Fragging
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- For other meanings, see frag.
Fragging is a term from the Vietnam War, used primarily by U.S. military personnel, most commonly meaning to assassinate an unpopular officer of one's own fighting unit, often by means of a fragmentation grenade (hence the term). A hand grenade was often used because it would not leave any fingerprints, and because a ballistics test could not be done (as it could to match a bullet with a firearm). A fragging victim could also be killed by intentional friendly fire during combat. In either case, the death would be blamed on the enemy, and, due to the dead man's unpopularity, the perpetrator could assume that no one would contradict the story.
Fragging most often involved the murder of a commanding officer (C.O.) or a senior noncommissioned officer perceived as unpopular, harsh, or inept. If a C.O. was incompetent, fragging the officer was considered a means to the end of self preservation for the men serving under him. Fragging might also occur if a commander freely took on dangerous or suicidal missions, especially if he was deemed to be seeking glory for himself. The very idea of fragging served to warn junior officers to avoid the ire of their enlisted men through recklessness, cowardice, or lack of leadership. Junior officers in turn could arrange the murder of senior officers when finding them incompetent or wasting their men's lives needlessly. Warnings were often given to the prospective target by setting off a smoke or tear gas grenade in the target's quarters, giving them a chance to change their ways before a real grenade followed.[1]
During the Vietnam War, fragging was reportedly common. There are documented cases of at least 230 American officers killed by their own troops, and as many as 1,400 other officers' deaths could not be explained.[2] Incidents of fragging have been recorded as far back as the 18th Century Battle of Blenheim.
[edit] Notable incidents
- 1704 – Battle of Blenheim: An unpopular major of the 15th Foot Regiment was shot in the head by his own men after the battle had been won.[3]
- 1815 – Battle of Quatre Bras: The commander of the 92nd Foot, Colonel Cameron of Fassfern, was shot and killed by a man whom he had recently flogged.[3]
- World War I: An unpopular sergeant was killed when one of his men came up behind him and dropped an unpinned hand grenade down his trousers.[4]
- War in Afghanistan - Pat Tillman was alleged to have possibly been fragged by his fellow soldiers.
[edit] Fragging in popular culture
- In National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), the closing "Where are They Now?" listing indicates that Douglas C. Neidermeyer, the fascistic ROTC cadet, was killed in Vietnam by his own troops.
- Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) includes a section where some soldiers are overheard discussing "fragging Niedermeyer", which is itself a reference to the film Animal House where an ROTC cadet officer also named Niedermeyer is stated in the epilogue as being killed by his own troops in Vietnam.
- In Casualties of War (1989), Michael J. Fox's character is nearly killed by a grenade in an attempt by the rest of his squad to "frag" him.
- In Aliens (1986), Marine Private Jenette Vasquez intended to kill Lieutenant William Gorman, whom she felt was responsible for her friend and fellow Smartgunner's death due to his reluctance to rescue the Marines that were ambushed by the Xenomorphs. Ironically, Vasquez and Gorman committed suicide together with a frag grenade (which, in a twist of irony, is a common tool used in fragging), when they were about to be overrun by the aliens.
- In Oliver Stone's Vietnam War film Platoon (1986), Private Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) shoots and kills Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes (Tom Berenger), in retaliation for the latter's murder of Sergeant Elias K. Grodin (Willem Dafoe). A small group of soldiers, including Pvt. Taylor, discuss fragging Barnes at an earlier point in the film.
- Toward the end of the first half of Full Metal Jacket (1987), Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann (R. Lee Ermey) was gunned down by Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), shortly after the Marines had completed their training, as a final revenge upon the Drill Instructor for all the mental torture he put Lawrence through.
- A few episodes of Tour of Duty (1987-1990), a TV drama set in the Vietnam War, involved fragging of hated officers and NCOs.
- In the opening credits of the sci-fi action film No Escape (1994), the protagonist, Capt. J.T. Robbins (Ray Liotta), marches up to and shoots his superior officer at point blank range while on parade.
- In Windtalkers (2002), Private Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach), a US Marine Navajo codetalker, was about to kill his friend and squad leader, Sergeant Joe Enders (Nicholas Cage), after learning that Enders had killed Private Charlie Whitehorse, Yahzee's friend and fellow Navajo, to prevent his capture by the Japanese. Enders begged Yahzee to kill him, to end his seemingly endless torment of guilt of having survived his previous battle, and only another fellow Marine prevented Yahzee from pulling the trigger.
- Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) in The Last Samurai (2003), threatened to kill Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn), his superior officer, over an incident in which he was ordered to commit an atrocity against an Native American village at Sandy Creek.
- In the last episode of the mini-series Over There (2005), unpopular Lieutenant Alexander "Underpants" Hunter was shot down by friendly fire while defending the convoy from attacking Iraqi insurgents. It is possible that Private Frank "Dim" Dumphy, one of the main characters, had shot Hunter down intentionally, but viewers were left to speculate on that.
- The episode "Fragged" of Battlestar Galactica revolves around Lt. Jg. Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo being shot in the back and killed by Gaius Baltar, when after incompetently leading his squad into a suicidal attack, he completely panics and threatens to shoot a soldier unwilling to carry out a suicidal order.
- In the 1992 film Toys, Lt. General Zevo, a contemporary military officer, complains of a fragging attempt to his WWII-era general father, who misinterprets the word as referring to a sex act.
- Basque Grand, in the anime/manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, had shot Brigadier General Fessler during the Ishbal War at point-blank range with a rifle due to his unpopularity with the enlisted and officers in the State Military in sending Amestrisian soldiers to suicidal assaults against Ishbalan guerrillas. Fessler's death was officially stated as death by friendly fire.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Officers were usually warned prior to fraggings. First, a smoke grenade would be left near their beds. Those who did not respond would find a tear-gas grenade or a grenade pin on their bed as a gentle reminder. Finally, the lethal grenade was tossed into the bed of sleeping, inflexible officers. Officers understood the warnings and usually complied, becoming captive to the demands of their men." International Socialist Review
- ^ (2003) Hedges, Chris. What Every Person Should Know About War. Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-5512-7.
- ^ a b Regan, G. (2004). More Military Blunders. Carlton Books.
- ^ Regan, G. Backfire: a history of friendly fire from ancient warfare to the present day. Robson Books, 2002.
[edit] External links
- "Fragging" and "Combat Refusals" in Vietnam - provides year by year estimates of fragging incidents.
- 1961-1973: GI resistance in the Vietnam War - Overview of the widespread mutiny of US troops during the war in Vietnam.de:Frag (Militär)
es:Fragging
