Chivalry and Savagery

Our heroes have returned back to base for full military honors and posthumous promotions and commendations. But one cannot ignore the pain, grief, anger and outrage as to how our brave Marines died, most especially for those whose bodies were decapitated and mutilated. What even incenses me more are the recent statements of the MILF vermin that 30 and not 14 Marines were killed and only 7 were beheaded, effectively labeling the AFP as liars, who are deliberately concealing the truth as to what really happened in Basilan.

Does it really matter how many were beheaded and mutilated? Do a lesser number of victims make the offense more acceptable or forgivable? Where are these additional bodies if so? Don’t their relatives and friends deserve the same honors as the rest? And they even have the gall to state that the encounter was a legitimate one since the Marines strayed into “their territory”. That’s just stupid and outrageous, as one, a ceasefire is supposed to be in effect and two, Basilan is still part of the Republic of the Philippines, a sovereign nation! And to add insult to an already furious nation, they have stated that they will not surrender any of their comrades. A defiance that may just be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Chivalry in war has really been lost in modern conflicts. The beheading of the 10 Marines symbolizes complete victory over them and throws an insult to those who have survived and to everyone else. Such acts were unheard of in previous conflicts, although beheading was once honorable to die in defeat. Not the barbaric way that the MILF and its kissing cousins, the Abu Sayyaf conduct it, but a ritual or ceremony in itself. Warfare has evolved from chivalry to brutality over the centuries. What used to actually look like a game of chess has turned into a hit-and-run style which characterized the Vietnam and Afghan conflicts, to the pushing of buttons that is evident in today’s modern conflicts, for the technologically advanced of course.

In World War I, where the airplane came of age as a weapon, pilots of opposing fighters do not really try to kill each other, but rather to only disable their respective aircraft, in order for them to “meet” another day. Some would even escort crippled aircraft back to their bases to make sure they survive to fight another day. Shooting down an unarmed airplane or one that has run out of ammunition was frowned upon by these knights of the sky. It is no wonder why women of that age admired these “flyboys!” In World War II, the story I was told about was at the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, one of the bloodiest battles that eventually led to the Battle of the Bulge. During an agreed ceasefire to recover the opposing armies’ dead and wounded, medics and corpsmen from opposing armies would treat anybody and share medicine and supplies, regardless of the soldier’s nationality. Not a word was spoken, as the universal language of peace, understanding and compassion prevailed in those short hours. Such is chivalry that is all but dead in today’s conflicts. All that is left is brutality and savagery. Such that we have seen in Basilan.

Let not these acts of barbarism and treachery go unpunished. One cannot talk peace with this kind of blood on their hands. It is one thing to defeat an enemy; another thing to defile and humiliate him. It is understandable that in war, anything is possible. But once the smoke clears, one has to be accountable for his actions. History has taught us that war crimes do not go unpunished. Otherwise the cycle of violence just propagates into a vortex that consumes everyone. History has also taught us that.