Poor, Dumb Sonsabitches -- 2
In case anyone wanted to jump with both feet on my recent post with a similar title, here are excerpts from a report in the Herald Tribune, the global NY Times publication....
With no military training - neither had ever fired a gun - the two young men left their homes in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, hours after Georgia began its offensive against South Ossetia, expecting to be greeted as comrades and heroes by the Georgian soldiers they believed they would meet at the front. ...As the two entered Tskhinvali about 1 a.m. on Aug. 9, they sang popular patriotic tunes to avoid being shot by the Georgian soldiers they expected to be lurking in the dark.
...In fact, as the young men moved in, the Russian military was pushing Georgian forces out of the city. Instead of Georgian troops, they attracted the attention of a group of South Ossetian soldiers.
"They asked what we wanted," Monasalidze said. "I said, 'I'm Georgian and this is our land; we want Tskhinvali."' They were immediately bundled into a vehicle, taken to police headquarters and shut into a cell. ...Because they were young and from the capital, they were immediately suspected of belonging to a reserve unit and singled out for special abuse,
They said they had been kicked, punched and beaten with rifle butts regularly. Kharadze had wounds on his arms from being burned with cigarettes. On several occasions, they were forced to their knees and made to think they would be killed, they said.
"I'm 22 and I feel like I'm already a 70-year-old grandfather," Monasalidze said, his long, shaggy hair obscuring his eyes.
After 19 days in captivity, the young men were released along with 85 others last Wednesday in exchange for 13 Ossetians held by the Georgians.
Both young men said they would join the fight again if necessary, though they would like to be better prepared next time.
Maybe they should cherish the mistreatment that they experienced at the hands of the South Ossetians, because at the rate they're going, that could easily have been the only opportunity they will ever get to enjoy the pleasure of being 70..
With no military training - neither had ever fired a gun - the two young men left their homes in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, hours after Georgia began its offensive against South Ossetia, expecting to be greeted as comrades and heroes by the Georgian soldiers they believed they would meet at the front. ...As the two entered Tskhinvali about 1 a.m. on Aug. 9, they sang popular patriotic tunes to avoid being shot by the Georgian soldiers they expected to be lurking in the dark.
...In fact, as the young men moved in, the Russian military was pushing Georgian forces out of the city. Instead of Georgian troops, they attracted the attention of a group of South Ossetian soldiers.
"They asked what we wanted," Monasalidze said. "I said, 'I'm Georgian and this is our land; we want Tskhinvali."' They were immediately bundled into a vehicle, taken to police headquarters and shut into a cell. ...Because they were young and from the capital, they were immediately suspected of belonging to a reserve unit and singled out for special abuse,
They said they had been kicked, punched and beaten with rifle butts regularly. Kharadze had wounds on his arms from being burned with cigarettes. On several occasions, they were forced to their knees and made to think they would be killed, they said.
"I'm 22 and I feel like I'm already a 70-year-old grandfather," Monasalidze said, his long, shaggy hair obscuring his eyes.
After 19 days in captivity, the young men were released along with 85 others last Wednesday in exchange for 13 Ossetians held by the Georgians.
Both young men said they would join the fight again if necessary, though they would like to be better prepared next time.
Maybe they should cherish the mistreatment that they experienced at the hands of the South Ossetians, because at the rate they're going, that could easily have been the only opportunity they will ever get to enjoy the pleasure of being 70..
posted by Carl (aka Sofarsogoo) | 6:14 PM
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