I would like to a) assert that I am the closest thing to an experienced subject matter expert on close quarters urban combat that this forum has on even a semi-regular basis and b) submit that my credentials both as a former soldier and a PsyOper give me some insight into the mind of a combatant.

First and foremost: War is nasty. It isn't Star Wars/Trek were a little beam of light flashes and the bad guy falls down neatly. The way we kill people often involves copious amounts of blood, and frequently the opportunity for survivors to witness large swathes of human real estate that were never intended to see the light of day. The reality of having to wash bits of human being off of you at the end of the day is a very real one.

In an effort to keep what could become a thesis short, I'd like to address each of the excerpts in order.

Excerpt 1, Statement 1: It is an unfortunate, though necessary, reality that in order to motivate "normal" people to kill their fellow man, a certain amount of indoctrination must occur. Part of this indoctrination is dehumanizing the enemy. This is not a trick patented by the U.S., but has been going on since time began and is practiced by all military units of all nations.

The scholar of war may (and if he's good, likely does) hold his enemy in high regard and has great respect for his prowess. The grunt pulling the trigger, however, you want to have no such emotions. They are trained to kill. Period. A by-product of that training, unfortunately, is that there isn't a little switch you can flip that turns that off. The enemy has been dehumanized successfully. Unfortunately, in a situation where the enemy isn't wearing a uniform and in a trench across the field from you, distinguishing between combatants and non-combatants is difficult. The numbers, though disappointing, are not in the least surprising to me. I'd wager they wouldn't be signifcantly higher in any other combat unit, actually embroiled in combat, from any standing military in the world.

Excerpt 1, Statement 2: Though again disappointing, you have to put yourself in the boots of those making the statement. The man on your right and your left... You're depending on him to keep you alive. Small unit cohesion is critical if you want to come home vertical and breathing. This interdependence makes it very easy to overlook a moral transgression by the man next to you. After all, he's going to be behind you and he has a loaded weapon. Getting yourself labeled a snitch is a good way to get yourself a flag draped box. Unfortunate, but true. How exactly would you expect the Soldiers and Marines to act? Truthfully, these numbers are higher than I would have thought and may indicate that all the ethics classes I had to sit through when I was in uniform may slowly be paying dividends.

Excerpt two: Is it possible--just possible mind you-- that they may have thought that cans of gasoline were IEDs? A very nice read from yesterdays paper on what these guys go through on patrol. Unfortunately, you'll likely need a login. Bugmenot has some that work. Boom!

Excerpt Three: An unfortunate by product of successfully dehumanizing the enemy. When you have literally been in a fight for your life, and you come out the victor, the adrenaline rush is powerful. (Figuratively) standing above your vanquished foe --perhaps cutting off his head as a trophy even-- stories go back to the beginnings of written human history. This is not unusual behavior for soldiers of any nation, and never has been. Sick? To an outsider, maybe. Maybe even to some insiders. The urge to celebrate your own life when it can be taken from you in the blink of an eye is a powerful one though. It is an affirmation. "I am alive and you are not. I am the powerful one here."

Excerpt 4: Ab-so-effing-lutely. I have been the guy pulling people out of their beds and flipping furniture. I have hit people so hard that I could be in "best of UFC" clips. It's how it is done. Guess what? It's violent. It's scary. It terrorizes people. Please refer to my initial statement about war being nasty. Truthfully though, it's not much different than the police executing a no-knock warrant. When I did it, we usually found something. Occasionally, we didn't. In which case we apologize and said our 'fare-the-wells'. I can't comment on the current situation as I am presently a civilian.

In short...it's a war. Right, wrong, or indifferent, it is what it is. This is how war is fought. It's how war has always been fought. There is nothing unique or special about these things. Are they unfortunate? HELL YES. Is it regrettable? Maybe that too. This isn't, however, any sort of definitive proof to me that American combatants have lost their moral compass. If anything, it tells me that things are the same as they ever were.

_{Full disclosure: Rarely was I the number 1 man on the breach team. That position rotates, and I've certainly done it, but my assigned spot was number 4 man. So technically "door kicker" is a bit of a stretch. In the room less than a second behind number 1 man is accurate though. Part 2 of full disclosure, my combat experience was earned in other-than-Iraq-and-Afghanistan.}