-03-31 08:27

Its not popular in our society to support our troops. Thank you Michael

# Rick Hardy 2011-03-31 11:03

Well done Michael. I will pick 5 advertisers and tell them why.

# Dave 2011-03-31 12:50

Mr. Yon,

Thank you for standing up to Rolling Stone. I read the article and was very disappointed in their coverage. I served with 2nd SCR in Iraq from 2007-2008, and fully support your comments on 5th Bde. For the thousands of platoons and squads that serve on the front lines in incredibly difficult conditions, very very few have any issues like what happened with the killings (less than 0.1%). For Rolling Stone to try to group so many Soldiers in an article describing the horrible actions of so few is disgraceful.

# Afghan Patriot 2011-03-31 13:15

[Comment removed by Webmaster]

# Ken2 2011-03-31 14:05

Right on!
Until one has walked a mile in a combat soldier's shoes, don't pretend to know better. One bullet too few could cost your fellow soldier his life.

Bubblebuts...I love it!

# Arghandab VET 2011-03-31 15:13

This is to the so called: Afghan Patriot, Please come to my area and break one rule of ROE, And you will find out what we are about. And you must think about the Taliban in your dumb ass statement, We have arrested your so called Afghan partriots, as they call them self, Helping out Taliban. These young teens that villages say were innocent are the same guys emplacing IED's that wound, and kill US soldiers, and along with them innocent farmers. We dont emplace IED's. And we dont kill innocent people. They know the laws and as long as they do what they are told no body is harmed, EVEN IF THEY ARE BAD. We have arrested or detained a number of taliban, and have yet to kill not a single One, But the so calle taliban have now killed two contractors, whats that shit about. We are here to assist the People, police, and Army of afghanistan, And thats what we do every single day.

# Arghandab VET 2011-03-31 15:17

Quoting Afghan Patriot:

Rolling Stone has done a great job in exposing the true imperialistic face of America.
America has no business in being in Afghanistan. America is there for its own Geo-political interests only. Thus American soldiers are nothing more than paid immoral mercenaries or stupid crack head volunteers. We have done nothing to harm America except that we made the BIG mistake of taking out Russians out of the way of America. By the way Russians were not as cowards as to kill an innocent Afghan teenager and take photos with his dead body or shoot without provocation or cry out of fear when under attack. Afghans are the only Asian people who understand European and American deceptive and merciless mentalities and how to deal with them. You may fool the world but not Afghans. Afghans will succeed in this war as well, all the signs are there!

For one, who gave you the weopons to fight the russian helicopters, know your history you un-edjucated fool.

# Kurt Matthies 2011-03-31 15:21

I recall Ben Fong Torres' Rolling Stone of the 60s with pleasure. It was a fun magazine about culture and music. Today, this magazine has evolved into a tool of the payola recording industry and a vehicle for mind control via yellow journalistic tactics. I don't support yellow journalism whether it be from the left or the right. This particular article was a paid political advert. I believe the advertisers were also victimized by the editorial staff of RS. Let's contact those advertisers and explore their desire to support this message. If they continue to place ads in RS, then perhaps a boycott is the next step, but first, let's contact the sponsors and let them know what their advertising dollars are promoting.

# Afghan Patriot 2011-03-31 15:56

[Comment removed by Webmaster]

# Afghan Patriot 2011-03-31 16:01

[Comment removed by Webmaster]

# Living The Dream 85 2011-03-31 16:19

I am glad that the ones who were truly involved in the murders are being prosecuted, they deserve it (and far more punishment then they are actually getting in my opinion), however I feel it is a slander to the US Military for our own periodical entities to be making accusations of such a nature they have no business sticking their noses in. The things that happen in War are spontaneous last second decisions made to save lives... a good soldier has the lives of his brothers in mind at all times, and if there is a threat they will react guaranteed. Please do not judge the outcome of these decisions made until you have been in the situation your self. I salute the brave, and will NEVER FORGET THE FALLEN.

