What those Marines did is a disgrace to the Corps, not to mention the Taliban who died.
There is no honor in what they did. Am I glad those Taliban SOBs are dead? Absolutely - but I am saddened at the actions of these Marines.
In WWI, fliers such as Baron Von Richtofen were accorded decency and respect in death by the Allies until his body could be given to the Germans. The Germans reciprocated.
In the Battle of Leyte Gulf, after the USS Johnston sank, the Japanese gave her men compassion. The Johnston was a destroyer that pestered the Japanese battleship flotilla until she was overwhelmed and lost.
The men of the Johnston in the water were given canned rations and bottled water thrown by Japanese sailors of the flotilla. One Japanese officer stood at attention and saluted Captain Ernest Evans of the Johnston for bravery.
Captain Evans succumbed to his injuries and was lost to the sea. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor pothsumously ...
Hold on a minute...
I’m no expert on WWII, especially in the Pacific theatre but the incident of decent treatment by the Japs you cite is a rare one. The Japs routinely straffed (sp) survivors in the water after blowing up a ship or shooting down an aircraft. Their treatment of prisoners of war, including women and children, was indefensible.
If you wish to compare “human treatment” in a war setting, I think one could justifiably state that Americans have proven to be the most humane in the treatment of the enemy in all of world history...
All in all, we have nothing to be ashamed of or apologize for...
The traditions of naval warfare are vastly different then those of ground warfare. Sailors are sailors no matter from where they come. No sailor willing leaves another to die in the sea.
You're romanticizing the reality of war. It's an ugly business.
Sure, there have been instances of honor and respect shown across the battle lines of otherwise civilized men, but we're not fighting civilized men, who share common cultural standards with us. We're fighting degraded and debased barbarians who have no use for honor, compassion, and such lofty things.
Those bastards have done unspeakable things to our troops, both living and dead. These are the same people who've dragged our naked war dead through the streets, stoned and mutilated the corpses of US service men, decapitated prisoners on film, used women and children as human shields, etc.
I think those Marines were kind. They could have hoisted those dead Taliban on pikes as a message to their barbarian kin. That's what real war is like.