[wajdi]

Any information on the result of this? My opinion, just my opinion, is that American soldiers have the duty, and the right, to serve under an AMERICAN command structure, in an AMERICAN uniform. Anything else would be simply working as a mercinary, even a government sponsored mercinary. I served for 22 years, but never in anything but an American uniform, and never under anyone but an American commander. I'd like to think that I would have done the same as Specialist New. This almost makes me want to implement Heinlein's idea of non-veterans being second class citizens; unable to vote or hold public office. This does make me want to puke. Even worse are the Marines now facing charges for doing their duty in Iraq; following established proceedure and accidently blowing away civilians. My understanding is that they are now to be tried for murdering those civilians. Certainly, international law allows citizens of an occupied country (and Iraq IS an occupied country) to engage in combat operations as partisans, without the necessity of a uniform, or even a command structure. However, the occupying forces are allowed to respond to the partisans as combatants, which basically means blowing them away. Operating in a hostile environment (as Iraq surely is), mistakes will be made. BUT, the fault lies not with the individual combat soldier, but with the semi-idiots who implemented the faulty proceedures.

bill