Every cdr I’ve talked to on Iraq and every commander I ever had emphasized repeatedly that battlefield contraband (enemy weapon) is a chargeable offense. They were insistent on enforcing it.
WHERE is the most likely place these snipers got a forbidden AK47?
I thoroughly agree with you that the climate that makes these troops think they have to cover themselves is the problem of our military investigative & legal system. I would also bet that they learn of some of these things from the “debriefings” they give troops that are supposedly “confidential.” Run, don’t walk, when you’re told something is confidential in the military.
Finally, the ROEs MUST be different for snipers. They’ve just got to be. If they can’t shoot suspects who are not directly threatening them, then what exactly is the point of a sniper?
I was driving home from work and heard on Fox radio news 104.7 that Spec. Sandoval was acquitted or found not guilty of murder but guilty of the minor charge. No BS.