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this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2025
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MeanwhileOnGrad
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Instead of putting the blame on individual soldiers, how about we instead focus on the people ordering the senseless violence to begin with? When we constantly need former service members coming out and making public statements about how soldiers don't have to follow unlawful orders, doesn't that say something about the structure they've cultivated in that organization?
"Be ruthless to systems, Be kind to people."
When they are in these situations, an individual soldier is little more than an expensive weapon the people at the top are pointing at someone or something. If one of them malfunctions, they get replaced.
Yes, this doesn't absolve them of responsibility. "Just following orders" is not a defense for war crimes. But if you've watched former service members discuss how disobeying unlawful orders works, you'll know "You're asking me to do something illegal" also isn't a get out of jail free card. It is a defense for when you face punishment for violating that order. A defense crucially that can fail if the order is found to be lawful. So if you're a soldier that say comes from desperation and might be looking at losing literally everything to a dishonorable discharge if the court martial doesn't find in your favor and says that you were in fact disobeying a lawful order? Can you maybe see why someone like that might feel like they have no choice but to pull that trigger?
I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying they don't bear some responsibility. I'm saying maybe they might bear less responsibility than the people that put them in that position to begin with and maybe we should show some goddamned compassion to people who in that impossible moment feel like they only have one way out.