Considering how widespread the abuse of prisoners was (ie that the CDs were being passed around in Iraq among most of the troops, mercenaries, and CIA/MI people, I'm not convinced that there isn't widespread abuses of Iraqi civilians by our troops too.

I believe the 4 mercenaries/'private contractors' tortured and killed in Faluja may well have been killed because of widespread running amok in our name by 'private contractors' and troops as well. That would make some twisted sense of the savagery of their deaths and the desecration of their bodies, and the fierceness of the siege of Falluja. Remember, we didn't allow the Iraqis to properly bury their dead during the siege. Not much was made of that, or of our siege preventing medical care, food & water, and other necessary supplies reaching the Falluja civilians in the US media, but I'm sure it was a huge deal for them, and that resulted in the fierceness of the resistance to our troops and mercenaries there.

The normal soldier's fears that becomes hatred of one's enemies is a choice, and a common one among soldiers. That hate is still to be heard when you listen to vets speak, half a century later, about their military experiences. I got a blast of it from my ex-Marine brother in law when we were discussing the prisoner abuse scandal this weekend, while we were at a memorial for some deceased family friends. That couple were both WWII vets, him Navy, her Marines. But the contrast between their acceptance and forgiveness of themselves and their "enemies" from WWII, and their conscious decision not to hate the "enemies" of the US wars then and since, became a hallmark of their lives.

OTOH, my brother-in-law, a Korean vet, is bitter and full of hate, racism, and bigotry, and spews the military propaganda lines we see so often here at Mudcat from vets. Yet, when someone challenges him for spouting the crap he was brainwashed with way back when, he does a disconnect, eyes sort of glaze over, he gets confused, mumbles, and changes the subject.

So IMO, we Americans know full well just from experiences we have had with active military people and vets we know (ie family, friends, colleagues) that there are at least two sorts of military/vets in any era, and not just this monolithic "you are with the troops/vets or against us" stereotype that the US military/government/media perpetually promotes.