BartSimpson BartSimpson:
I'm not trying to provoke anyone here, just pointing out that the people who go into battle for our countries are pretty sharp and that they can figure out the best way to cover their six in any given situation.
In battle you get to make choices while the lead is flying. That means when confronted with the potentially career-ending, reputation-ending, and potentially incarcerating choice of letting someone live who would never give you the same courtesy when you could just do him and be done with it and no one...not even your foes commanders...will care, what do you do?
Will not trying to provoke anyone either is essence of war hasn't changed much. and I still recall General Patton's assertion that "no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
I'd rather see taliban casualties than the flag draped caskets that come into Dover AFB frequently.