# Afghan Patriot 2011-03-31 16:26

[Comment removed by Webmaster]

# Afghan Patriot 2011-03-31 16:38

Note from the Webmaster: @AfghanPatriot is posting under numerous email addresses. He's trolling so I will begin removing his posts. Our apologies that it took so long but we try to give everyone a chance. Rich [Webmaster]

# MyonWebMaster 2011-03-31 17:21

(@Afghan Patriot)[From Webmaster]: Sir/Ma'am, thank you for taking the time to leave comments here in reference to this article. However, this section is specifically for commenting on the article, this is not an open forum for other topics. Please either keep the comments directly relevant to the article or kindly move your open concerns to a more appropriate forum. Thank you again,
Webmaster

# Ryan Mack 2011-03-31 17:27

I was in 5th SBCT in Afghanistan, and i saw another poster write the truth, if you weren't there, you haven't been a soldier, and have never been shot at before your opinion doesn't matter on this. The media is making a mess of this whole thing most of which our outright lies the other half is twisting of the truth. Sadly it takes away from another battalion within the brigade 1-17 they were heroes almost faced catastrophic losses but took the Arghandab Valley and held it. Thank you Mr. Yon for having the integrity to stand apart and stand up for people that defend the sheep.

# Afghan patriot 2011-03-31 17:58

Quoting MyonWebMaster:

(@Afghan Patriot)[From Webmaster]: Sir/Ma'am, thank you for taking the time to leave comments here in reference to this article. However, this section is specifically for commenting on the article, this is not an open forum for other topics. Please either keep the comments directly relevant to the article or kindly move your open concerns to a more appropriate forum. Thank you again,
Webmaster

If you were the Webmaster you would have already taken out my comments, but thanks anyway for the advice.

[Added by Webmaster} Sir/Ma'am i am the Webmaster, I have asked you nicely. so please keep your comments directly related to the topic of the article or they will be removed.
Webmaster

# Afghan patriot 2011-03-31 18:59

[Comment removed by Webmaster]

# Jeff Stanley 2011-03-31 20:23

Educate me. Has this president ever highlighted the heroism of our troops in front of the media? Even once?

# Jeff Stanley 2011-03-31 20:38

Mr. Yon wrote: "Those Soldiers accused of being involved in (or who should have been knowledgeable of) the murders could fit into a minivan. You would need ten 747s for the rest of the Brigade who did their duty."

Heh, I wonder what the proportion of psychopaths to normal people among Rolling Stone subscribers is? Something tells me, a survey would be in the brigade's favor.

# rasqual 2011-03-31 23:52

"Starbucks prefers not to engage in debate on political, religious, or social issues. As a global company, Starbucks refrains from supporting or endorsing political parties. Our focus is making our stores welcoming to everyone and providing our customers with the highest quality coffee."

In other words, boilerplate that doesn't even engage the issue.

Screw 'em.

# Ron 2011-04-01 15:04

Seems any comment not in total favour of mr Yon's antics gets removed by the webmaster. Almost as fascinating as seeing how American soldiers kill innocents for fun and how mr Yon gets greatly upset about those that report about it.

# Ron 2011-04-01 15:06

To battle bad journalism Michael Yon goes to Glenn Beck to be interviewed. The irony.

# USpatriot 2011-04-01 15:10

Glenn Beck is a shining star of journalism. I am glad Michael Yon chose this great man to complain about these partial RS libertards. Journalism is about being impartial and man like Glenn Beck and Michael Yon are the ones who know and uphold this!

# Mercantile 2011-04-01 23:04

I'm going to use my god given right of free speech to call you a propagandist and leave it at that.

# Ricardo 2011-04-02 05:34

Get real. If Bush was still in office, they'd be accusing Bush of direct involvement in the "kill team" and calling for his impeachment. In fact, I think they actually did.

# Danny 2011-04-02 12:25

Jeff - What is it with some military people and their visceral contempt for President Obama? Do you honestly think he doesn't respect and support our troops? Maybe if you would watch something other than Fox News you would actually see coverage of him honoring our troops! Heck, a simple Google search will provide you with plenty of examples of President Obama honoring our troops.

