The Execution of Detainees in Iraq

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is essentially a complete set of laws that govern the United States Military. The Army National Guard and Air National Guard are not subject to the UCMJ unless performing Federal service, as in the theaters of Iraq or Afghanistan. The UCMJ includes many crimes punished under civilian law such as murder, rape, drug use, drunk driving, etc., but goes beyond that to include punishment for other conduct which affects good order and discipline in the military. The foundation for the UCMJ is, in fact, the United States Constitution.

For a more information, go to .U.S. Legal Definitions or UCMJ website.

The U.S. Army is reeling from the execution style killing of Iraqi detainees and there are supporters on both sides of the issue. The soldiers directly responsible for the killings have been tried and are now serving sentences in Leavenworth, KS.

Although we all should support our troops abroad, we also need to keep in mind what these soldiers did and what repercussions we would all face if we allowed that kind of behavior from any individual who decided to take the law into their own hands. We also need to look at ourselves to determine whether we abide by the laws that we have set for ourselves or whether we would rather be hypocritical and fall into anarchy.

The definition of "anarchy", according to the Webster's dictionary (online) is "a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority" or "the absence or denial of any authority or established order". The absence of laws governing what we can and can not legally do would result in wide ranging chaos of all types, including genocide, mass rapes, child abuse, larceny, etc. and there would be little we could do about it other than arm ourselves and brush up on "The Road Warrior". Most of us would discover very quickly that we could not survive as well as the character "Mad Max".

Military personnel who joined the military because they truly believe in the U.S. Armed Services will be the first to tell you that the execution style killings were not justified and should not be condoned. We are outraged, rightfully so, whenever an American citizen is executed at the whims of anyone abroad but those who would call these killings justified are essentially telling the world that it is justified for us to murder them but not for them to reciprocate.