In the summer of 2014, a company of Green Berets in Afghanistan confronted the Taliban, who felt empowered by expected changes in coalition operations. During a surprise assault, the team engaged Taliban fighters. An ethical dilemma arose when an Afghan lieutenant sought to execute a captured enemy combatant. The team leader intervened, emphasizing the importance of maintaining moral standards and treating the enemy humanely despite the circumstances. The decision to provide care over execution underscored their values as soldiers.
At that moment, the team leader radioed me. He was suddenly confronting a scenario that every Green Beret officer prepares for during the Special Forces Qualification Course: His foreign counterpart was about to commit a war crime.
The machine gunner was severely wounded and, in the dark colloquialism of our profession, circling the drain. An Afghan lieutenant argued that the fighter didn't deserve mercy; his commandos should finish him off.
The team leader helped talk the Afghan lieutenant down. The Talib would not be executed. Our medics worked to stabilize the man who had just tried to mow them down with a PKM machine gun.
This decision was less about what the fighter deserved and more about the kind of soldiers that my men were, and that...
Collection
[
|
...
]