# Danny 2011-04-02 12:28

Jeff - Here are just SOME examples of President Obama having PUBLICLY "highlighted the heroism of our troops":

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40219122/ns/us_news-life/

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/obama-honors-soldiers-killed-afghanistan/story?id=8943767

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/11/5448086-obama-honors-troops

http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2009/10/houstonian_secures_highest_mil_1.html

http://www.news4jax.com/politics/21397866/detail.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S8ulX-V7vY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihk8ejEq6aQ

# Gary Flossmann 2011-04-02 16:45

One can almost tell by the responses who was there and who wasn't....

# Nobbynobs 2011-04-02 20:56

The guys that shot those civilians for fun were defenitely there.

# Gary Flossmann 2011-04-02 21:06

Your point, nobby?

# Gary Flossmann 2011-04-02 21:10

Mercantile: You must have missed the point of Yon's post. NOBODY is excusing the murderers [one who was just sentenced]. In fact, most of us in the military detest such behavior. The story, as published in RS, was just HIGHLY flawed and rather missed the real story.

# AiSc 2011-04-05 21:46

I am perplexed that an editor would allow a story along with gruesome photo's to be published. The sheer utter inaccuracy with it and the one sided opinion is in one word STUPID. I did write RS to advise that I was canceling my subscription and to call BS. I also advised them that they were exploiting the deceased more then the soldiers by publishing the photo's. I wonder if this happened to their family member if they would want it published all over a music magazine where most readers could give a two hoots about the political state of our country. This is NOT journalism, however someone's option to get shock value and their name in lights, the sad thing is this person will NEVER have integrity with their writing, very sad for someone who would call themselves a writer.

# AiSc 2011-04-05 21:50

Ironic indeed, so sad that we allow for this type of so-called journalism to be published.

# Pencil Neck 2011-04-06 00:34

Damn Mike. Don't let the bastards get you down. I've been there too. Don't let 'em. Move out.

# Varumask 2011-04-06 03:58

Okay it's personally between you and them.

# Ashley 2011-04-07 00:25

Rolling Stone lost all credibility with me back in the early 80s. I wouldnt use use one for toilet paper.

# Jason Onuske 2011-04-07 08:55

Journalism is also about showing bad things instead of putting them underneath a rug and forgetting about them. What strikes me as funny is that Yon has a problem with RS showing US soldiers killing people but has no problem what so ever showing a the corpse of a killed Taleban in his latest dispatch.

# Michael Yon 2011-04-07 09:26

Jason,

Sir, one normally benefits from doing homework before speaking/writin g. Firstly, I published those photos before Rolling Stone published them. So you get the buzzer on that one. Secondly, I've long reported the suspected murders. Long before Rolling Stone. Finally, the issue that I raised was about a video of shooting two Taliban off a motorcycle. One Taliban was trying to shoot our troops. The Rolling Stone author conflated that video with the murders which happened elsewhere and by other troops.

Strike three, Jason. Please do homework before throwing stones.

# Adam 2011-04-07 12:50

I agree with you frank, I have never read Rolling Stone before either and now I will never pick one up unless it is to call the big advertisers in there to tell them they are dealing with horrible people.

# Makaak 2011-04-10 05:40

So, where did you publish those pictures and where did you report about those murders?

# teenage girl 2011-04-11 08:58

so just because the us military helped stop preventing a couple of suicide bombings doesnt give any justification to the fact that over a dozen afghani civillians, you people are ridiculous i don't ever take the time to read a magazine and if the rolling stones are just looking for people to buy their magazine you're very wrong, watch the tv report of the actual author of the article, theres no reason for those innocent people to be killed, how i find it funny is that when an afghani man weather hes taliban or an innocent even looks at a us soldier the wrong way they'll kill him yet its okay for us soliders to kill afghani's one by one? im engraged and i may be just an upset teenager but this matter is ridiculous in my eyes and the fact that these soldiers will walk away with just a slap on the wrist is even more disgusting!

