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It is not the norm for troops to kill wounded enemy fighters out of hand. There are procedures that we use to protect ourselves when rendering aid to wounded enemy fighters. I wish I could show you all the acts of compassion, mercy and selflessness that I have seen over there by our troops.
The biggest problem I see over there is that a few of our guys have lost their humanity because of the brutal actions committed by a number of our enemies and they don't always have the mature and experienced leaders that they need to keep them from crossing the line. It is imperative in combat that our troops are led by strong leaders at the squad level. Most NCO's are professional, honorable and have a strong sense of duty. Unfortunately, some soldiers are put in leadership positions beyond their capabilities or for some reason are just bad people. It's a no-win situation for some of our guys.
Two of my troops were gunned down as they approached a 'wounded' enemy fighter in order to render first aid. The rest of the squad was covering them. My guys were using proper tactics, but the whole setup was an ambush. The 'wounded' fighter produced a hidden weapon and attempted to fire, while two of his buddies fired from concealed positions. The 'wounded' fighter never got a shot off, but my guys were caught in the open and were hit. Our enemy uses our humanity against us.
I have also seen a wounded enemy fighter blow himself up when we approached him to render aid. Thankfully, he detonated himself too soon (we were able to see what he was doing) and we were able to hit the dirt (just a few minor wounds). You just can't truly understand these situations until you live through them.
Now, does this mean I put a couple of rounds in every 'body' I see? No, most assuredly not. It means we treat all wounded enemy fighters with compassion, but protect ourselves in the process. It means I make sure my troops are well trained to handle these kind of situations. Obviously the Marine in the video was not, nor were his NCO's.
Look, many horrible things are done in war. How would you like to be a grunt over there being second-guessed by news watchers back home that have no idea what war is like, esp. this one? I have personally observed our enemies commit a number of atrocities. I don't believe this justifies a response in kind, nor do the majority of my fellow soldiers.
Many in the military will condemn this Marine's actions (in the video), because we feel that we should be honorable on the battlefield, even when our enemies are not.
Condemn the situation, condemn specific actions, but please try and understand the situation our guys are in...
Keep the Faith...
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