 | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES |  | Wednesday, October 13, 2010 |  |
By MICHAEL DEN TANDT
Posted 19 hours ago
-now 2nd Lieut. Semrau -has captured Canadians' imaginations like few other events of the Afghan war. Many consider him a hero, unjustly tried and punished.
Now there are calls for Defence Minister Peter MacKay to overturn Semrau's dismissal from the Canadian Forces on a charge of disgraceful conduct -effectively, to wipe the slate clean.
This would affirm, some well-intentioned folks believe, that Semrau's crime (he is alleged to have shot a mortally wounded Afghan insurgent to death on the battlefield) was not a crime at all.Yes, it contravened the Geneva Conventions, the International Law of Armed Conflict and Canada's own military code of conduct. No one disputes this.
But morally, according to the common sense of the common people? Semrau did the wounded Talib a favour, ending his misery. He should be given a medal for moral courage, not fired. And let's face it: If you don't stand by men like him, who put it all on the line for Canada, what are you worth, really?
That's all very nice -in the movies. Indeed, Semrau's story will make a terrific movie some day. The moral dimensions and inherent drama guarantee it. But the calls to reinstate him are misguided. The Department of National Defence will never do it. Nor should it.
Here's a bet: A poll of the CF, all ranks, would find an overwhelming majority strongly against reinstatement.
Wipe the slate clean? No. That would be the ultimate affront to the thousands of men and women in Canadian uniform who have faced similar moral quandaries on the Afghan battlefield, and done the right thing. That is to follow the code, and give what first aid or comfort is possible to the wounded prisoner.
If anything, Semrau's sentence -he was demoted and dismissed but will serve no jail time, as he was found not guilty of second-degree murder -was too lenient, in deference to public opinion.
Here's why.
The weight of responsibility that falls on the shoulders of our soldiers in Afghanistan, especially the NCOs (corporals, sergeants and warrant officers), is staggering.
Every time they go outside the wire, they hold the lives of their section-mates or vehicle-mates in their hands. They hold the lives of dozens of Afghans, civilian and military, in their hands.
If they miscalculate, drive too aggressively or too cautiously, lower their guard at the wrong instant, take deadly action too soon or not soon enough -they and everyone around them can die or be maimed. They're constantly at risk of ambush. The attacks come from explosive- packed taxis, transport or "jingle" trucks, suicide bombers on motorbikes, and bombs planted in the ground. Even inside the relatively safe confines of Kandahar Airfield there's a risk of rocket fire, 24-7.
The only protection they have is each other. Their collective safety and security depends utterly on their training and professionalism.
Professionalism includes, at its core, respect for the code of conduct. That's because, out there, there are no other rules.
Here's an irony: The hospital at Kandahar Airfield regularly nurses back to health insurgents wounded and picked up on the battlefield. Our doctors and medics spend precious resources helping to heal the enemy. Crazy, eh?
They do it, not because they want to necessarily and not because it always makes a lot of sense -but because Canadian soldiers uphold the rule of law. Semrau didn't. His judgment failed him at the worst possible moment. This makes him a risk to the men and women he would command.
It's not fair. But it's not that complicated, either.
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