IIRC, this vermin got e-mails about the incident.....FROM INSURGENTS!!!
There is a fog of war and tactical fire fight rules of engagement tend to find the circular file when bullets are flying at you. Shoot those you think are shooting at you.
There is a VERY good chance that “innocent” Somalis were killed in the “Blackhawk Down” event. American slaughtered hundreds (probably thousands) in a desperate fight for survival. “The whole city was attacking them.” Helos were clearing roof tops with 50 cal gun fire and strafing crowds of attacking Somalis. Snipers were, in one case, sometimes killing two per shot as he heroically tried to slow a rushing tide of Somalis advancing on his position. It was said, there were more Somalis attacking than there were guns for them to use. It can be inferred that some “unarmed” Somalis were killed by American fire.
What's the point?
War is messy. Sometimes our sympathetic rules of engagement come at the sacrifice of American lives. If this marine gave orders to protect the lives of his men, which I absolutely believe, and some bureaucrat wants to armchair referee the event in hind sight, then a demerit to the marine will be worth any American lives saved.
I compassionately regret the loss of innocent lives but understand the circumstances and accept the outcome, objectively absolving our troops of fault.
If we were a culture/society at all interested in long term survival, every one of those individuals involved in pushing the enemy propaganda in order to purposely erode our war-fighter’s morale and confidence would have been arrested, tried, convicted and hanged for treason.
It’s become rather obvious that as a culture/society, we are no longer much interested in long term survival.