Special Forces To Change ‘Free The Oppressed’ Motto After Complaints From Afghans

[Team Sergeant]

Special Forces To Change ‘Free The Oppressed’ Motto After Complaints From Afghans Holding Sex Slaves

Paul September 26, 2015 Army

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Top Army leaders have ordered its elite Special Forces unit to change its motto from the Latin “De Opresso Liber” (To liberate the oppressed) to something that would be more culturally sensitive, after a large number Afghans holding child sex slaves have complained.

“We want to make sure we are not offending our coalition partners and not judging them based on our own biases,” said Col. Dwight S. Barry, a Pentagon spokesperson. “At the end of the day, we just have to respect that raping young boys and mutilating female genitals is just a part of their culture.”

Started in 1952, Army Special Forces chose its Latin motto of “De Opresso Liber” at a time when the U.S. was heavily focused on freeing people around the world from the chains of Soviet Communism. Now decades later, Army leaders want operators to be more aware of cultural differences they may not understand in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Berkeley, California.

The move comes in the wake of numerous complaints from Afghan men, who have chided U.S. military officials over previous run-ins with Special Forces soldiers unaware of the ancient Afghan custom of “bacha bazi.” The practice, which literally translates to “boy play,” consists of chaining children to beds, taking off their clothes, and then sexually assaulting them until they scream “bingo.”

Anger over U.S. military insensitivity toward “bacha bazi” is not the only issue in which Afghans have raised concern. The use of Special Forces “night raids” on high value targets has aroused suspicion among many locals in the past, and U.S. troops expressing discomfort around opium-addicted Afghan policemen as they throw acid in the faces of young girls has strained coalition partnerships.

In one high-profile incident, two Special Forces soldiers beat up an American-backed militia commander after they had learned he had raped a young boy and beat up his mother, a practice which goes back centuries and is perfectly normal in Afghan society. Fortunately, one of the American soldiers decided to leave the Army after the incident, while the other is being kicked out.

“I thought we were all about liberating the oppressed?” said Bob Samuelson, a former weapons sergeant with Army Special Forces. “How is it right for the Army to kick someone out who was literally trying to do that, and free a young boy from assault?”

The Pentagon just recently learned the motto included a typo for decades, and the actual English translation is “to free the oppressors,” according to a senior defense official.

Officials are currently weighing a number of potential mottos as replacements, which include “Tolerate Iniustitia (Tolerate Injustice)” and “Ad Dissimulare (To Turn a Blind Eye).”

In addition to the change in motto, the Army band has also been directed to record a new version of the “Ballad of the Green Berets,” which was recorded during the Vietnam War. An initial draft of the lyrics include: “Silver wings upon their chest / These are men, America’s best / One hundred slaves get raped today / But all ignored by the Green Beret.”

Duffel Blog investigative reporters Bombsquad, Jack S. McQuack, and Jay-B contributed.


http://www.duffelblog.com/2015/09/special-forces-motto/

[Sohei]

Dang...after being on here for a little while now...once I read the thread title, I immediately had to go to the bottom of the post for the source before reading the entire article...

Sadly, I was getting an aggravated sick feeling after reading the title because I can see a request like that being made in the future...

[Trapper John]

Originally Posted by Agoge2

Dang...after being on here for a little while now...once I read the thread title, I immediately had to go to the bottom of the post for the source before reading the entire article...

Sadly, I was getting an aggravated sick feeling after reading the title because I can see a request like that being made in the future...

Had exactly the same initial reaction ("Hold on Ethel, this is the Big One!") and immediately looked for the source. Whew, thank ya Jesus!

[Five-O]

I'm not sure the Duffelblog has ever hit the ball out of the park like it has with this article. It shows the absolute absurdity of our current effort in Afghanistan. What the hell happened to CIA dudes and SF guys running around with rucksacks full of cash and ammo crushing bad guys? If we are not actually doomed now.....we are very close.

[WarriorDiplomat]

Originally Posted by Agoge2

Dang...after being on here for a little while now...once I read the thread title, I immediately had to go to the bottom of the post for the source before reading the entire article...

Sadly, I was getting an aggravated sick feeling after reading the title because I can see a request like that being made in the future...

