[xzins]

military who has an interest in minimizing their misdeeds for this information

This simply is not true with the army I know.

Maybe I never got to a high enough level to see shenanigans at the top, but I would put my life in the hands of the officers over me (even the ones I didn't like) throughout my entire career. Some of them are still active. A couple of my old commanders are at the highest level of this war....the very highest...IN FACT, they are the ones IN CHARGE.

They are the finest, most decent, most honorable, most exacting men I have ever known....ever. I treasure the time I was with them.

They WOULD NOT lie about their duty. They are a throwback, maybe, but that's who they are. That's from firsthand observation. They TRULY believed that any dishonesty at any level of their commands, including themselves, hurt the FACTUAL, and in so doing hurt the ability of everyone to make adequate decisions.

[jude24]

I think you misunderstood my use of the term "interest." An interested witness in legal speak is someone who has an interest in the outcome of the litigation, and so their testimony must be viewed through the lens of their interest in evaluating their credibility.

The military has a vested interest in looking good. Their natural bent will be to assume the best about their solidiers - perhaps even after the facts speak otherwise. That's something you want in your bosses, but soemthing you must account for in evaluating the military's statements.

(That also is why one cannot be so quick to dismiss the Haditha allegations. The USMC takes the allegations seriously - even though their natural bias is towards their soldiers.)