The latest post from Col. Mike Walker, USMC (retired)
Marines,
These guys never forget, never forgive, and never quit
There is credible merit in the argument that the CIA
destroyed the tapes of high-level Islamic terrorist
interrogations because they contained information that
could lead to the identification of the intelligence
officers.
A number of years ago, before the war, before 9/11, I
was working overseas for DIA DHS. We were actively
conducting HUMINT operations directed at possible
foreign Islamic extremists, amongst other threats.
The personnel I worked with were professional and
courageous. They dealt with these risks without
complaint and with determination.
But, for the record, let me state that the operations
directed against the Islamic terrorists entered into
another level of intensity. These were the only
operations where we not only had many of the local
people working with us flatly refuse to participate
but these were the only operations where our own
people voiced strong and reasoned reservations.
The concern was simple: If we did not take every
conceivable precaution to absolutely protect their
identities from the Islamic terrorists then our people
knew that the Islamic terrorists would likely issue a
death sentence for them and their families and the
sentence would remain in effect until their death,
however long that took.
I still recall a conversation with one of my best
operators on this subject. He was not complaining
about the risk. He knew the score and was still
willing to face being put on an Islamic terrorist
death list for life if that is what it took. His sole
concern was for the long-term safety of his family if
the Islamic terrorists were able to identify him.
If you have never seen how viciously savage these
Islamic terrorists are you cannot understand the
concerns of those on the front line fighting them.
This enemy never forgets, never forgives, and never
quits.
Semper Fi,
Mike Walker
