Capt David Bays 3417679 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div> 2018-03-05T14:48:36-05:00 Capt David Bays 3417679

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2018-03-05T14:48:36-05:00 2018-03-05T14:48:36-05:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 3417690

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>good for an after action review. It will still traumatized the families though! I really felt sad going to ramp ceremonies!

2018-03-05T14:52:37-05:00 2018-03-05T14:52:37-05:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 3417698

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>this is valuable and disrespectful

2018-03-05T14:55:09-05:00 2018-03-05T14:55:09-05:00 SPC David Willis 3417699

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I hope they&#39;re cutting out the parts where they&#39;re dragging the men who got hit, I never like seeing servicemen/women drug on television after being KIA. I think its probably equally click bait and newsworthy though to answer your question.

2018-03-05T14:56:17-05:00 2018-03-05T14:56:17-05:00 SSG Carlos Madden 3417712

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;m a bit on the fence. On one hand they are a business and they need viewers, clicks, etc. On the other hand they are journalists and they have a responsibility to tell people what is happening. The American public is often shielded from the dirty business that our military is engaged in and the way the rest of the world is even though they are the same ones who elect those who send us to these places. I&#39;d like them to be informed about what happens when send our military community to far away places - the good, the bad, the ugly and even tragic. <br /><br />It&#39;s newsworthy. I don&#39;t think it&#39;s disrespectful as long they are showing the raw footage and not editing it with negative context. And yes, there is likely a click-bait factor as well.

2018-03-05T15:04:40-05:00 2018-03-05T15:04:40-05:00 LCDR Private RallyPoint Member 3417732

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t feel this kind of footage should be promulgated willingly outside of those who can directly benefit from it for intelligence or training purposes. Imagine being one of the family...you&#39;ve literally got the last few moments of your spouse&#39;s, sibling&#39;s or child&#39;s life available to you; moments you should never have to see.

2018-03-05T15:16:03-05:00 2018-03-05T15:16:03-05:00 1LT Private RallyPoint Member 3417735

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>click bait.

2018-03-05T15:18:22-05:00 2018-03-05T15:18:22-05:00 LTC Jeff Shearer 3417741

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If watching the videos is part of an investigation I am okay with but to turn it loose to the public is completely disrespectful. I say a big hell no on that. No, no, no!!!

2018-03-05T15:22:57-05:00 2018-03-05T15:22:57-05:00 LTC Jeff Shearer 3417770

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>AFRICOM, SOCOM, USASOC, USASFC somebody should tell them to go screw themselves. The video was never intended for any of those sacks of shit. If they wanted to know what happens in the land of SOF, I say strap it on and get all you want. The problem they have with that is that is as close as they will ever get to the real thing is watching movie or God forbid a helmet cam video. Disgusting!!! I will just say for their sake it is good I am not in charge I would tell them to get bent. If they wanted to see the life call the Group recruiter.

2018-03-05T15:37:16-05:00 2018-03-05T15:37:16-05:00 SSG Warren Swan 3417826

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>GOOD QUESTION!! Personally I don&#39;t want to see it (I won&#39;t watch it anyways being I don&#39;t like looking at shit like this anymore) after how it was politicized, stories changed, and the family traumatized over months of back and forth in the media. Sometimes it&#39;s best when there is no way to fix this (only in a military sense) to put it out nationally. The flipside to this would be police bodycams and I see my post being torn apart based off that. To those who would, the military is a very lethargic entity. You could make policy, but would take years if a major one to implement where the police are also a large and slowish entity, but have layers where their performance or lack there of, can be dictated both federally and locally. <br /><br />In both, there are times where accountability is needed, but that accountability doesn&#39;t always need to be shown through mass media. As much as this story has changed, and &quot;open&quot; accountability not seen, this is a bad look for everyone.

2018-03-05T16:01:00-05:00 2018-03-05T16:01:00-05:00 SPC Joseph Wojcik 3417843

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It depends on how the media is spinning the story.<br />If they&#39;re playing it straight and reporting news (fat chance), then it&#39;s fine. If they&#39;re fearmongering and sowing division, then it&#39;s propaganda and disrespectful.

