Can the military punish killers among its soldiers? Specifically killers of innocent civilians on the side of the enemy. Obviously, we cannot look at the record of illiberal and fascist countries for guidance in this matter. However, looking back at US history, I don’t find a good record either (obviously, the record is much better than say the Soviet Union.) An example is the My Lai massacre in 1968 in Vietnam. Captain Medina was found not guilty and Lt. Calley served only 3.5 years, even though he was sentenced to life imprisonment. A light punishment for the “massacre of over 300 apparently unarmed civilians including women, children, and the elderly.” Generally, Israel is also careful to punish its soldiers who overstep the bounds and kill or harm innocent civilians in the West Bank and Gaza. However, from reading of Press reports and Benny Morris’ Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001, it seems that most receive light jail terms, discharge from the army or reduction in rank. So my question is: are there any examples of soldiers being punished appropriately (or even harshly) by their own military/government for killing (or massacring) innocent enemy civilians or violating the laws of war?
Military Punishment
