You also said that Blackjack putting it in terms of running away, etc. etc. -- the way I took what he said was that message could be sent to the local populace if it appears you're unwilling to fight.
We have a winner! That is exactly what I was trying to get at.

If you risk some butts and clear it with direct fire, and civilians are wounded/killed, I think the locals will still respect what you were trying to achieve.
Exactly, that is why I compared an airstrike in COIN to a thermonuclear warhead in large wars. Sure, we could use it, but imagine the political, sociological fallout from it. We end up losing the high ground in the battle of hearts and minds a little more with every 155 HE round, or JDAM we drop. How do we get it back? Put one foot in front of the other, chamber a round and start hunting. Let the people know that they will not be robbed by bandits, they will not have to worry about their children going to school only to be slaughtered. They will not have to endure public beatings by madmen, and a hundred other things.