2018-03-05T16:05:59-05:00 2018-03-05T16:05:59-05:00 Sgt Wayne Wood 3417880

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>does it add to the knowledge of the event? if not then it&#39;s clickbait. as i understand it, the videos have re-opened the puzzle palace&#39;s curiousity about the events. YMMV

2018-03-05T16:19:58-05:00 2018-03-05T16:19:58-05:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 3418055

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It’s been released by ISIS originally. The news cut out all the graphic scenes.

2018-03-05T17:26:00-05:00 2018-03-05T17:26:00-05:00 Lt Col Charlie Brown 3418148

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I would truly prefer that this be viewed by those who can use it in the intelligence community or unit members. It really should not be available to the public and family members should be discouraged from watching it.

2018-03-05T17:49:27-05:00 2018-03-05T17:49:27-05:00 Capt David Bays 3418257

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The New York Times has had the video for a while and rather than publish it, they wrote about it. Anyone curious about what happened in Niger can read about it. I do not see any good reason to publish the video.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="https://nyti.ms/2C4ny25">https://nyti.ms/2C4ny25</a> <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/269/633/qrc/Niger-span-facebookJumbo.jpg?1520292889"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="https://nyti.ms/2C4ny25">‘An Endless War’: Why 4 U.S. Soldiers Died in a Remote African Desert</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">More than 16 years after 9/11 spurred a broad fight against terrorism, some Americans say it’s time to look at how the country is deploying its forces.</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div>

2018-03-05T18:35:37-05:00 2018-03-05T18:35:37-05:00 Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen 3418309

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Nothing anyone but military intelligence needs to see. Of course it might get some to stop playing their military video games for a minute or two.

2018-03-05T18:51:50-05:00 2018-03-05T18:51:50-05:00 SSG Keith Amacher 3418446

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I saw it and agree with Lt Col Brown our intelligence needs to work this... It is disturbing when you see the one with the camera go down for good... makes me think of Benghazi and our Spec Ops guys there. They have gotten into out network and found out how to find our guys. Be safe at home these days, I getting a concealed carry but Alabama also has Open Carry no permit just follow the law... Oh and Huntsville, AL is where FBI Cyber HQ is along with Missile and Air Command. All i need to deal with here is common criminals...

2018-03-05T19:39:34-05:00 2018-03-05T19:39:34-05:00 SSG Keith Amacher 3418448

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>And I do think it is time our civilians see what we really do in death also... If that does not sink in with them then they are on the other side...

2018-03-05T19:41:22-05:00 2018-03-05T19:41:22-05:00 SSG Keith Amacher 3418456

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>By the way thank you Capt Bays it is you guys when we get into a jam that come rescue us and your Para Rescue...

2018-03-05T19:44:12-05:00 2018-03-05T19:44:12-05:00 CPT Private RallyPoint Member 3418467

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I think my opinion is going to be unpopular based on some of the others that I have read. Yes, some of these news organizations are airing the footage just to get more viewers. However, I think that the footage could wake some people up to the realities of what is going on in the world, especially when it comes to terrorism. It&#39;s hard to watch, but it is newsworthy. I don&#39;t want someone else to censor what news I&#39;m allowed to see just because their personal view is that it is disrespectful to air. Put it out there and let each individual decide whether they should watch it or not.

2018-03-05T19:49:43-05:00 2018-03-05T19:49:43-05:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 3418477

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>To us it’s never going to be newsworthy, but once Boko Haram/ ISIS used it as propaganda for the numerous websites they have, the pentagon had no choice but to try and get in front of this. <br /><br />One thing this video shows is how once the ambush started, the separation between the green berets and their mechanic. You could only assume that once the TIC started, the green berets were cut off from getting to SGT La David ultimately forcing them to fight, otherwise they probably would have jumped in their vehicles and the hell out of there.

2018-03-05T19:54:47-05:00 2018-03-05T19:54:47-05:00 MSG Louis Alexander 3418724

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>CBS like its affiliate CNN is struggling to survive in the media world. Most stories are fabricated in order to draw an audience. If the helmet cam is used as an investigation tool, then by all means investigate it thoroughly, otherwise let it rest with the men who lost their lives. De Oppresso Liber!

2018-03-05T21:30:23-05:00 2018-03-05T21:30:23-05:00 SSG Keith Amacher 3418739

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I agree with superiors the families shoud not see this... I am somewhat in disagreement with them I think Civilians should see what we deal with and the job we have to do daily...

2018-03-05T21:36:24-05:00 2018-03-05T21:36:24-05:00 CPT Private RallyPoint Member 3418866

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The video was sourced from known supporters of terrorism and also as CBS has chosen to air it in contravention to all decency, I see them as equally culpable with the Boco Haram in the deaths of our soldiers. Can you imagine something like this happening during WW II? I certainly cannot. CBS in broadcasting this video is clearly giving &quot;aid and comfort to the enemy&quot;. They are treasonous scum whose only desire is to gain ratings and degrade this nation&#39;s will to confront and defeat these extra-national players. I am glad their fate is not up to me. They should also be equally glad that it isn&#39;t.

2018-03-05T22:15:29-05:00 2018-03-05T22:15:29-05:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 3419066

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;ve always had conflicting feelings on this subject. I completely understand the concerns about family members seeing stuff in the media and how traumatic that can be. But on the other hand, I have also felt that the US government, with rules regarding the media, has so sanitized the death and destruction in war zones that most of the public has no idea what is really going on in the war zones in terms of US casualties. And in a way, the public is the one who is ultimately responsible for holding the politicians accountable about our involvement in wars. And so letting the pubic see what is really happening can be important also. <br /><br />It&#39;s sort of like the way reactions to domestic violence events change so much between written descriptions vs video. Like with that football player who at first gets a minimal suspension even though the report says &quot;he struck his wife in the face&quot;. But then the video comes out, and you see this football player take a full swing and knock out his wife and then drag her unconscious body out of the elevator, and only then does the shit hit the fan. Likewise the guy working in the Trump WH hitting his ex wife. Nothing happens at all until the photo with her with a huge black eye hits the press. <br /><br />So I wonder sometimes if the policy of &quot;protecting&quot; the public from the horrors of war is really the best one. Who is really being protected from what? The family from a painful reminder--definitely. The public from learning what is really going on in a more impactful manner--probably. The government wanting to hide the cost of their policy behind bland, generic statements--hmmm. We seem to have no problem broadcasting video of our smart bombs blowing up a bad guy building, but we rarely see video (and it&#39;s out there) about a US vehicle hitting an IED. Are we selectively conditioning the US public that everything is going well by only showing where w blow up the bad guys but never show when the bad guys blow us up?

2018-03-05T23:29:33-05:00 2018-03-05T23:29:33-05:00 TSgt David L. 3419236

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="1364422" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/1364422-capt-david-bays">Capt David Bays</a>, is it news worthy? Probably. I won&#39;t watch it out of respect though. Is it disrespectful? It&#39;s definitely in poor taste for sure. It&#39;s a smear campaign against the military or policy, or a back-handed attack on POTUS. Slow news day so they sensationalize a tragedy.<br />Giving the bad guys their 15 minutes only serves the bad guys. They got a media win to go with the murders of 4 US and 4 Niger military. BS!

2018-03-06T01:05:00-05:00 2018-03-06T01:05:00-05:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 3419736

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Negative not news worthy and I think it’s disrespectful for them to show it when did Miltary operations especially SOCOM Ops become public smh they deserve some dignity

2018-03-06T07:53:08-05:00 2018-03-06T07:53:08-05:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 3419940

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I watched the video last night. Or maybe it was just a portion of the video because it was only about 2 minutes and some change. What I saw was a lot more tame than a lot of things you can go find on youtube and liveleak.

2018-03-06T09:03:03-05:00 2018-03-06T09:03:03-05:00 SSG Robert Webster 3420059

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Is this more acceptable - <br /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rieXqfzBLJk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rieXqfzBLJk</a><br />or this -<br /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0us8c0vOg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0us8c0vOg</a> <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-youtube"> <div class="pta-link-card-video"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rieXqfzBLJk?wmode=transparent" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rieXqfzBLJk">Battle of Iwo Jima US Marines In Heavy Combat WW2 Footage with Sound</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">Marines engaged in desperate fighting action during the World War Two battle of Iwo Jima from February and March of 1945. This is a compilation of three piec...</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div>

2018-03-06T09:31:47-05:00 2018-03-06T09:31:47-05:00 SSG Robert Webster 3420118

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Though LTC Michael Matthews has blocked me from commenting on his statements, etc. and we definitely do not agree on very many things; he has a point and is quite correct in what he wrote in his statement.

