I never could understand why complete strangers tried so hard to kill me.....had they got to know me....it would have made far more sense.
We had relatively strict ROE's for the time....and each morning we briefed the Crew from a Yellow Card that had the Rules printed upon it....much like Cops and the Miranda warning cards required to be read to those they arrest e these days.
We had a terrible tragedy at a place called My Lai....US troops murdering almost 400 villagers.
A fellow Warrant Officer Helicopter Pilot and his enlisted Door Gunner stopped some of the troops from killing yet more villagers by turning the door gun on the troops and telling them they would shoot.
The Warrant Officer then filed a Report on the murders which kicked off the initial investigation, by a Captain who later became the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs named Colin Powell, which attempted to cover up the murders.
To put My Lai Into perspective....during the Tet 1968 attack on Hue....the NVA and VC murdered over 3,000 South Vietnames....Doctors, Lawyers, Politcians, Teachers, their families including Children.
As we are saying.....war and morality are not linear concepts.