Reply #44: I respect your opinion

[daleo]

I don't doubt the experiences he has had could have sent him over the edge. It is possible some of his claims are true, some are delusional exaggerations of underlying events, and some a plain made up.

On edit - It is interesting that a lot of the claims he has made correlate with actual events, although he was not necessarily present. Shooting into a crowd of protesters, if I recall correctly, is what first generated the wide spread hostility to the U.S. presence in Fallujah. There are numerous reports of civilians, including kids, being killed at checkpoints (the famous picture of the blood drenched little girl, whose family had just been shot, comes to mind). Then there is the shooting of the Italian journalist and secret service agent.

He may not be telling the truth about his own activities, but his stories are certainly based on a wider truth. It is a complicated and interesting situation, any way you look at it.