© Agence France-Presse/Nicholas Kamm
After saying on national TV that its "good" US troops have been committing suicide in record numbers, media mogul and billionaire Ted Turner has penned an apology to clarify his words.
Speaking to CNN's Piers Morgan this week, Turner said, "I think it's good" that American soldiers are turning their guns on themselves, insisting that it shows humans aren't meant to be put on the battlefield to bring death to others.
"It's so clear that we're programmed and we're born to love and help each other, not to kill each other, to destroy each other.That's an aberration. That's left over from hundreds of years ago. It's time for to us start acting enlightened," Turner told the talk show host after the topic of suicide was brought up during the broadcast.
Earlier in the interview, Turner said, "It's time to put war and conflict behind us and move on, and start acting like civilized, educated human beings." According to Morgan, his guest brought up suicide during a commercial break, prompting the host to ask on camera what he thought about more soldiers dying from suicide than in combat.
"That's shocking, isn't it?" asked Morgan.
"Well, what - no, I think it's - I think it's good," Turner told him before offering his explanation about the human condition.
After a backlash of negative press, Turner issued a statement to say he's sorry for anyone offended by his comment.
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