Killings Of Afghan Villagers Should Not Overshadow U.S. Mission, Veteran Says

March 12, 2012 9:49 PM

Jonathan Cooper served in Iraq and Afghanistan. (CBS)

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CHICAGO (CBS) — A local U.S. veteran of the Middle East conflicts says an American soldier’s alleged massacre of more than a dozen Afghan villagers shouldn’t overshadow efforts to help people there.

Jonathan Cooper served three tours in Iraq as a Marine and a fourth in Afghanistan as a member of the Illinois National Guard.

“It’s a highly stressful, highly stressful environment,” he tells CBS 2’s Kristyn Hartman at the VFW in Bridgeport. “It takes a toll, both mentally and physically.”

But he says that doesn’t justify the acts of a 38-year-old Army staff sergeant, who is accused of going on a shooting spree in Afghanistan. The soldier allegedly killed 16 Afghan villagers — many of them children — and then burned some of their bodies.

Cooper says that shouldn’t undermine what American troops have accomplished there.

“You can’t just only focus on that,” he says. “We do a lot of things, build roads, schools mosques.”

“I hope I was able to give someone the freedoms they deserve instead of being under a brutal regime,” Cooper adds.

Killings Of Afghan Villagers Should Not Overshadow U.S. Mission, Veteran Says

Just Axin

Cooper- Too bad you took out alot of innocent people. Your anger could have been better directed by going to a corner in Englewood at 0200 and saving us alot of $ and future crimes.

LYNDIA

WE CALL ALWAYS DEPEND ON YOU TO SAY SOMETHING STUPID. THE ARTICLE WAS ABOUT THE WAR. ONE CRAZY AZZ HONKEY KILLED 16 PEOPLE FOR NO REASON AT ALL. THAT IS THE REASON THE HONKEY IS HATED THE WORLD OVER.

Just Axin

Lyndia- I said the hood because wouldn’t it be a better place if a bunch of drug dealers, etc didn’t come back? Most people on corners at 0200 aren’t walking their kids to school. And wow, we actually agree on something (getting troops out of the Middle East) Now just get your boy Obama to remove them.

Centurion

Exactly what has the U.S. accomplished? What is the U.S. Mission there? What did the Russians accomplish in 10 years? What was there mission there? How’d that mission for the Russians work out for them?

Engaging locals in skirmishes and firefights from a stationary base is not how war is fought. 10 years later, the Kandahar province is just as dangerous today as it was 10 years ago. Nothing has changed. The. US has invaded their homes. The illiterate freedom fighters will fight till the last man is dead. Taliban, Mujahideen, whatever you wish to call them…they are Afghani..and Afghanistan is their home. Alexander the Great, and his Army of millions could not conquer the Afghan. The British failed. The Russians failed. Now, after 10 years, what has the U.S and its mechanized army accomplished?

Send a soldier into a combat zone when he does not want to be there….GOOD IDEA!

NO flag waving and none of that…STOPPING TERRORISM GARBAGE….what has the U.S. accomplished? What is the mission. How is it, after 10 years of WAR…the Kandahar province is still a violent confrontational hot zone?
LYNDIA

That is simple. Those people will fight to the end and they are not afraid. To state that the US should be there to accomplish their mission. WHAT DAMN MISSION? Can’t you see that there will always be terrorism as long as you have people that are not AFRAID TO DIE?
Manny

Can anyone tell me why there’s a picture of cooper regarding this article, but the killer’s picture is no where to be found?