AS.100.369: Bodily Trophies and Hunting Metaphors

I thought you guys might find this recent Rolling Stone article about the ongoing investigation into a "rogue" platoon in Afghanistan useful for what we've been considering in class. It's a fascinating piece of reporting, although it does raise some important questions: 1) The author does not necessarily delve into the broader racial and cultural assumptions that might have guided the conduct of this particular unit, so I do wonder how deep-seated ideologies and social patterns at home before deployment influenced decision-making on the battlefield. 2) The first question might help us dissect what we think about the U.S. military's assertion that this was a "rogue" platoon and not symptomatic of a deeper problem among frontline troops in Afghanistan--thoughts?  3) What responsibility does the home front have when we learn about these types of atrocities?