Guilt By Association

The Post puts up a front page article on civilian deaths in Iraq that is, frankly, borderline irresponsible. While thousands of civilians have died at military hands, few service members have been charged with anything, fewer still with anything serious, the reporters note.

But the article only discusses those instances in which civilians have been killed in all likelihood intentionally, inappropriately, in situations where some kind of criminal charge should at least be considered. As a result the strong impression is left that if a civilian is killed by a military service member something at least borderline criminal has taken place, and if no charges have been filed, something is wrong.

The article never goes into detail explaining types of circumstances under which civilians can be unintentially killed in a war zone. There are all too many of these, and they account for the vast majority of civilian deaths at the hands of a professional, disciplined military. There's no way to eliminate these deaths, only ways to reduce them. There's no point criminalizing these deaths -- but it would have made sense to explain them, rather than to suggest, and add to the increasing presumption, that if a civilian dies in a combat zone as the result of American military action, it must be the result of intentional action.

That doesn't mean there aren't important questions to be asked about those deaths. Is the rate of those deaths higher or lower than previous American wars? Are commanders doing enough to investigate such deaths and to use them as either training opportunities or opportunities to ensure that unit procuedures are improved if possible? Do they in any way reflect sloppiness or a lack of care? But those are separate questions, and to note that thousands have died and then focus exclusively on cases where soldiers and Marines have acted maliciously does readers and service members alike a disservice.

Comments

[ed in texas]

Wow. The Post puts up an article that's irresposible.
Everybody make a mark on the calendar. (snark)