WAR-TIME RULES of ENGAGEMENT

   It’s despicable the number of our soldiers serving hard time in federal prison because they violated some asinine Rule of Engagement in the heat of battle.  War is mean, nasty, dirty, cruel business. There’s nothing nice about it.  In the heat of battle life-or-death decisions have to be made in the matter of a second or less.  It gives cause to pause and reflect on how many of our soldiers have been killed because they hesitated to ponder the legality of their actions.  

   Sometimes in war zones civilians are killed.  Too bad.  That’s collateral damage.  Don’t be in a war zone.  How many civilians were killed by both sides during WW II?

   Warfare in Afghanistan and other like countries more often than not is waged by battle harden warriors in civilian clothes. They often use civilians as human shields or for diversionary tactics.  It’s impossible to discern who is a warrior and who is a civilian.

   A guy in civilian clothing roars up to a platoon of our soldiers.  He explodes a suicide bomb killing several.  Next day two guys on motorcycles come roaring up. One of our soldiers shoots and kills them.  According to the locals they were civilians.  No bombs found on their persons.  Our soldier is taken into custody, tried by a military court, and sentenced to years in prison for murder.  How was he to discern they were simply civilians out for a motorcycle ride?  Or, were they on some kind of diversionary tactic for a larger operation?

   Rules of engagement for warfare is one of the most stupid things ever promulgated on our soldiers by fat-ass politicians miles away in their plush offices and life styles.  Furthermore, if a soldier is tried for some infraction of the rules of engagement he should be judged by a jury of his peers that have experienced actual combat, not military desk jockeys.

   In WW II we had only one rule of engagement . . . kill the enemy before he kills you.