mercy killings

Duty Honor Country

Duty Honor Country

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Today, a soldier was sentenced to a year in jail, given a bad conduct discharge and busted to the rank of PVT for his roll in a "Mercy Killing" last year in Baghdad.

CNN ARTICLE

The only time I have actually read about a soldier concidering a mercy killing was in the book Foot Soldiers. I author, Blunt, came across a German soldier who was missing most of his face. The German begged Blunt to "shoot." Blunt said that he tried to shoot but couldn't saying it was up to God. When he passed the German a few minutes later, the German was dead. I can safely assume mercy killings happen quite a bit.

I guess that is my take on it. During combat, I have no problems shooting any enemy. After the bullets stop flying, I won't shoot someone as a mercy killing.
 
It is a matter of psychological state. Humans have the tendency to commit suicide and become self-destructive at certain times in their lives. If the situation for them is hopelessplus unbearable for them to live up to, then they wish for death for a quick end.
 
ok, when their suffering reaches in the state when they are inflammed and there is nothing to help, then a slug in the head would be a good idea

dont want to be a flamthrower ever
 
If i was a soldier i would never commit mercy killing just because the enemy might have family and freinds who will want to see the injured combatant after the whole ordeal is finished.
 
rotc boy said:
what if that soldier didnt want his family to seee him in such a gruesome condition?
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If thats the case he could always commit suicide. :(
But serioulsy mercy killing is a tough question and I myself would never want to be in that type of situation where i have to choose.
 
rotc boy said:
what if that soldier didnt want his family to seee him in such a gruesome condition?
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Sometimes it takes people a long time to appreciate life after an event that makes them look hideous. A lot of people that have over come such things have always talked about when they almost lost all hope. Call me a dork, but read Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul. There be some stories in there about people who over came "unbearable" events.

IN any case, I believe I do not have the power to kill someone to end pain and suffering.
 
Soldiers are not doctors or lawyers (though doctors and lawyers can be soldiers). I don't think soldiers should be making decisions that belong in the pervue of doctors and lawyers. Your job as a soldier is clearly defined. Follow those definitions and you will do fine. Stray from those definitions and you do so at your peril.
 
*cue Full Metal Jacket*

'they ought to award you the Congressional Medal of... UGLY!'

The guy got what he deserved... he wasn't thinking... if you're truly ready to die then you'll take care of it yourself. If you think about it, your last moments in life... you'll want to enjoy it as long as you can. Now the guy may not have died, he might have died on his own, but like someone else said in another post, thats not up to the soldier to decide outside of combat. well Yay for morality questions... In the opinion of many this guy got what he asked for when he took it upon himself to play Mother Theresa and save this 'poor dieing soul' of another moments torture...
 
but what if you can't suicide yourself? if you're lying with an arm half off in paiun and might not die for hours, would you like to sit there and hope a chopper comes along or see a soldier walking by with his gun.

if it were me i'd hand Wounded a grenade and say "Pull the pin if you really want to die." and walk off not knowing.
 
Porion said:
but what if you can't suicide yourself? if you're lying with an arm half off in paiun and might not die for hours, would you like to sit there and hope a chopper comes along or see a soldier walking by with his gun.

if it were me i'd hand Wounded a grenade and say "Pull the pin if you really want to die." and walk off not knowing.
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then the next medic that walks up to him after he pulls the pin just died because you decided to play with a life that wasn't yours!
Either way if you walk by or "put him out of his misery" for the rest of your life you will think about it and you will wonder if you did the right thing but one thing you can be sure of and that is You will never know. To the best of my knowedge no soldier/sailor/airman/or Marine has been pusished for trying to save a fellow brother in arms but as you can see for "mercy killings" it is a different story. Just to keep me and God on good terms i wouldn't do it. And to keep me and Uncle Sam on the best terms i dang sure wouldn't do it.
 
Gentlemen, several of you need to take a step back and think before you post. Feel free to post what your position on this or any other subject is (unless otherwise directed), but realize that you are neither impressing anyone nor helping your argument with senseless bravado. While it may make you a big man with your friends, it is out of place here. Death is not something to be discussed in a flip or careless manner, least of all by those with no experience with it.




The best I can hope for is to never be placed in a situation that would require me to make this decision, but I am inclined to agree with SGT Doody. I realize it may seem hypocritical that I do believe that I can take a man's life in combat but not immediately thereafter, but to my eye, these are entirely different situations. From a secular standpoint, that enemy no longer presents a threat to yourself, your fellow soldiers or Marines, or the civilian population (barring of course those situations where the enemy wounded is actively continuing to pursue a hostile intent), and by killing this individual, you are no longer operating within the limits of your job or your duty. As Charge_7 brought up, how can you know that an individual cannot be saved, unless you have extensive medical training? From several years of EMS work, I can tell you from personal experience that some injuries that might appear to be fatal are in fact survivable, and I am sure that several of the more experienced folks here can tell you the same. This "mercy killing" may in fact result in the death of an individual who was not in fact going to die from his previous injuries.
 
Some of you guys get really carried away with yourselfs.

Military guidlines and the law would be clear on mercy killing.
 
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