His age has nothing to do with it. The question is whether his decision to fire upon civilians was legally justifiable. It is an admittedly close question - it was a combat zone, but he simply rolled a grenade into a house where he heard noise, which doesn't sound like positive identification to me (but, of course, I've never been in combat).
I disagree, jude. Profoundly disagree. His age has a huge amount to do with it.
We're in the middle of March Madness, and a day hasn't gone by when some older team or player hasn't been mentioned. It is a given that their age makes a huge difference in their ability to handle the pressure of a mere basketball game. Someone's trying to put a round ball through a net, and it's the subject of national discourse. BYU, with its Mormon "elder" players, some now married with children and in their mid-twenties, made it to the tournament on the basis of their experience and greater clarity of mind, credited to their age.
No one even questions it. Why? Because it's true. Age and experience matter.
Where are the "free fire" leagues that Wutterich's been on through his youth preparing him for this moment? Where are the youth "live-fire combat" leagues and coaches for youth "live-fire combat" teams? They don't exist, and that means that a 23 year old, inexperienced man getting buddies killed, getting shot at himself, and getting nervous about his own continued existence is going to make the best decisions he can at that moment to stay alive....simply stay alive.
No one knows what that's like except those who've also been there. What do you tell a soldier who's driving through a town who has an Iraqi jump in front of the vehicle.... trying to get them to stop? Do you tell him it's an innocent attempt to get a question asked, or do you tell him "barrel on, and if the guy can get out of the way, he'll live, but if he can't, he'll die. But if you stop, you know that even one unfriendly in that crowd of people nearby will kill you for the kindness you've displayed in stopping for them."
What do the ROEs say about that? What does a father say to child? What would you say to your young soldier-son or daughter?
Someone in Mao's China, I believe, wrote a book entitled "War in not a Dinner Party."
Ignorant people will apply the same standards to war deaths as they do to young men who kill in their comfy suburbs back home where no one is stalking them, no one is killing their buddies, and no one is firing on them from buildings. Our city and suburb youthful murderers have malicious intent.
Battlefield kills by youthful enlisted and commissioned members of our Armed Forces have the intent of self-preservation in a totally chaotic, world gone mad.
And if the world is insane, then being insane yourself at that time is the ultimate in sanity.
The problem is that Sgt Wuterich only saw a small piece of the picture that day. Pelley was hammering Frank with questions that others would have been in a better position to answer.
For instance, we know from the leaked NCIS report that Lt Kallop saw muzzle flashes coming from the first house. He ordered Cpl Salinas to clear it. A fire team was formed that included Sgt Wuterich. Pelley chose not to fill in any of those gaps in the sergeant's account.
Pelley said that others declined to be interviewed. He neglected to say that Frank couldn't be interviewed now either. Everyone was ordered not to talk about the case when charges were filed.
Thankfully, the 60 Minutes studio is not a courtroom.