Dear Paul,

The investigation into war crimes by Australian
soldiers - Sixty Minutes did a
program on it. The McBride and the "Äfghan Files"
affair that resulted with the raids on the ABC headquarters
in Sydney,
and then the home of the ABC journalist has stirred up
so many issues.

War crimes is a highly emotive
subject. Some people are not interested in explanations.
Merely in denials - despite the evidence being given by
participants in the actual conflicts. We have no control
over those kind of attitudes.

McBride's case has been deferred until March of next year.
I dare say we'll be hearing much more then.

See you on another discussion.

Hi Issy,

Account of Corporal John Pluck Korean War veteran, clearing of a village. "It (the village) was heavily damaged; holed walls, sagging roofs, debris strewn between cottages (the result of allied shelling)....I heard a low moaning coming from one of these houses that had a shell hole in the roof....peering in I could make out the prone outlines of a man, a woman and several children coated in thick dust. A huge gash in the scalp of one of the children, a little girl, perhaps seven years old." Corporal Pluck carried her out, helpless, he handed her over to an old woman. He later heard the child had died the same day.

"I was 23 years old, a leader of men, but this disturbed me a great deal." Corporal John Pluck.

Foxy, thanks for the book reference, makes for interesting reading. Issy should get himself a copy. Yet to come across anything about chocolate throwing. Issy got a reference?

Paul,

Hardly a man who threw bombs at children.

References to the giving of chocolate and other sweets by soldiers to children will hardly be found anywhere, it's one of those things that happen, like the sun rising.

I served with two Norwegian soldiers and when we asked them what they remembered most about the German soldiers in WWII, they said "They were great, they gave us lollies and chocolate.

However, I did find this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Halvorsen
Gail Halvorsen who did the lolly bit on a grand scale.

Issy, I don't require evidence of chocolate throwing in Korea, I believe you.

"Hardly a man who threw bombs at children". I'm not accusing Corporal John Pluck of personally throwing bombs at children. You want to be perdantic and differentiate between the action of an individual soldier throwing a bomb by hand, thus hand grenade, and the mechanical launching of a bomb, call it a shell if you like, or those things that drop out of aircraft.

You asked for evidence that bombs were thrown at children (by our side) during the Korean War. I give you the account by Crp Pluck. I have no reason to doubt this child's death did not take place as the corporal has so described. Unless you can provide evident that Crp Pluck is an inveterate liar prone to exaggeration, I'll have to believe the man.

What about you? Can't go on about the book not being read, The book 'Scorched Earth Black Snow' Andrew Salmon is now out of print but my local library was able to obtain the one and only copy in the system for me. Maybe your local library can do the same for you. I am sure you will want to thank Foxy for alerting you to this very informative book, I do. THANKS Foxy (smile).

p/s Are you satisfied by the evidence provided?

Bravo for Colonel Wiggle Wings, great piece of PR there, certainly he was no Colonel Tibbets. One throwing lollies on a grand scale, the other throwing just the one bomb, but on a grand scale also.

Paul,

No, I'm not satisfied.
You said that Australian soldiers threw bombs at children, you have provided no evidence that any of them did so.
So I must consider your statement to be a lie and a slander against good men, most of whom are now dead and unable to defend themselves.