Why soldiers commit war crimes

After World War II the Nuremberg Trials convicted 18 of 21 Nazis for war crimes. Eleven were hanged. Why so few prosecutions of so many who participated in the crimes against civilians alone? It took thousands of Nazis to carry out the extermination of millions of Jews.

In the 1968 My Lai massacre in Vietnam, (Image) American soldiers killed innocent children. Yet only one officer, Lt. William Calley, was convicted of a crime. He served 3 1/2 years in prison. After the army Calley managed a jewelry store.

Why would the public buy jewelry from him? Because they wanted future young warriors to know war was chaotic and stressful and the public could forgive the young warriors for committing a crime in the stress and fog of war. They will not forgive young men who run away from the draft and refuse to fight in an unnecessary war.

"Everyone in my family was killed in the My Lai massacre — my mother, my father, my brother and three sisters," said Tuyet, who was 8 years old at the time. "They threw me into a ditch full of dead bodies. I was covered with blood and brains." (Do Thi Tuyet on the 40th anniversary of My Lai). Why did only one soldier serve only 3 1/2 years in prison for these horrors?

On May 5, 1863, Clement Vallandigham, a former Ohio Congressman, was arrested by a company of troops. He was taken to General Burnside's Cincinnati headquarters, tried by a military court, denied a writ of habeas corpus, and sentenced to 2 years' confinement in a military prison. Why were none of these soldiers prosecuted for a crime?

Soldiers protected the tyrant Joseph Stalin. Nothing was done to them. In fact, there is a memorial to their service.

Soldiers protected the tyrant Mao Te-tung. Nothing was done to them.

Why do we tolerate the cruelty done by thousands of soldiers against innocent civilians? Why do we ignore their participations in these criminal acts and instead build monuments to them?

We pay homage to obedient soldiers and court-martial soldiers like 1st Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada who refused to deploy to Iraq because he thought the war was illegal. We fire senior officers like Admiral William Fallon who thinks a war with Iran would be foolish. The saying, "The worst rise to the top" must be true.

I think our loyalty to obedient soldiers has to do with the fear that is innate in the animal specie. We humans band together for safety and protection. We want our warrior class to be brave and devoted to our safety. We want them to be brutal. Better someone else is killed innocently than risk my own death. We do not want our warriors to be timid and disobeying orders. We want them to charge and kill. http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/

Each culture will praise and pretend their warriors are the most noble and virtuous. Each culture will fill their soldiers with emoluments. All of this is to keep the warriors loyal and obedient.

We band together for self preservation and protection against plunderers. When we become strong enough, we become plunderers.

By not punishing the soldiers who are criminals, justice is left undone. There remains a hunger by the victims for revenge. -

"I and the public know,
What all school children learn,
Those to whom evils done,
Do evil in return". W. H. Auden

This quote by Auden makes me think of the thousands of Nazi soldiers who helped kill millions of Jews. Only 21 Nazis were prosecuted! The Jews have been abused for centuries. Are the Jews in Israel trying to get revenge against the world for a thousand years of antisemitism? The Jews must feel like justice has never been served. They will take it out on someone, anyone. The Jews have nuclear weapons. Will revenge become their master? What will the Jewish avengers ask of their warriors? Warriors who seek glory, even in death and criminal acts. Warriors whose duty is not to ask why, but whose duty is to do or die.

Charles Tolleson

Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred."Forward, the Light Brigade! "Charge for the guns!" he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade! "Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier knew Someone had blunder'd: Their's not to make reply, Their's not to reason why, Their's but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare, Flash'd as they turn'd in air, Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world wonder'd: Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro' the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reel'd from the sabre stroke Shatter'd and sunder'd. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came thro' the jaws of Death Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred.

"The Charge of the Light Brigrade", by Alred Tennyson was based on a true event. The Charge of the Light Brigade was a disastrous cavalry charge led by Lord Cardigan during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade

Case dropped against Haditha defendant
By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer March 28, 2008

The Marine Corps dropped charges and gave full immunity Friday to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005.

The case against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, 26, of Edmond, Okla., was dismissed as jury selection was about to begin for his court-martial. The government has been seeking Tatum's testimony against the squad leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn.

Prosecutors say Wuterich directed the assault immediately after a roadside bomb killed one Marine and wounded two others in a convoy. Wuterich and another Marine shot five men nearby before the squad leader ordered his men to clear homes with grenades and gunfire, killing unarmed civilians.

In February, Tatum received an order to testify against Wuterich and an unrequested immunity order that said anything to which he testified would not be used against him in his court-martial. On Friday, a new immunity order was issued, along with the dismissal of charges.

"Lance Cpl. Tatum will testify truthfully if called as a witness," said his attorney, Jack Zimmerman.

Tatum was relieved by the news and considered it an affirmation of his contention that he and his squadmates responded to a perceived threat as they had been trained to do, Zimmerman said.

"It has been a very happy morning," he said.

Tatum was the third enlisted Marine to have all charges dismissed.
Four enlisted Marines were initially charged with murder and four officers were charged with failing to investigate the deaths. Over time the case has shrunk, including removal of all murder charges.

The highest-ranking defendant is Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani of Rangely, Colo., commander of the Camp Pendleton-based 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment at the time of the Nov. 19, 2005, Haditha killings. He is the highest-ranking officer to face a combat-related court-martial since the Vietnam War and is scheduled to face court-martial in April.

Chessani, accused of dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order, has said he didn't order a formal investigation because he believed the deaths resulted from lawful combat.

His attorney said Tatum's dismissal gave additional credence to Chessani's claims.

"This is a house of cards, and it's all falling apart now," said Brian Rooney.
In addition to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Tatum had been charged with reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.

Zimmerman said there was no agreement with the government before the dismissal.

"Absolutely, there is no deal," he said.

Tatum, who has been assigned to administrative duties, has extended his enlistment for an additional six months in order to remain available as a witness for the remaining scheduled courts-martial, Zimmerman said.

Camp Pendleton spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said the dismissal was signed by Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, who currently oversees the Haditha prosecutions. The decision to refer Tatum's case to court-martial was made by Helland's predecessor, Lt. Gen. James Mattis, who overrode a finding that prosecutors didn't present enough evidence to prosecute Tatum.

Wuterich is the only enlisted man still facing prosecution. He faces nine counts of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and obstruction of justice. There is no date set for his court-martial.

Wuterich's civilian defense attorney, Neal Puckett, contended that the Tatum dismissal showed the government has a poor case against his client.

"I think it's a further demonstration of how weak the government's case has become. Of the four Marines who fired weapons that day, only one still faces charges," Puckett said.

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press.