Quote Originally Posted by Kadagar_AV View Post
Redleg, Right and wrong. What is murder in one country isnt in the next. I DO however 100% agree with you that the average GI Joe does his best to avoid civilian casualties.
Then why the label? Murder has a legal definition that is consistent throughout the Western world, so I don't buy that arguement as a legitment stance.


However, if you read up on the tactics used in Falluja, you will see that the difference between mass murder and urban combat sometimes is.... very small indeed.
You obviousily missed the statement "Only one operation I know of during Iraq comes close to violating this committment that most soldiers in that I served with attempt to live up to. And even that was done by individual soldiers/officers and from what I have read and heard those individuals have been brought up for courts martial. "


As an example, calling in airstrikes on a mob where maybe one out of 50 is carrying a weapon. Mass murder or valid combat doctrine?
Now one would have to provide the exact event and the details around it. Somilia airstrikes were called on just such an event - and while not every one was armed - most had the intent to attack.




Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
Don't get me wrong though, I know the morale dilemmas. A good friend of mine, no matter nationality, was defending a base. Some APCs were heading straight for said base, on the APCs sat children, forced/lured to be there. There was no way the base could pack up and leave in time, so my friend had to order his men to open fire on the APCs. As a side reason, if the enemy would have learnt that putting kids on APCs makes them safe from UN attack, then, well, a whole lot MORE kids would die in the long run. My friend however was traumatised and resigned the same day, he later treid to adopt one of the kids, having one leg less after the attack. Did he murder those kids, well, I would say no. So yes I do see the moral differences, however, I do mean that a soldier also can murder. I would rather have marksmen take out the one with weapons in a mob, even if it means one or two marksmen would probably die for sticking their heads up. That's war.


However, that is about the US army, this thread is about mercs.

My reasoning is BASED on US troops acting more controlled than mercs, so no disagreement there.
And again why the use of labeling combat soldiers as murderers. Are some guilty of that crime - sure, but your making a specific claim and generalizing them all into that catergory. And by your own arguement you seemly understand the difference. So are you being disengous (SP) or as some stated just plain anti-american. If it's something else then please state so