Quote:
Originally Posted by Cool Beans
After speaking about this with several Marine officers I know, about things like this, almost to a man they told me that this only proves the point that we shouldn't take prisoners. If they are caught in a combat zone, armed and have shot at US forces or their allies, they just get shot. Most of the ones I spoke too, said if they would have been the guy to find Saddam, they would have shot him and sworn it looked like he was going for a weapon. If there is a chance the guy will be released to harm their brother marines, they want to shoot first.
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On this I'd tend to agree, to a point. It has to be very muddy in an urban combat zone against insurgents where the line between enemy and local is difficult to rapidly determine. In general we should give our troops freedom here and the benefit of doubt in the context of the situation.
That being said, they still have rules and must operate within appliable laws, as messy as the business of war is. To kill someone whom you believe to be unarmed for instance, just to make it easier, is ethically wrong IMHO and a very slippery slope.
-spence