On Combat

Some interesting contrasts have appeared in the week following Sgt Evan Vela’s murder conviction for killing an Iraqi non-combatant captive during a patrol south of Baghdad:

The Washington Times published the Rules of Engagement used by US Army MPs. (see U.S. Military’s Restraint Not Al Qaeda’s War Code) This look at normally classified rules indicate the lines the US military draws between allowed and illicit violence in a combat zone, as indicated by this short segment that seeks to describe one of the bright lines:

“You may use force, up to and including deadly force, against hostile actors in self-defense; in defense of your unit, or other U.S. forces; [and] to prevent the theft, damage or destruction of firearms, ammunition, explosives or property designated by your commander as vital to national security. Protect other property with less than deadly force.

US servicemembers have to apply these rules in complex scenarios every day. Decisions are tinged by fear and uncertainty inherent to a battlefield. This is reflected by Sgt Evan Vela’s “Platoon Commander” [likely platoon sergeant because US platoons are normally led by officers] quoted in the NY Times: G.I. Gets 10-Year Sentence In Killing Of Unarmed Iraqi

Sergeant Vela’s former platoon commander, Sgt. First Class Steven Kipling, said the shooting of Mr. Janabi was a result of Iraq’s violent environment and the often difficult and confusing choices that servicemen make daily. He said that if the actions of every combat serviceman in Iraq were subjected to the same scrutiny as Sergeant Vela’s, “we would have thousands” of cases.

It is easy to sympathize with the difficulties our warriors face, but one must hope that Sgt Kipling was misquoted or taken out of context; Sgt Vela shot and killed a non-combatant captive at close range with a pistol. His actions may have been the safe and easy road for the patrol, but the clearly immoral and illegal nature of his actions runs counter to and undermines the standards reinforced by commanders at every level of the US military.