A Gunnery Sergeant Blames The Iraq War For Why He Beat His Daughter

After reading the story, I got the feeling that the author was trying to sympathetically portray the Gunny as a messed up individual and victim who deserved another chance after establishing a pattern of violent misbehavior. I don't doubt that tours in the Sandbox (especially if they involve combat) change a man - it happened to me after a combat infantry tour in Vietnam 68-69. But I (and many other combat vets I knew) didn't pull this kind of crap when we got back and then try to shift the blame onto something else. In the final analysis, the Gunny and he alone did the child beating and other bad stuff - he should own up to it and accept personal responsibility for what HE did, because nobody else did it.

War fucks up some people to where they can't come completely back. I am not excusing his actions but I can see how it might happen with some. I am pretty sure at a deep level he knew beating his child was just plain wrong. And he will have to live with that. I feel bad for the man and his family.

Still culpable. Past history, behavior and medical status can be viewed as mitigating but still responsible For his behavior and the punishment for breaking the law.