# Linda Osburn 2011-04-11 21:38

My son just came home from Afghanistan and we talked about the pictures that you post and we talked about the incident posted in The Rolling Stone Magazine. My son completely agrees with Michael Yon and was well versed in the situation that happened. My son explained the situation to me and even went over the other pictures that Michael posted and we discussed the comments that Michael posted and he confirmed what Michael had to say. My son took a college class while overseas and wrote about his experience with the war. He is so glad that he waited to get overseas to form his opinion of these other countries as he says they are not as journalist say. Michael Yon takes a picture and speaks to that picture - then he he takes another and speaks to that picture. My son saw and heard some pretty bad things while overseas however he also saw and heard some really good things too. Thank You Michael - please keep posting!

# Kasmirsen 2011-04-12 06:17

My son was in Charlie 1-17th -- who lost 12 brothers in their tour. Here's what he said about the video:

"That's hilarious. I don't know if you've seen the video, but it's almost legendary in 1-17. The guy screaming "did you see them rolling on me" is 1SG H of bravo company; he had probably the most ground time of any upper leadership in the battalion, if not brigade. Serious badass. I know one of the guys who was there though, and of course RS' "reporting" is bullshit. They both had weapons and were confirmed through BDA to be enemy insurgents. Kind of curious how they got the video though; never seen it anywhere but on a hard drive."

Thanks for the article, Mike.

# mother of two 2011-04-13 02:08

If there is one thing I know, it is this. There is two sides to every story. For those who read this article and decide not to read, buy or boycott the RS magazine, then you are biased. Read both articles and then decide which side you are on. I know and care about many people in the military, but I do now think it is right for any one to get away with a heinous crime. I don't think the whole military should be punished for what a few soldiers did, but some one needs to pay for the killing of a 15 year old boy. My heart goes out to his family. The "kill team" confessed to their crimes and should be punished for them. Being bored does not give any one the right to kill someone in cold blood. I support the military, but I do not support those in the military who take matters into their own hands.

# Dennis 2011-04-26 04:47

She's not saying Obama told the media not to cover it, she's saying the media chose on their own not to cover it because Obama is in office.

# Dennis 2011-04-26 04:49

I should have known Rolling Stone was trouble...it's one of the magazines in my college's library...

# Barb 2011-05-04 04:52

I'm catching up on this article late, but I'm glad I didn't miss it. It's a brand new day in the War On Terror. Things just got more dangerous. Kill Squads and Jihad work both ways. Hence, Osama Bin Laden probably having a WTF look on his face before it got blown off. I'd rather see that than a proof of death photo. Only a Special Operator will know what that was like. Hope they ran him through the screws behind the Carl Vincent. Rolling Stone can also be done away with in a stealth maneuver; advertising is their life blood. They are a small fish in a big pond, however. It takes all kinds to make a world. My world gets bigger every time I read what somebody has to say, whether I agree or not. People respond to Michael's writings. He does all the work though. Cool for us, Mike. Keep up the good work & stay safe.

# wrong 2011-05-12 18:35

Your assumptions on how things work over there are so far off I don't even know where to start. SO i'll it at do some real research. We aren't over there just shooting random civilians. To think so is ignorant and clearly your view is skewed.

# Netta 2011-09-15 19:25

I read the Rolling Stone Article, as it is delivered to me through a subscription that I have absolutely no idea how I got. In reading the article I kept in mind that there are two sides to every story. What we have to realize is we train our soldiers to kill, to protect yes, but to kill nevertheless. Unfortunately when you subject people to killing as a normal or routine event we will have psychological breaks such as the killteam. Now if our soldiers ever see killing as routine, I don't know I would have to talk to more of our deployed military. In life there is evil in every good. But I believe in my heart that there is so much more “good” in the people of our armed forces then bad. I have faith that they do the best they can, and they are sacrifice their normalcy for us to have ours. Rolling Stone will sensationalize anything they write, what they seem to not understand is if they want to be taken seriously as reporters they had better start reporting the fact without an agenda.

# Thanks — Blake Selesnew 2012-08-27 01:46

Thank you sir for presenting an unbiased look at 5-2 ID, I was with 5-2 from Jul 2007 through Jan 2011 and participated in the deployment to Afghanistan. All the stories that have been about our BDE shows us as a bunch of murdering psychos without any mention to all of the positive impacts and successful missions we accomplished in RC-S. I just wanted to say thank you as a Soldier of this fine BDE.

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