We Need a Hero

As you know this site is always on the lookout for heroes. People who at personal risk make decisions that transcend the obvious, the accepted wisdom, and short term gains. This week, we salute Lt. Ian Fishback, a West Point graduate, who defied the overheated atmosphere of an army at war and reported violations of the Geneva Convention (including beatings, mock execution of family members and sexually themed torture)by US forces in Iraq. In this months Esquire, Lt. Fishback states:

It is infuriating to me that officers are not lined up to accept responsibility for what happened ... It should've started with the chain of command at Abu Ghraib, and anybody else that witnessed anything that violated the Geneva conventions or anything that could be questioned should've been standing up saying "This is what happened. This is why I allowed it to happen. This is my responsibility... That's what you learn at West Point.

I guess a dishonorable war eventually sucks the honor out of all of us...