OPINION:
Let me get this straight: It’s OK to bomb a drug boat filled with enough cocaine or fentanyl to devastate hundreds of American lives, but it’s not OK to hit that same vessel again? This kind of ivory tower tut-tutting reflects the growing number of politicians with no military experience.
There has never been a conflict where wounded adversaries haven’t been on the receiving end of follow-up attacks. If we’re going to start pulling punches against vicious cartels that recognize no “rules of engagement,” we should throw in the towel now.
Readers should watch the end of “Zero Dark Thirty,” a realistic depiction of U.S. Navy Seal “double taps” of Osama bin Laden’s family before the assassination of bin Laden himself. You won’t find many Americans who objected.
Sen. Mark Kelly flew 39 bombing missions during Desert Storm. It’s highly likely both wounded soldiers and defenseless civilians were killed in those strikes. He won Distinguished Flying Crosses and air medals. Should he have been prosecuted for following illegal orders? Members of the International Criminal Court think so. Mr. Kelly’s views are likely shaped by his graduation from the Merchant Marine Academy and, for all his achievements as a pilot, he has never had a military command. He is a Democrat trying desperately to derail any Republican success.
There are very few instances of U.S. troops refusing orders because they consider them unlawful. First, the Uniform Code of Military Justice says refusal is required under military law if an order is “patently” or “manifestly” illegal. It certainly does not encompass theoretical gray areas such as bombing drug boats or posting Guardsmen in cities to assist federal law enforcement. Second, you can’t have an effective fighting force if, every time an order is issued, the recipient’s response is, “Give me a minute here. I’d like to consider whether this is legal.”
All these lessons are reflected in another film lauded for its realism, “Saving Private Ryan.” Soldiers question the mission and have to be shepherded into proceeding by their leaders. A German sniper wounds a comrade to kill those who come to his aid. Further along, a soldier is captured after a vicious exchange. Most of those who survive want to execute him. Instead, he is let go — and later kills another member of the squad.
If President Biden had had a vote, he would have suggested shooting him in the leg.
Cmdr. JOHN FORTUGNO
U.S. Navy (retired)
Olympia, Washington
Please read our comment policy before commenting.