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thedrifter
02-08-07, 08:03 AM
The Ethical Warrior <br />
by Jack Hoban <br />
Posted 02/08/2007 ET <br />
<br />
Robert Humphrey, a Marine rifle platoon commander in the 1945 battle for Iwo Jima, had seen the worst the world had to offer. But to him,...

drumcorpssnare
02-08-07, 09:07 AM
Tough topic to fully comprehend, due to the brutality of war. For certain, it's good when combatants can adhere to a code of ethics that is honorable. But let's face the fact that the days of the chivalrous warrior are pretty much a thing of the past. Prisoners of war are no longer paroled, and told to go home, on the promise that they will not take up arms again. Generals don't have the luxury of placing their complete army on the field of battle, as they did in years gone by.
In order for "honor" and "ethics" to have any chance on the field of battle, don't both sides need to adhere to the "rules"? If not, what recourse does the "honorable" side have? Do we take the approach of barbarians of the past, i.e. "Kill 'em all!" ? Should we take a more leniant attitude, like using non-lethal force to disarm and detain our enemies?
I'm sure that in today's arena, where everything "must" be politically correct, there are those who would say that even non-lethal force is cruel and unusual punishment! They are the idealists who believe war should be a thing of the past. Well, that's real nice. Only thing is...it's not very realistic.

So, what do we do? My opinion is this. If the US Marines fight an honorable and ethical war against an enemy who has no ethics at all, the Marines will be able to continue to hold their heads tall and proud. But they will pay a horrible price for it.

drumcorpssnare:usmc: