I had occasion to ask my self the same question many years ago, my older brother had to put his name into the Vietnam lottery, we talked about him being called up and what he would do.Exactly, by it's very nature war is ugly.
how can we train a normal human being to go and kill other human beings without dehumanising the purported enemy?
While there is a line beetween the rules of engagement and atrocity... somewhere... The incontrovertible fact is that we're giving licence to our people to go and take other people's lives.
There is a reason why PTSD is absolutely rampant in our ex-servicemen.... In fact I was listening to a podcast iPhone x special forces dude hand and his opinion it would be impossible to not have some form of PTSD.
It is easy to set in the relative safety of our homes and sit in judgement of the actions of our people in a theatre of war.
A look at myself and wonder what would I be like, what would I do in those situations, what would be my reactions?
I thank God that I haven't had to.
But after 60 years I have really attempted to know myself.... And to be honest I couldn't honestly say what my reactions would actually be. In equal measure I can see that perhaps I may have been capable of committing an atrocity, but also may have stood up and said no I cannot fulfill my orders.
... this, after many many hours of discussion with family members and friends who have been in this situation.
Going back a few years, where the pilots and bombaderes involved in the London blitz war criminals?
Were our pilots who bombed German cities, especially Dresden, war criminals?
I have 100 questions about such incidences and every side could point to a Million different incidences where human dignity has been removed.
And here we are splitting hairs over relatively minor incidences.
Just another example of self sabotage and as I read these forums and the opinions people have, I've become ever more convinces that we are screwed...
... Not from China or any other adversary, but because of ourselves.
I can only repeat that I consider myself *very blessed never to have had to have been in that situation.I had occasion to ask my self the same question many years ago, my older brother had to put his name into the Vietnam lottery, we talked about him being called up and what he would do.
It isn't an easy question and in reality we decided if the war came here we would fight, if we had to go to some godforsaken place and fight for god knows what, we would go bush.
Fortunately he wasn't called up and we contained our fighting to the pub..
In modern times Israel and the USA have made shooting the messenger an artform, along with prosecuting anyone finding evidence.
Australia recently did the same with raids on journalists and the media.
There is also a stark contrast to what happens in the fog of war as distinct from the clear light of day where combat soldiers know full well what the Geneva Convention allows and what it does not.
So it is o.k, as long as the rules allow some killing of civilians, but not other killing of civilians?There is also a stark contrast to what happens in the fog of war as distinct from the clear light of day where combat soldiers know full well what the Geneva Convention allows and what it does not.
So it is o.k, as long as the rules allow some killing of civilians, but not other killing of civilians?
I suppose that covers unavoidable killings due to missile and bomb drops, as opposed to avoidable killings where it is on the ground up close.
By the way, never realised you had been away Rob. Did Donald let you go? ?
Many tools of war continue to be indiscriminate, as in tens of millions of unexploded land mines today still scattered across former conflict zones.So it is o.k, as long as the rules allow some killing of civilians, but not other killing of civilians?
I suppose that covers unavoidable killings due to missile and bomb drops, as opposed to avoidable killings where it is on the ground up close.
Does the Geneva convention mention anything about wearing a uniform?Many tools of war continue to be indiscriminate, as in tens of millions of unexploded land mines today still scattered across former conflict zones.
While the Geneva Convention legitimises killing in times of war, it sanctions clearly avoidable events through war crime prosecutions. If you watched the link from Assange's Wikileak you will know the 8 Iraqis were killed on false pretenses, seemingly as sport.
As wars are not moral activities, the Geneva Convention sets out "rules" so that those in the armed services do not regard themselves as wanton killers, and cannot be seen that way by the nations they serve.
During the war, if a soldier was captured not wearing a uniform, they could be shot as a spy or resistance militia?
Therein lies the problem, how does the soldier dropped behind enemy lines work it out, if the enemy doesn't wear a uniform.So who bears the burden of proof as to whether someone in civilian clothes is a spy ?
Therein lies the problem, how does the soldier dropped behind enemy lines work it out, if the enemy doesn't wear a uniform.
Other than respond to cues and training, it would be very difficult, if that isn't adequate they shouldn't be dropped into volatile situations IMO.
Easy answer, use drones, problem solved?
Or Japan?The Americans had the same problem in Vietnam.
This is how they dealt with it.
The Americans had the same problem in Vietnam.
This is how they dealt with it.
McBride wanted the opposite of what happened.Good to have you back.
Not to mention the trial of David McBride which should now be dropped.
This is interesting, we invade a country and we ask/request that the defenders of that country can wear a uniform so we can identify them against the civilians.I know some guys who were in Vietnam and they say the biggest problem was the lack of uniforms on the enemy.
In both World Wars soldiers could easily identify the enemy and act accordingly, any civilians could be assumed to be friendly when in France etc
In Vietnam it was the uncertainty and fact that any civilian could have a bomb or such that caused so much mental stress.
Obviously the disgusting treatment that some of them got when they came home did not help either
This is interesting, we invade a country and we ask/request that the defenders of that country can wear a uniform so we can identify them against the civilians.
We should never ever never blame our soldiers after returning from war, they do request to go to war, our pollies send them there.
The libraries of information and media available about the "Vietnam War" (which the Vietnamese actually call "The American War") have no request from the South Vietnamese government to the USA, and nor was it acceptable for the USA to invite Australia into a war in a different sovereign nation.I assume you are trolling but as we both know we did not invade Vietnam, we were asked to go there by the USA and they were asked to go there by the Vietnamese Government to help fight the NVA
Go and spend time in North Vietnam, they will beg to differ.I assume you are trolling but as we both know we did not invade Vietnam, we were asked to go there by the USA and they were asked to go there by the Vietnamese Government to help fight the NVA
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?