The left-wing is always suspicious of soldiers and the Spanish left-wing, given its historic rancor, even more so. Although Jose Bono, the current Defense Minister, is a leftist in name only, he shares the same mentality. For example, while Lt. General Mena is guilty, thanks to this administration’s lackeys in the press, he is portrayed as a wild coup leader. Now they are going after the pilot who was flying the Cougar helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan last summer.

 

According to the Minister’s official explanation, the helicopter was not downed by external or internal factors. Nor was there any evidence of mechanical failure. Therefore, the culprit must be the pilot for dangerous flying. The helicopter hit the ground because it was flying very low. What the Minister does not want to explain is why it was flying so low.

 

Recently, we have offered two explanations the Minister refuses to contemplate. The first, that the Cougar is not the right helicopter to be flying in Afghanistan’s terrain, something it continues to do. It does not have enough horsepower for that country’s altitude, temperature and meteorological conditions, making it a risk under certain circumstance, particularly if it is at the limit of its cargo capacity –as it was when the crash took place.      

Second, the Minister should know pilots are forced to fly in extreme condition not because they want to play hero, but because the environment is hostile and dangerous and only by doing so can they help keep troops safe. No one risks their neck for fun. And though no one will admit it in the administration, we already know the area in question is not as peaceful as they would have us believe. There have been attacks and members of the ISAF have died.

 

The Minister seems to want to say the soldiers play war because it is in their nature. But no one plays war without being ordered to do so. It is easy to say everything was due to human failure. But, even if this were true, there are too many excuses in this particular case. And no one has said a word about them. There are lots of excuses in the Lt. General Mena’s words as well, even if everyone denies them. Soldiers do not suffer the blame for the government’s terrible actions.