Trigger Happy?
I too saw the documentary, and if anything I thought it underplayed the pressure the Vincennes' crew was under; and also, the fact that US military in a hot zone are naturally trigger happy anyway.
Yes it was an unfortunate set of circumstances, and yes there are lessons to be learned from the incident, but to award medals to any of the people responsible is crass in the extreme.
As for it being linked to 103, I've never heard that version of events, I always thought there were other factors at play, especially given Libya's involvement.
I would ask one thing though: I thought AWACS would be able to discern an F14 from an Airbus? And if so, how come there wasn't one up?
Also, to the person who said that the US vets what it sells to potential enemies, I would think the Falklands would have taught the US that the Exocet is a very good bit of anti-ship technology, and if the French can make money out of it they will sell it, even if it means working out how to fit it to an F14. It's a more level playing field than you would think.
Cheers,
Desertia