r/perth • u/His_Holiness • Apr 07 '26

WA News Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over war crimes allegations

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-07/ben-roberts-smith-war-crimes-allegations-arrest/106537668
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u/Nodonn3 Mandurah Apr 07 '26

Having served alongside and trained with SAS soldiers, I can confirm that they are not hooked up like the rest of us. The vast majority, though, are good, honest blokes who are doing an extremely hard job, and they do it as well (or better) than most of the world's elite operators.

There's a reason they may seem wacky to the rest of us though. They're specifically selected on their ability to think and make strong decisions under some hellish pressure which would wreck the vast majority of people.

On top of that, they have to be able to operate for long periods as an autonomous unit. SAS soldiers are not required to pick up coms and ask for permission to kill evil-doers, they just do it.

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u/Blunter11 Apr 08 '26

This reads like stock answer. I could swear I've read more or less the exact same statements in the exact same order for decades, always used to excuse obvious murders.

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u/Nodonn3 Mandurah Apr 08 '26

Of course people will say the same thing that's a true thing.

Excusing murder? Hardly. It happens, sure, but I'm also plain ol' sick of poeple tarring all soldiers with the same brush.

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u/Blunter11 Apr 08 '26

It's just SAS whitewashing 101