What the public is ignorant of, is that in non-wartime situations,
orders as such, are rarely given. Peacetime, stateside bases run almost like any business.
Now wartime is a little different. Since you mention Pfc England, warren, I'll address that example. Now, Ms. England was working in a prison facility, not out on the lines holding a rifle. Granted, her situation was potentially dangerous, but she was not in a situation where split-second decisions were called for (regularly anyway), either. To emphasize my point about "orders", I'm sure no one came to her and said, "Private England, I
order you to humiliate these prisoners." Her watching such actions go on, and worse yet, participating in them, shows blatent disregard for human rights and the Geneva Convention. She is as much at fault for not reporting such abuses as she is for participating in them.
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I can buy not holding the military as a whole responsible for violating international law. What about a military action that violates a U.S. law?
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Another fuzzy, gray area there. That is a good deal more complicated. I'm not gonna tackle that one right now.