To shoot or not to shoot is the question

IRAQ: To shoot or not to shoot is the question
In the end, the criminal case against Marine sniper Sgt. Johnny Winnick (pictured) may boil down to the simplest but yet most confounding question facing troops in Iraq: When can a Marine or soldier use deadly force against a suspected insurgent?
It's a question not even supposed experts can agree on. During the preliminary hearing completed Wednesday, a Marine lieutenant testified that he asked two majors — one a lawyer, the other a battalion executive officer — and got contradictory explanations.
Winnick is charged with manslaughter and assault for killing two Syrians and wounding two others.

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The dilemma of a split second decision is something they all have to make at one point or another. When it is not a clear threat, they have to decide to shoot or wait. Waiting has it's own problems. What if they wait too long? What if they don't wait long enough? Deciding to shoot and then finding out they made the wrong decision cannot be undone. They carry a lot of guilt inside of them for the rest of their lives unless they find peace with it. Knowing what was in their mind at the time can either provide peace or invite the ghosts of war in. While the majority of combatants are reluctant to pull the trigger in these situations, there are some who reach a point when they no longer care about being right or wrong. Having lived through the horrors of war changes people. It makes them think differently. It causes them to become a stranger within their own body.

They have a private war raging inside of them after as events fight character. This is something we all need to understand and refrain from making judgments until all the facts are in.