Thou Shalt Not Kill?

U.S. orders 'values training' for troops in Iraq


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military chief in Iraq on Thursday ordered troops to undergo fresh training in legal, moral and ethical standards for the battlefield. Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commander, issued a directive to his subordinates, telling them to pass the message on down to their units.

The back-to-basics move comes amid inquiries into the alleged killings of 24 civilians by Marines in Haditha, Anbar province, last November. Military investigators strongly suspect that a small number of Marines snapped after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb November 19 in Haditha, a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, and went on a rampage, sources told CNN.

A military source said it was evidence, including death certificates, indicating that many of the 24 civilians had been shot at close range that led to a full-scale criminal probe into the alleged massacre in March.

Warfare is not murder. Combatants on both sides are just that, combatants. Soldiers are not murdered. Civilians are not combatants, the intentional killing of non-combatants is murder. Massacring woman and children is not part of warfare.

Bush: If Marines killed civilians, they'll be punished

"The Marine Corps is full of honorable people who understand the rules of war," Bush said in his first public comments on the killings in Haditha. "... Those who violated the law, if they did, will be punished. I'm mindful that there's a thorough investigation going on," Bush said Wednesday. "If in fact, laws were broken, there will be punishment."

If? He's comfortable with "if". This is what happens when you fail to read your history. You are doomed to repeat it. No one wants another Mai Lai. But this is getting zero coverage and there is no outrage. The press doesn't care and everyone else is so mindful of "supporting the troops" that there is no chance that anyone is going to say anything about this.

The troops that took part in this should not be able to count on anybodies support. They need to be weeded out and punished. They bring the taint of dishonor to the honorable.