2018-03-06T09:55:42-05:00 2018-03-06T09:55:42-05:00 Norah Julmis 3420214

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I think it&#39;s incredibly disrespectful to the surviving spouses and children. BTW, I haven&#39;t seen the video and I don&#39;t want to. I completely agree with the posts that say most civilians are out of touch with what the military deals with. I&#39;m just not sure this is the correct route to deal with that. What happened to common decency?

2018-03-06T10:26:31-05:00 2018-03-06T10:26:31-05:00 SPC David S. 3420353

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>No for a number of reasons - It (will) could be used as propaganda by terrorists, it could be used to learn something about our tactics and its upsetting/disrespectful to him, his family and friends as well colleges. This is pure click bait as what&#39;s the average Joe going to take away in watching it.

2018-03-06T10:55:34-05:00 2018-03-06T10:55:34-05:00 SSG Anthony Balkas 3421082

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>News worthy, no but could have training value revealing TTP’s. Shouldn’t be released to the public.

2018-03-06T15:12:35-05:00 2018-03-06T15:12:35-05:00 SSG Adam Wyatt 3422918

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it lets the public know that there is still things that are happening and on the other, I couldn&#39;t imagine watching the video if it were my son.

2018-03-07T08:35:39-05:00 2018-03-07T08:35:39-05:00 SSG Jose M. Hernandezsanchez 3423108

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Having served for SOF before with 5th SFG as a combat cameramen, we came up to situations like that a lot, for example, ambushes, or rolled up onto what happened to be a &quot;safe house&quot; or &quot;compound&quot;. With that said the SOF community are really strict about releasing anything sensitive to the major public like this clip. Everything we shot, video or still photography went to their archives. So, I&#39;m just wondering how the major news outlets got a hold of something like this, let alone, helmet cam footage. And I also heard that ISIS were the ones who posted the footage and claimed the ambush. Is that correct?

2018-03-07T09:48:46-05:00 2018-03-07T09:48:46-05:00 SSG Jeffrey Leake 3426012

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Disrespectful douche bags. There is no reason to have this video released for the public to see.

2018-03-08T04:32:51-05:00 2018-03-08T04:32:51-05:00 SSG Tommy Thompson 3428545

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The footage is viewed outside of the context of the overall battle. It’s too easy to be a “Monday morning quarterback” when we view clips and snippets out of context. There is no legitimate reason to release or assist in the posting of such footage for public viewing. Only after thorough investigation could the training value be determined. Due to the involvement of SOF units the footage would necessarily be of training value to SOF personnel and not to non SOF personnel. Here again the value to general public other than a curiosity would be negligible.

2018-03-08T19:39:27-05:00 2018-03-08T19:39:27-05:00 Cpl Billy Nichols 3479537

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It’s just plain disrespectful. I fully believe in a free press and the first amendment but that has to be tempered with a sense of morals, values and ethics that the current news media is absolutely devoid of now a days. Quite simply put there are things that the general public dos not need to know or see.

2018-03-25T09:40:52-04:00 2018-03-25T09:40:52-04:00 SGT Kyle Bickley 3481452

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>That family went threw enough! Seen by special ops to ID the bastards yes, for your viewing pleasure? NO!

2018-03-25T20:38:29-04:00 2018-03-25T20:38:29-04:00 PO1 Ernie Johnson 3501054

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>One thing I miss from the past is when social media is not what it is today. There are something’s that should be kept to the military and allow the military to disperse it. The public thjnks a military operation is no different than a cop pulling over a speeder. Sometimes information to the ignorant can be more damaging than keeping them in the dark.

