Sorry I want to address this,
Manning was a ass who shouldn't have gotten in the Military in the first place, he didn't leak the information he did to right a wrong he did it because he thought it would garner him attention from people he was enamoured with.
An your right some of the shit that goes down in war time is repugnant, but it has always and will always be so. Personally I am disgusted by how some IRA terrorists who where planning or assisted in bombing Civilian targets in the 70's an 80's where treated by the intelligence services the way they where, but I am also repulsed that they would consider Civilian targets in the first place.
In this War I am disgusted that Civilains are treated as meat shields by violent religious extremists (who are essentially just criminals using religion as a front), who recruit people remarkably like Phil to do there dirty work who don't make a distinction between Civilian and Military / Government targets. But I am also repulsed by some of the tactics used to gain information from captives with no real value but that is a sad and thankfully rare occurrence.
Before you make a rebuttal of "Civilian casualties" I'd like to point out that in every single war through human history has had civilian casualties, in this war we have had comparatively few in comparison to all others, we even make a special effort to make sure they are reduced as much as possible. Sadly the kind of people we are fighting don't really give a crap about Civilian's (Ours and their own) and are more than willing to kill a few and try to use them as unwilling meat shields an they have a awful tendency to not value human life and are more than willing to commit acts that would make any one vomit with rage on there own population that if a member of a western army did would get pillaried (if they are lucky) for an they do so on a regular basis.
3, Like what? Seriously I'd love to know. I think the main problem is you can't understand a Squaddies mindset sadly when you go to war it's very rare you come back the same as you left I came back really fucked up and my sense of humour for a long time was gallows humour it's a way of coping that Soldiers, Doctors, Policemen and Fire fighters develop as a psychological self defence mechanism.
Oh and before you make a rebuttal of "Cultural differences" or "I don't know the issues", I'd just like to point out I donate to Amnesty international, Medicines Sans Frontiers, Two Trans youth groups, Help for Heroes, and the local Interfaith council (that gladly accepts atheists an respects our view point), and I am trying to source a lot of stuff for a local group of students to help with the current refugee crisis like tents, clothing, food etc.
I own and have read The Bible, The Talmud, The Koran (I have two copy's one was given to me by a Muslim friend during last months Eid as a mark of friendship) and I am regularly invited to religious ceremonies and events by my friends because I am known as some one who isn't a dick who respects people and genuinely makes a effort to understand things that are important to them.
We are not troll's the best description for us is "People with a low tolerance for bull shit" and we approach things a awful lot differently from the kinda of places you associate with on a regular basis if you act like a bellend you will be treated like a bellend and will be told to Jog on in no short order and that is already happening, my advice to you would be to wind you neck in and just answer questions given to you and not be a dick.
