"Actually, it's quite fun to fight them (the Iraqis). You know, it's a hell of a hoot.... I like brawling. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

-General James Mattis addressing his troops

"People were taking steroids, Valium, hooked on painkillers, drinking. They'd go on raids and patrols totally stoned. We're killing the wrong people all the time, and mostly by accident. One guy in my squadron ran over a family with his tank."

Clif Hicks, former tank squadron soldier

Hicks also goes on to say, "There's a lot of guys who steal from the Iraqis. Money, family heirlooms, and then they brag about it. Guys would crap into MRE bags and throw them to old men begging for food."

"There were problems in Kilo Company (those responsible for the killings in Haditha) with drugs, alcohol, hazing, you name it. I think it's more than possible that these guys were totally tweaked out on speed or something when they shot those civilians in Haditha."

-wife of a staff sergeant, who declined to be indentified

And, quite possibly, the most unbelievable thing I read from the article, comes from Clif Hicks again. He states that infantry soldiers sometimes stick their legs out of the Humvee under sniper fire, hoping to get a nonlethal wound.

Does any of this sound productive to liberating Iraqis and securing peace?