Diary: Supporting the troops but not the war crimes

I've gotten a lot of hate mail in response to my article calling for Americans to support our troops. Most were written in light of the recent revelations of a massacre of civilians in Haditha.

To those folks, I offer the following:

I do not support or condone war crimes. When war crimes happen, the perpetrators should be held accountable and brought to justice, as far up the chain of command as necessary.

However, war crimes are committed by a relative few. Most U.S. troops in Iraq are not torturing detainees. Most U.S. troops in Iraq are not deliberately killing civilians in cold blood. Most U.S. troops in Iraq are scared young kids who are just trying to get through their tour of duty and go home. In the meantime, they follow orders.

These young men and women are under unimaginable stress, many suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. They are repeatedly stretched to the limits of sanity. Sometimes they snap. (Note: This is not an excuse.) The leadership can make all the difference.

Do not condemn all soldiers for the criminal actions of the few.