Continuing with the news ongoing about our use of white phosphorus, the NY Times [hack!, ahem, excuse me] is helping to keep the issue in the spotlight. However, I may agree with them this time.

I’ve explained how we are using WP. I explained from the first person perspective, not interviews, speculation or innuendo. However, other military and governmental people have gone and screwed it up.

The problem with military spokespeople and government types sometimes is that they are so concerned about image that they try to downplay a very simple issue. Instead of just speaking the truth about what happened, they talk around the truth or skirt it all together to avoid POTENTIAL embarrassment.

Thanks to their PC explanations of what happened we find ourselves again under suspicion. I can see how so many people have a hard time believing anything we have to say. Not only is everyone trying to be PC about it, but they’re all doing it in different ways, which leads to more confusion and shouts of a “cover-up.”

Well, thanks to their bungling of a simple issue, the foreign press has again pounced on our inability to be straight forward, regardless of the circumstances. If we used WP as a burning agent (which I contend we didn’t), we should just speak up about it. So what! Even if we did, there’s nothing illegal about it so why worry. If they’re so worried that we killed terrorists in a way would offend the terrorists they shouldn’t send us to fight them…period.

It’s frustrating to us soldiers at the ground floor who know what’s going on but we’re not asked. People 4000 miles away are left to answer questions about a battle in another part of the world. Even Congress has begun to get answers straight from the guys on the ground because they’re fed up with the inconsistencies.

To all our politicians and senior military spokesman: tell the truth. If you don’t know the answer, say so and find out. Don’t speculate, spin, corrupt, bend, or stretch the truth. Just come out with it. Punish those soldiers publicly who have done wrong and move on.

My point is that if it’s something we’re going to embarrassed about in the future, don’t do it now. The thing is we have nothing to be embarrassed about.