One of my most memorable ledes was “She died with a beer can in her hand.” It was a long (several newspaper pages long with a lot of photos) story of the last week of a 16 year old girl’s life when she left home to hang with friends, hooked up with an older guy and went drinking for a few days. She died on US 666 north of Gallup, NM, the Devil’s Highway (for reals) on the Navajo Reservation. The photographer and I got there after ambulance left with the survivors but before the cops showed up to take control of the scene. She was in the back seat, covered by a sheet. Her slender brown arm stuck out from under the cover, holding a crushed tall boy, as I recall.

@All: Thanks for allowing me to share. I’ve never talked about most of this stuff. I’ve certainly thought about it, but I’ve never really thought about it.

Summer Sandeen over at Pam’s House Blend is ex-Navy, and she’s the first one I’ve ever talked to about some of this stuff, usually within the context of DADT and the horrific things I’ve seen done to service members because they were suspected of being GBLT. Just suspected. I just can’t write about it. And these poor kids would make up all these unbelievable stories about how they were injured, because they were supposed to be tough. Tough guys don’t get raped.

And my GOD the fucking hazing that goes on — all with a sick humiliating twist. If any of you knows someone who was in the Navy, ask them if they’re a Shellback. See if they’ll tell you about it.

ADD: Jr and I are headed out to The World Cafe to go play some old skool Duck Hunt and Punch Out. I get beers, so Yay! See you on the flip side.

To everyone else: I’m loving all – ALL – of your comments. It shows just how complicated this is.

I remember meeting a soldier from this war on leave in Paris. He was with his mom, who flew in to see him. He was a baby. A BABY. And at that moment, I realized they were not to blame. It is their superiors – and probably not even their immediate superiors, but the ones back at the desks – who should see what they’re doing to these kids, on both sides.

And yes.

And, alas, because Wikileaks chose to focus on the event itself, undermining their specific claims will close public discussion.

Still unclear: Why did the Pentagon sit on the Reuters FOIA request? (Apparently Reuters editors were able to view the footage privately, but not release it.) All the broader issues surrounding the event and video remain.

Wounded kids found and interviewed – no translation but pictures of their injuries and scars (scroll down): http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/wikileaks-defends-release-of-video-showing-killing-of-journalists-in-iraq/