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Originally Posted by Kobuchi
No I've never been in combat, and I have little knowledge of military priorities or practices.
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Then please stop the running commentary on tactical and operational level practices. As you, obviously lack the formal education or combat experience to comment on ether.
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Originally Posted by Kobuchi
I'm sure a Marine ordered to jump in the pond takes his boots off at the bottom. They must obey orders for the system to work. I'm sure 99% of Marines would go straight into a suicide mission. That's bravery, and I respect that. |
Again, you lack any qualification. No one volunteers for suicide missions...only dangerous missions and no one is required to obey an illegal order.
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Originally Posted by Kobuchi
The Marines in Fallujah are prioritizing what you may call force protection, in an urban operation where collateral damage is inevitable. Semantics. I would say they've been ordered to occupy a city by the most cowardly means the Pentagon thinks it can get away with, rather harming civilians than see troops suffer the same harm. The siege of Fallujah amounts to a war crime (several), besides incidental war crimes like detaining or firing on ambulances. "Just following orders", you should know, is not a defense recognized by your country or any international court. Pleading ignorance of the law is no defense either, though it plainly helps you along for the moment. Marines are sworn to obey lawful orders. US law recognizes the Geneva Conventions - they aren't "foreign" laws.
You won't talk about "cowardice". Lingo then: tell me how "force protection" and "collateral damage" relate.
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Your continued misuse of the term force protection and war crime only highlights your ignorance. I would recommend that you limit yourself to talking about the political aspects of Americas involvement in Iraq, as this is an area were someone of your obvious rudimentary understanding of the military can have a valid opinion.
Yes, we do respect the Laws of Land Warfare as defined the Geneva Conversions. That is why you see sentences being handed down for the perpetrators of the incidents at Abu Ghraib Prison and why the Marine who shot that (almost dead) terrorist in the head on Saturday will likely go to jail now. Ironically, you don’t see the terrorist putting anyone on trial for cutting the heads off civilian prisoners or for violating and dismembering female aid workers.