Llstened to Episode 3:
Episode 3 definitely got my sympathies on Bowe's side
It personally didn't effect my view of things much at all because i've always felt bad for him
after he was caught, i didn't know exactly what happened but i knew it was going to be horrible. i never thought Bowe was a Taliban Sympathizer or anything so all this did was make me feel more sorry for him after finding out exactly what he went through. I still split my thoughts of Bowe into before and after he was caught. Of course i feel really sorry for what happened to him after he was caught, giving him the benifit of the doubt that the Dustwun was something he had to do i still find it really stupid and reckless regardless of whether his intentions were good or not. The thing i keep going back to is his statements about this being partially fuelled by his ego, this takes back a lot of sympathy i have for him. Also i have to question why none of the other guys in his unit thought leadership was bad enough to complain, or why they didn't say this was what was possibly happening as soon as he went missing. If things were that bad surely they must of thought instantly he might be bringing a Dustwun for the reasons he stated. Do you remember if any of the guys who have been interviewed that were pissed with Bowe were actually from his unit? If they were then yeah i'm not really with Bowe at all.
I'm jumping way ahead, i'm hoping all this will be answered and i may have to eat my words when they are. Just explaining that while i fully sympathize with him after he was captured wouldn't wish that on anyone, but i am reserving full sympathy until i hear some good reasons for his actions that lead to this.
The period of time makes me think I would have closed my eyes and tried to die.
Same here. I don't think he'd admit this, i wouldn't either, but i have to wonder if his escape was a maybe somehow i'll get out of this if not i hope i'm killed.
Completely agree. Some random thoughts on the episode:
've never seen any of the videos he made and of course i knew that they'd be rehearsed, scripted, etc. It really took me aback how fake they sounded though, i mean what he was saying obviously reading from a script sounded like someone who didn't quite have a 100% grasp of English so there were some weird very minor things that you wouldn't expect a native english speaker to make.
The code of conduct is ridiculous. Sorry i'm not a soldier but c'mon. Also i don't get Sarah saying that this isn't their view when it is in their own rules. I don't know that part confused me. I've noticed Sarah dropping a few things in this Series without explaining how she knows this and it annoys me. She did the same with the rumours about Bowe's capture, she didn't say who she heard these rumours from and ugh. I know you could say the Code of Conduct thing is just common sense but she made it sound as if it is official Army policy not to stick by them. That is just dumb, why have these rules in the first place if they have no intention of following them. Not that i think they should be followed. They are ridiculous, they sound like they were written by someone who has never been in this situation think things should go. Unless they were all written by John McCain haha.
I could totally get one of the things that stuck with Bowe the most was being forced to watch execution videos. That must have seriously pyschologically scarred him. Not just from watching these horrible videos but from knowing while watching them that this may be how it all ends for him.
Good episode looking forward to the next. Are you listening to it tomorrow or what?