Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Two Fathers Have Different Reactions To Their Sons Being Killed By Friendly Fire

Grim-Reaper with 4 Hellfire Missiles, 2 sidewinder air to air missiles, and 2 GBU 12 Paveway Laser guided bombs. Photo from Out Of Central Asia Now

Dad Bitter Over Son's Friendly Fire Drone Death -- Military.com

Robert Rast is still searching for answers a year after his son was killed in Afghanistan in the first-ever friendly fire incident involving an Air Force Predator drone missile strike.

He wants Pentagon leaders to hold those who were involved accountable and take bigger steps to prevent accidents like the one that killed Benjamin David Rast, a 23-year-old Navy hospitalman from Niles, Mich., and Jeremy D. Smith, a 26-year-old Marine staff sergeant, from Arlington, Texas.

Benjamin Rast had "a heart of gold with a John Wayne, patriotic fighting spirit," his father said.

Read more ....

My Comment: While Rast's father remains bitter about the military not holding anyone accountable, Smith's father, Jerry Smith, of Arlington, Texas, has a different view towards those who are involved ....

.... "There's some kid working a joystick that pulled that trigger, and he's going to have to live with that the rest of his life," Jerry Smith told a Dallas NBC News team days after the incident. "If I had him standing here, I'd hug him. I'd tell him, 'Man, that stuff happens. ... I promise you, he didn't go over there to kill my son. He went over to save my son. And if he made a mistake, he made a mistake."

What`s my take .... both fathers are right.

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