I haven't yet experienced war -- so take my words for what they're worth. As a Catholic and an officer, it seems that there's a moral dilemma in war because innocent life is taken. But I think that moral dilemma is often misunderstood, and in some cases artificial, constructed to make a political point. For example, the article compares US forces in Iraq to NAZI Germany's extermination policy. I'm certain there's a moral difference in responding to threats and rounding up civilians with the intention of shooting them in mass. Have there been mistakes? Yes. Are these mistakes sometimes fatal? Yes. And is criminal activity committed at times? Yes. People can barely keep their milk from souring in the fridge -- how can we expect a large, bureacratic warfighting machine to not make mistakes?

And I think we've done much work in addressing the problems faced by Soldiers and civilians, as far as "murder" is concerned. Sometimes I wonder if we're pushing it too far (e.g. I recall several years ago a Major who was relieved because he had fired a shot near an insurgent's head during interrogation), but I know the rules are in place ultimately to protect our soldiers and our interests.