The first causalty of War is the Truth

We’d been stationed here in the Middle East for just over six months. The war had begun 3 years ago with the announcement that the Iranians, Iraqi’s…I don’t remember who it was anymore, were planning a full frontal assault on the American capital, with supposed ‘Weapons of mass Destruction’. The whole thing was made very public and the Americans jumped at the chance of war, lapping up all of the ‘truths’ that were being revealed by ‘spies in the ranks’ of the terrorists. Ever since 9/11 they’d been looking for a chance to get even.

So when the call came in for Australian assistance we ‘of course’ had to agree.
“Bloody bald headed idiot”.
The request was agreed to, with 2000 troops being sent over that first year. Communications after that were little to none, with whatever Intel coming back to us always having a note of confusion or scepticism when looking for the WoMDs.

The only news coverage of the war or ‘recon mission’, was of how they had discovered weapons and bombs but alluding to the fact of actual WoMDs, showing footage of soldiers trooping through run down villages and kicking in doors, all the while having an overhead voice singing their praises.
The second year of the war another 1000 troops were sent over to help ‘control the situation’. Still no actual WoMDs had been found and if they had, the Americans weren’t sharing the information. The locals also upped their opposition to the invasion, fights between armed soldiers and young adults with rocks and flaming bottles erupted all over.
The invasion had also resulted in the Taliban becoming involved, so there were also gun fights either out in the open or from rooftops and windows.

The Intel received that year confirmed that there were no WoMDs to be found. A strange pattern of sorts had also been noticed, the locals or Taliban… whoever they were, were specifically targeting American soldiers, with death rates of Australian soldiers being markedly less with most having resulted from bombing attacks. With that Intel the Australian Army issued each of its troops with suits and backpacks that had the Australian flag on them. This was done without alerting the Prime Minister or our supposed allies. The deaths of our troops became non-existent with only those few who couldn’t escape a blast.

By the beginning of the third year only 3 groups of troops containing 20 in each were sent over. I was to lead one of them into the main city, with the ever present mission of finding WoMDs. I couldn’t understand why this farce was still continuing when we knew there weren’t any to begin with. But as we moved further toward our base site, we witnessed what the American troops had been doing-piles of bodies were stacked outside the city limit with some of them even being on fire. We saw executions being carried out while the children watched their parents die.
“Revenge”, I murmured grimly and could hear the sound of agreement and disgust coming from those around me.

We wanted with all our beings to help those poor people or to just gather up our troops and head home, wanting no further part in what we could only describe as Genocide. But we couldn’t, we couldn’t go against the Americans because then we’d lose their ‘favour’ and protection, and we ourselves might become the enemy.

So in the months that followed we did what we could; we sniped for Yankees. Whenever one was spotted about to unjustly kill an innocent, an Aussie soldier was hiding in the rubble, ready to plant a bullet between their eyes. Any wounded that were found were treated in the camp, away from prying eyes and then in groups were escorted over the border to a safer country.

The news reports began to show increases in Yank deaths, and speculations began to be made that the soldiers should be brought home.

From a thankful band of locals we received a video camera, and with this we filmed what the American troops had done, keeping out our own involvement in the soldier death toll. Copies were made of the documentary we had filmed and sent to news stations around the world. There was global uproar, with calls to send the soldiers home and for America to compensate for what they had done. Those who were seen as enemies, threatened to destroy America themselves unless the violence was stopped.

In the six months I had been stationed here, I’d seen horrors beyond imagining, truths being revealed as nothing but a way to destroy, the supposed righteous nation discovered to be a ruthless, vindictive and unforgiving tyrant, and the world unite to right the wrongs so grievous that it will go down in history.

Articles, reports, analyses and books are at this moment being bought, written and compiled, speculating causes and reasons for this war and those previous. Our battalion had also written a journal of our experiences detailing what exactly led to the war, what we’d done and how the results had occurred. It wasn’t to be released or published but stored in the army vault deep underground with all our other national secrets. It ensured that none of our own troops were imprisoned for treason. A name wasn’t agreed upon, but before it was hidden I wrote on the cover, ‘The first casualty of war is the Truth’.




I have for a while wondered if I should start posting the short stories I have written through school, and now that it is over and I have read others brilliant original stories, I wanted to post my own.

As this is the first story I have ever posted online for more then my family and friends to read, I would like if those who were willing to read to the end, sent me some Feedback. Hate mail is not appreciated and if possible will be deleted and/or reported. Have a lovely day ;).