US Soldier Gets Three Years for "Mercy Killing"

From BBC News:

A US soldier has been jailed for three years in a plea bargain following the murder of a severely wounded 16-year-old Iraqi, the military says.

Staff Sgt Johnny Horne Jr had pleaded guilty to the unpremeditated murder of the civilian youth in Baghdad's Sadr City suburb on 18 August.

He also pleaded guilty to soliciting another soldier to commit murder.

His defence said the death of the injured Iraqi was a "mercy killing" in collusion with another soldier.

The seven-person panel reached a decision on Friday evening after four hours of deliberation.

Horne was also reduced to the rank of private and given a dishonourable discharge.

His was one of a dozen courts martial hearings under way relating to action in Iraq.

The charges stem from an incident in Sadr City when coalition forces were locked in fierce fighting with supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.

The court heard that members of Horne's unit fired on a rubbish truck they suspected of laying roadside bombs.

However, inside the lorry was a crew of teenage boys hoping to make some extra money on a night shift.

The soldiers, including Horne, tried to rescue one of the injured youths, according to witness testimony.

Several witnesses described the injured Iraqi as having severe abdominal wounds and burns. Some thought the casualty was beyond medical help.

Witnesses say Horne shot and killed one of the badly injured boys.

The US soldiers decided that "the best course of action was to put [the Iraqi] out of his misery", the criminal investigator told the court.

Ok, now I feel for this soldier, I really do. I understand the position he was put in. Killing the boy seemed like the humane thing to do, that he was putting him out of his misery. But you know what? That's not his decision to make. As a soldier, it is not your job to decide who is worth saving and who isn't. Yes, the boy would almost certainly have died anyway, but it doesn't matter. There is a code of conduct you must follow as a soldier, and it is drilled into you from day one. I do not think Horne is a monster, rather I think he is probably a kid who thought he was doing the right thing. But when it comes to war and politics, doing the "right thing" isn't always the "correct thing." A sad situation all around.