With today's leadership it is very possible. If these leaders get their way the balad of the Green Beret will need to be altered as a unit song.


Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless people who jump and die
people who mean just what they say
The brave people of the Green Beret

Silver wings upon their chest
These are people, America's best
One hundred people will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Trained to live off nature's land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
People who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets

Silver wings upon their chest
These are people, America's best
One hundred people will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Back at home a young spouse waits
the Green Beret has met a soldiers fate
the soldier died for those oppressed
Leaving the spouse the last request

Put silver wings on my kids chest
Make the soldier one of America's best
They will be a soldier they'll test one day
Have the soldier win the Green Beret.

The current and original version

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Trained to live off nature's land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request

Put silver wings on my son's chest
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret.

[DJ Urbanovsky]

As soon as I read the thread title, I said to myself "Please let this be a Duffleblog article..." But with the complete and utter horseshit that has happened to both CPT Quinn and SFC Martland, I wasn't so sure...

[Badger52]

+1 above comments and



for Duffel Blog

[Scimitar]

“boy play,” consists of chaining children to beds, taking off their clothes, and then sexually assaulting them until they scream “bingo.”

This article is a lie!
Bingo is not a Pashto word!

Ha! They almost fooled me.



S

[Spalding117]

This made my blood pressure spike.
Took me until:
-“we just have to respect that raping young boys and mutilating female genitals is just a part of their culture.”
for a red flag to go up. Thank God it's satire, as sad as it is.

May SF forever free the oppressed.

[Old Dog New Trick]

WD,

What is this -

Courage peak from the Green Beret

It's

Courage deep, from the Green Beret

[Team Sergeant]

Ad Dissimulare (To Turn a Blind Eye)

The sad part about the "humor" is that it may not be far from the truth.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Old Dog New Trick

WD,

What is this -

Courage peak from the Green Beret

It's

Courage deep, from the Green Beret

I think it's "courage take".

[Old Dog New Trick]

Originally Posted by Razor

I think it's "courage take".

I've heard that version too.

But I think is the original song as written by SSG Sadler.

http://greenberetcd.com/ballad.html

Semantics really, didn't mean to derail the thread.

[WarriorDiplomat]

Originally Posted by Old Dog New Trick

WD,

What is this -

Courage peak from the Green Beret

It's

Courage deep, from the Green Beret

I've seen it and heard it as peak, take, deep not sure how it changes or why. I have no idea why it changes or does it either way the point was pulling out the male specific words. Someone has mentioned while working at SWCS that this discussion actually happened.

[Box]

...whats this "only three win the green beret" bullshit?


Furthermore, why should these non-gender specific people need to take a "test" just to satisfy some arbitrary requirement put in place by an outdated hyper-male culture just for the benefit of wearing a wool head covering with very little practical utility.

You people fucking astonish me.

Respectfully submitted for review is an alternative, more inclusive, less offensive set of lyrics for this catchy little tune...

Peaceful servants from the sky
Fearless people who jump to cultivate a spirit of inclusiveness
people who say just what they say
The brave people wear arbitrarily colored wool headgear

Silver wings upon their chest
These are people, a general cross section of the current inhabitants of the North American continent
One hundred people will conduct SHARP training today
and only the ones that signed the attendance roster, will be issued free artbitrarily colored wool headgear

Trained to live off nature's land
Trained by PETA, to be good vegans
people who fight for social justice by night and day
Courage peak from the people that wear arbitrarily colored wool headgear

Silver wings upon their chest
These are people, a general cross section of the current inhabitants of the North American continent
One hundred people will conduct SHARP training today
and only the ones that signed the attendance roster, will be issued free artbitrarily colored wool headgear

Back at home a young life-partner waits
their life mate that wears arbitrarily colored wool headgear has met their fate
their life functions have ceased, while serving as a loyal social justice warrior,
Leaving their life-partner this last request

Put silver wings on our child's chest
Make our child an exceptional social justice warrior...
They will be a social justice warrior that will be supportive of other peoples feelings one day
Have them be on time to the SHARPs brief, so that they can be issued free artbitrarily colored wool headgear




...testing a hundred people just so three of them can be treated like elite capitalist warmongers
unfuckingbelievable exclusionary thinking