A sliver of Papa’s assignment in Vietnam included war crimes investigations/review. I have always been proud of that work. A measure of pride remains with me because our US forces were trying to correct wrongs and maintain adherence to the law of land warfare. (I recall reading that over 100 courts martial were held for homicide charges committed by our troops.) The rules of the Geneva Conventions were taught right from the start in basic training. Additional education on the subject for me happened at the Army’s Judge Advocate School. Your country was doing its best to follow the law under very difficult circumstances. I remain unaware that the communist powers instigating the conflict nor any active belligerants in Southeast Asia gave one iota of concern about the commission of war crimes against our side. There were significantly more violations committed by the enemy than by US forces.
It is clear that criminal acts are part and parcel of the so called “Freedom Fighters” code of conduct. In Vietnam as many as 25,000 men, women and children were killed in the south between 1954 and 1958. Most were civilians. Teachers were a special traget at the time. (It may be that teachers of that era were smart enough to understand the dangers of communism.) 1954 was the end of the IndoChina War which divided north and south Vietnam. Terrorism was being used in the south by the north, a foreseeable client state of the USSR. (I remember a 1962-3 college class on Southeast Asia that noted that the north’s main man (HO) studied in Russia in the 1920’s) The killings/slaughter of non-combatants by the Viet Gong and eventually the North/South continued for decades. It is safe to say that our enemy in Vietnam was not concerned with violating the law of war.
Flash forward to today’s current events and we see that war crimes are rampant in the Hamas attack. Murder, rape and butchery are the trade marks of the monsters being ballyhooed in our streets by “social justice warriors”/protesters. Remarkedly, once again it is the only side trying its best to comply with the law of war that is accused of crimes/genocide. Per old Joe Welch, is there no sense of decency? Remember: Hamas, started the conflict. Hamas doesn’t give a darn about following the law of war. Compliance doesn’t serve its purpose of terrorism. Papa recently wrote that war is hell. It is horrible. Don’t start wars. Condemn the Poo-Bahs who start them, not the side that reacts in self-defense. I think October 7th has as much clarity as Pearl Harbor. There is a need to finish the job and unfortunately innocent people will get hurt.
It was difficult to sort out possible war crimes from combat actions during the Vietnam War. I believe the US did its best in that regard. Nowhere near perfect to be sure. Identifying and then fighting against terrorists/non-uniformed opponnets is no easy task. I had experiences to know that a door gunner returning fire into a village/huts or claymores on a supply path triggered against armed soldiers accompanied by two possible civilians/carriers demonstrates how difficult both an investigation was or the burden placed on our troops to do the right thing. The US had rules of engagement that prevented or limited the use of froce. I know a soldier who was driving a truck and was waiting outside a gate for clearance to enter. The convoy came under attack. While waiting for permission to return fire from an identifiable building across a field my friend was shot in his torso. He made an enlisted man’s executive decision and stepped on the gas and went through the gate. He almost died that day.
War is not easy. Yet, we never seem to have a shortage of folks who have fantasies that once started, armed conflits can be controlled/limited by their kibitzing with good intentions. Usually these people are not of the peace through strength school of thought. Once a war is started on their watch they flounder at how to win/stop it. Regarding Hamas, one stellar US leader recently opinied that Isreal is killing too many civilians in its battle against the enemy. Papa is led to wonder if this individual has a specific number of acceptable civilians deaths in mind. The amount of tolerable civilian deaths the leader has in mind would be nice to know. Isreal could stop firing when its quota is reached. Each day? Each week? Each month? One innocent civilian life lost is too many. Hamas has started a series of events that will undoubtedly take too many lives. To suggest that battlefield killing can fit into a concept of restraint is a sure sign that someone is in over their head. It is hoped that such prattle doesn’t get viewed as so much US weakness by our enemies that our restraint will be tested over and over again.
When you hear loose accusations of war crimes and genocide by protesters always use your noggin. These are not easy concepts to understand or investigate. Especially at early stages. One can only hope that the crimes commiited by Hamas are investigated and that the bad actors are identified and tracked down. No matter how long it may take.