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I don't want to see ANY soldier tried and convicted of crimes. I really hope this works out in his favor. But I also don't want us to start down the slippery slope of excusing any form of unethical or illegal behavior just because it's a tough situation.

I spent 15 years in the Army myself, and as an officer I was rigorously instructed on the rules of land warfare and the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). History has absolutely proven that adherence to the agreed-upon principles and laws of warfare are INVALUABLE in ending conflicts and limiting human suffering. Nothing could be worse to our own troops morale than to begin deviating from those accepted standards.

Look at what happened to LT William Calley in Vietnam. He made an "exception", and that was a turning point where public sentiment turned against the US and the war. I believe that LTC West was an honorable officer who was faced with a tough decision. He certainly was no LT Calley, but we can't allow any "exceptions" to be made for expediency's sake, because the next exception will be even easier to make.

If we want to lose this war, then we should stop following the rules we all agreed upon long ago. We'll immediately lose the support of the American public and any sympathetic Iraqis (whom we depend upon for intel), and we'll gain a significant number of enemies.