2018-03-31T20:55:37-04:00 2018-03-31T20:55:37-04:00 SFC Marcus Belt 3539976

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The question implies that it disrespectful and newsworthy are mutually exclusive. In our republic our citizens have the right to know and our OPSEC laws reflect that the right of the public to know supersedes OPSEC, that is, information is released unless secrecy is justified.<br /><br />We now know that those operators took some short cuts, and those short cuts had grave consequences.<br /><br />Have you ever noticed how things don&#39;t change until either somebody dies, or we get seriously embarrassed? Or both?<br /><br />Measures have already been taken to make it less likely that this situation will ever occur again, in part because people died and we were embarrassed. <br /><br />We don&#39;t have the liberty of being offended when we make mistakes, people die, and the mistake is made public.

2018-04-13T11:01:05-04:00 2018-04-13T11:01:05-04:00 SFC Niccademus Colin 3605795

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>More Media sensationalism, let&#39;s put the editor family&#39;s horrific death on the news for all to watch. Just because you can, doesn&#39;t mean you should! Have some respect!

2018-05-06T19:55:58-04:00 2018-05-06T19:55:58-04:00 PO1 Ron Clark 3615832

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>To me disrespectful click-bait! If you aren&#39;t training or using this as a Green Beret film as a lesson learned, then the news report should have just been dialogue!Not pictures of our dedicated service members/brothers being killed in the performance of their duties! IJS!

2018-05-10T11:35:18-04:00 2018-05-10T11:35:18-04:00 MSG David Densmore 3624930

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It seems to me that the fact that ISIS released it says all I need to know. Being retired, I don&#39;t have a training need to watch it, and I&#39;m not going to watch it. I&#39;m not surprised that CBS chose to run it, it&#39;s in their nature, and why so many people don&#39;t trust the national news. But SOFREP should know better. I think it speaks to their real purpose, and it sure isn&#39;t concern for the families or their fellow soldiers. Most of our national news networks have shown their true colors, and as an alleged &quot;news agency&quot; SOFREP shouldn&#39;t want to be in the same sentence with CBS. I know that if I was a news agency, I wouldn&#39;t want to be in the same sentence with CBS.<br /><br />I found the following article interesting. Not sure if I can post a link, so do a search for &quot;Has SOFREP Finally Dug Its Own Grave?&quot;

2018-05-13T17:31:03-04:00 2018-05-13T17:31:03-04:00 SSG Ray Elliott 3629243

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Out of respect for the families of the fallen (who probably don&#39;t want, or need to see how their soldier died) I don&#39;t think these videos should be made available to the public. They should only be used for intelligence gathering, training, or other purposes required by the Military to make service men safer.

2018-05-15T07:59:48-04:00 2018-05-15T07:59:48-04:00 LTC John Bush 3634371

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>just wrong

2018-05-16T20:38:34-04:00 2018-05-16T20:38:34-04:00 MAJ James Woods 3638839

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It&#39;s no different than all the other times our government and military made videos associated to an investigation that involved military deaths available to the public out of transparency.

2018-05-18T10:37:45-04:00 2018-05-18T10:37:45-04:00 SA John M Albaladejo Sr. 3641695

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>In my humble opinion Captain, I&#39;d have to say that it would all depend upon the intentions of the reporter as to whether the report shows the deceased Service Members in a positive light versus a negative light.

2018-05-19T09:08:52-04:00 2018-05-19T09:08:52-04:00 Col Robert Wallace 3644517

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I have not seen the film clip nor do I wish to see it. Whether it is considered &quot;news worthy&quot; or not, how are the family members going to be shielded from seeing what happened to their loved ones? At one time, my crew and I had the honor of doing Angel Flight missions. To see family members in anguish, despair and heartbreak was not a good thing to see, but it was done with respect. Now, Democratic owned CBS wants to subject those family members to the horror all over again, claiming it is news worthy. Bull hockey, they only want to profit by showing that film clip. As one RP contributor said, &quot;Strap on a helmet, go to the &#39;hot spots&#39; and get first hand information as to what happens&quot;, and do their own filming of events. Yes, we military go through a lot and see a lot that the public never does, but by publically showing that particular film video is not the way to &quot;inform&quot; the public. Please, honor those who sacrificed their lives and show respect to the family members by not releasing the clip to the public.

2018-05-20T09:42:40-04:00 2018-05-20T09:42:40-04:00 2018-03-05T14:48:36-05:00