Some comparison as to why the order to kill survivors was a war crime

[Poor Richard Saunders]

Doesn't change that the US doesn't prosecute their own for war crimes except on very rare occasions like Lt. Calley in Vietnam.

And then you admit that we DO sometimes prosecute for war crimes after arguing against me when I said we DO sometimes prosecute for war crimes.

No, the Secretary of War is not. The Secretary of War is an advisor to the President and the equivalent of a staff officer. The Secretary of War is not in the direct chain of command.

I see you are now accusing the Trump administration of lying when they say that the Secretary of Defense gave the order they say he gave.

 

[Jake Starkey]

Whiskey Pete gave the order, T. A.

U.S. war‑crimes prosecutions of its own personnel since WWII have been rare.​

The most documented cases include:

• My Lai Massacre (Vietnam) — Only Lt. William Calley was convicted
• Korean War — A few courts‑martial for prisoner abuse
• Iraq War — Abu Ghraib, Mahmudiyah rape‑murder case, and a handful of others
• Afghanistan — Kandahar massacre (Staff Sgt. Robert Bales), and a few smaller cases

These add up to dozens of courts‑martial, but not hundreds, and certainly not anything close to the scale of WWII tribunals.

Search results do not contain a count of U.S. war‑crimes prosecutions since WWII.

• They do confirm that the U.S. has prosecuted some personnel under the UCMJ and the War Crimes Act.
• They also confirm that My Lai resulted in only one conviction

 

[T. A. Gardner]

And then you admit that we DO sometimes prosecute for war crimes after arguing against me when I said we DO sometimes prosecute for war crimes.

I see you are now accusing the Trump administration of lying when they say that the Secretary of Defense gave the order they say he gave.

The Sec of War can relay the orders of the CinC in his name. That's common with any military Chief of Staff position. You really don't know how military chains of command work.

When I had to submit memorandums and reports on stuff I was tasked with doing, I would sign them and add the line "By direction." That meant that the CO or other officer that was ultimately in charge had given me an order / permission to do the memo or report and that I didn't need to have them sign it. I signed it in their name using that tag.

Same thing here. Trump gave the orders, Hegseth carried them out "By direction," to use the Navy terminology. The other services may vary some from that, but each has its proper bureaucratic etiquette you follow.

 

[Jake Starkey]

T. A. has very little idea how the military chain operates. by direction Jake Starkey

 

[Poor Richard Saunders]

The Sec of War can relay the orders of the CinC in his name. That's common with any military Chief of Staff position. You really don't know how military chains of command work.

When I had to submit memorandums and reports on stuff I was tasked with doing, I would sign them and add the line "By direction." That meant that the CO or other officer that was ultimately in charge had given me an order / permission to do the memo or report and that I didn't need to have them sign it. I signed it in their name using that tag.

Same thing here. Trump gave the orders, Hegseth carried them out "By direction," to use the Navy terminology. The other services may vary some from that, but each has its proper bureaucratic etiquette you follow.

So you ARE accusing the Trump administration of lying.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

So you ARE accusing the Trump administration of lying.

I'm accusing YOU of incompetence in the matter.

 

[Poor Richard Saunders]

I'm accusing YOU of incompetence in the matter.

I'm incompetent because I repeat what the Trump administration says? That certainly looks like you are accusing the Trump administration of lying.