Blue Helmets, Brown Shirts, or worse?

Blue helmets make me see red

Recently, a number of our soldiers balked at being ordered to wear a specific uniform. They even took it to a civilian court, to see if they could get out of said articles of clothing, and the judge denied their case. Ordinarily, I’d be one hundred percent in favor of Court Martial for every troop refusing to wear a uniform issued him (or her) by the Pentagon. After all, it’s in the contract, isn’t it? You knew, when you signed on with our military, that you’d be wearing some moderately uncomfortable, seriously unfashionable piles of cloth to make you blend in with the rest of those on your team.

This time, though, it’s different. I’m cheering for the refuseniks.

It seems that, as members of the United States Marines, they’ve been sent in to serve with the United Nations, and, in that role, are expected to wear the blue helmets of the United Nations “peacekeepers”. Personally, I can think of little that would be less appealing, at this point. Even the thought of kissing Lynndie England squarely on her skanky lips has more charm, in my mind, than wearing those blue helmets.

A Marine is sworn to a code of conduct at the core of which is honor, and, even when some fail to maintain it, the core value is still there. His uniform is an expression of what he represents. His uniform states that he is a part of -- and supports the actions of -- a larger group. That blue helmet, then, signifies he is part of and party to whatever the rest of the blue helmets do. And they seem to do plenty.

It’s not just because of the attitude the United Nations has had toward The US and our military over the past half-century that I’d mind wearing their uniform. It’s not even because of the “stingy” remark made by Jan Egeland. I’m not sure it even is much exacerbated by the misappropriated $21 billion in the Oil-for-Food scandal, filthy as that is. The fact of the matter is, that’s all either politicking or bureaucratic corruption, and you’ll find that stuff even in the best government offices, to one degree or another.

But, in the Congo in particular, accounts came in more than a year ago, of blue-helmeted United Nations troops and their civilian accompaniment demanding sex from women and children in exchange for food, medicine, and other vital support. There were reports of United Nations people raping without regard, and specific reports of blue-helmeted UN peacekeepers trading as little as two eggs for sexual favors from young teens. When these reports reached the public, demands were made that the United Nations solve their problem. The United Nations announced that they were taking this “under review”. A couple of individuals were returned to their home countries, and that, it seemed, was that.

Well, according to the latest reports out of Congo, those blue helmets still cover a multitude of predatory acts that make Abu Ghraib look like toddlers playing in a sandbox. According to an article released by UPI, as posted in Michelle Malkin’s weblog, “A report from the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services says, its ‘investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of local Congolese women and girls found that the problem was serious and ongoing . Equally disturbing was the lack of a protection and deterrence program.’

“Although troops knew an investigation was being conducted in eastern Bunia from June to September last year, they continued their activities, the report said”.

Malkin also quotes from Voice of America: Speaking to reporters Friday, lead investigator Barbara Dixon said her team concluded that sexual exploitation by blue-helmeted U.N. troops is a serious and ongoing problem.

"In our view, the problem is and continues to be widespread,” she said. “We focused on Ituri province, it seems there are allegations that cover all of the Congo, and as some of you have pointed out, it's not just limited to the Congo."



At least in the exceptional case of the Iraqi prisoners, they were enemy combatants capable of killing dozens -- if not hundreds -- of troops before their capture, as well has having potentially life-saving intelligence. In Congo, the people that the UN soldiers and staffers have been savagely toying with are starving, already repeatedly violated, innocent women and children. Worse, they were women and children the Un was supposed to be protecting. That increases the level of violation to the nth degree.

Were I ordered to wear the blue helmet or other such uniform to link me to this group, I would do all in my power to avoid that duty. If forced to serve in that uniform, I’d request that I be permitted to permanently wear my gas mask. Not only would it keep the stench of my “colleagues” from reaching me, but it would simultaneously help me hide my face in shame at the connection.