The Lessons from Yusufiyah article retells the events surrounding the infamous 2006 massacre at Yusufiyah. The tragic story involved four American Soldiers who in drunken rage entered an Iraqi Civilian household, gang-raping the daughter and murdering the whole Family. This would have been not discovered and covered up if not for the bravery and moral agency of Pvt. Justin P. Watt, a young member of the platoon who privately investigated the unfolding events and eventually chose to report it in order to bring those responsible to justice. In his time in Iraq, Pvt. Watt faced a potentially morally injurious experience serving as an indirect witness to the massacre, which created psychological distress and ethical challenges for him, and an action plan for renewal is discussed.
Morally injurious experiences (MIEs) define as events, exposures, or triggers that transgress or violate an individual’s deeply held moral beliefs or values, associated with psychological distress as a response. The MIE which affected Pvt. Watt was the massacre. He was not present, but he was a second-hand witness, first hearing the story from Sgt. Yribe and later receiving greater detail from Pfc. Howard. Pvt. Watt was also on radio guard the night of the massacre, and he used the pieces of information to determine the approximate context of what had occurred. Pvt. Watt realizes his platoon friends with Green and potentially others had raped a teenager, murdered a Family, and covered up evidence. Furthermore, that Sgt. Yribe failed his responsibility as team leader to attain justice despite knowing the facts, and is responsible for the cover-up as well. Pvt. Watt reflects, “I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like, hearing everyone screaming,” which suggests that he is visualizing the events based on known information. Despite not physically present or involved in the massacre, he is feeling the guilt and aftereffects not dissimilar to if he seen it happen. These are signs of PTSD and psychological distress.
This event has a direct negative impact on the Soldier by placing him in a morally compromising position. Pvt. Watt is torn between loyalty to his platoon and friends and the Army code and moral values, experiencing psychological distress. Furthermore, the Soldier is noticeably horrified at the potential that his platoon members and American Soldiers could have engaged in such unethical and monstrous behavior. Pvt. Watt griefs for the loss of innocent Civilian lives and questions his morality as a Soldier and member of the US Army. He has to consider the impact of his choices on his ethics as well as the families of those Soldiers and Civilians that had died in the war. Pvt. Watt sees rightly that the massacre represents an act of disproportionate violence inflicted on others, particularly Civilians. The US Soldiers committed the murder of innocents, children, and abused this Civilian Family both, more harshly than any combatant and without regard for their dignity and life. This is a direct root for cause of a MIE.
The first repair/renewal response that will help Pvt. Watt in this case is connection. He feels isolated and hated, receiving death threats for his choice. This is an event that he likely keeps private for his own safety and feels that there is no one he can trust. A connection should be established, most likely with other soldiers who had served, witnessed some form of similar MIEs targeted against Civilians or innocents, and who share similar views and concerns. Trust and belief in mankind must be re-established as a means of healing, for the Soldier to understand that they are not alone, and their choice was correct. Another appropriate repair response is a dialogue with a benevolent moral authority. The aim is for the Soldier to verbalize the MIE and how it affected them and what they believe the consequences to their life should be. This can be a conversation with a real being or not, potentially if the individual is religious, with God or a representative of God, such as a pastor. The entity on the receiving end must not want the Soldier to suffer excessively and move towards forgiveness and restoration.
During his service, Pvt. Watt faced a morally injurious experience by being an indirect witness and investigator to his platoon members and friends committing a horrific massacre of innocents at Yusufiyah. This creates psychological distress and puts the Soldier in a morally compromising position. He should utilize the renewal resources of connection and dialogue with moral authority to aid in processing these events.