If you were in a war...

[XWOLFX]

Situation: You are in a war and a building is shooting at you and your fellow troops. A boy runs out of the building, you don't see him holding a weapon, but he has baggy clothes on. Would you shoot him? Remember, he just came out of the building that is shooting at you.



No matter what you say, you won't know for sure. Do you know why this is?

"War changes human mentality", this famous quote, and it is true. The person that everyone considers the bravest could freeze up in a battle. The nerdiest person could end up taking out a key point in a battle. No matter what you say, until your in that position you will never know for sure.

I was asked this question, and i decided not to answer for this reason. Isn't it wierd how the mind works and how war effects people?

[LycanSpectre]

1) How does a building shoot at a person? Wouldn't it be the people in the building doing the shooting? (Nit picky, I know.)

2) I would not shoot him, but keep my eye on him. If he did draw a weapon, or act in a way that may endanger me or my troops, then he'd get some lead sent his way.

3) \o/ DOOM \o/

[LV426]

I wouldn't be in a war.

[Darth Cluich]

I wouldn't be in a war.

Neither would I. I would've nuked the enemy into oblivion first.

[Buddha Monkey]

I wouldn't be in a war.

That's a sad way out of the question.

As for my answer. I would shoot. In such a situation, you can't take the risk.

My Uncle fought in 'Nam, and saw something close to this. The child was booby trapped.

Also in Nam, a Sergent and a Private were in a fox hole, when to 13-15 year old girls walked forward. Both were naked, and had their hands up. The sergent ordered the private to fire, and he refused "Their naked. They have no weapons."

The sergent fired, killing both. The Viet Con attack, and the two somehow drove them off. When they checked the two females, they had grenades tied to their hands, with a string tied to the pins. The string went back to the Viet Cons position.

I could go on, explaining it.

[DL Lycan]

walking like this you mean? In case you can't see thats the picture of the little girl running out of the village when it was napalmed. Oh and I beleive the village was Mai lai where another incident took place.

[Buddha Monkey]

walking like this you mean? In case you can't see thats the picture of the little girl running out of the village when it was napalmed. Oh and I beleive the village was Mai lai where another incident took place.

Something similar. As I wasn't there, I can only go off of second hand information.

Then again, the Viet Con, Americans, French, Chinesse, ect. wern't known for their humanitarain outlooks during 'Nam.

[Amaroq]

It'd really all rely on the emotions that is going on in your own head. Anyway, what if you didn't even actually see this boy, and continued on firing at the building, and hitting him the process? With my luck, that'd probably be the circumstance. But, I'd be suspecious of anyone who just came out of a building that was firing at me, especially someone who was wearing baggy clothing.

[McKitty]

Off-topic: Despite all the properganda and whatnot surrounding Vietnam, no matter what pictures we see and all the talks we hear, we (who have never been in a war or in this case Vietnam) cannot judge the soliders for their actions. I would have probably shot if I was in your uncle's shoes. I would live with it forever, but I would shoot, knowing the Viet Cong and their ways.

On-topic now:

I would not shoot the boy ...yet. However, if he twitched or made any move that was suspicious, I would just because I value the lives of myself and my men a wee bit more then some boy coming out of what I know is a hostile building. It's war, which means nothing can be taken for granted. I cannot allow my myself to consciously caterogize this boy into 'innocent bystander' when the enemy is most likely to do anything at all costs to win, even if it meant sending their own children out to die. I would probably feel terrible for having to shoot, if it came down to that, but that would be the price to pay.

[EP-GingerSnaps]

That's a sad way out of the question.
Lycanthropic Howl isn’t trying to avoid the question. I honestly wouldn’t go to war either. The army can’t make me hold a gun, shoot people, or fight a war. If (for the sake of the question) I did find myself in the questioned position, I would pick up a rock and throw it at the kid’s head. The kid would probably think it’s a grenade and run away. Otherwise, I'd die or shoot by impulse.

[Ves]

To be honest, if a group of soldiers are being shot at by the occupants of a building and then the door of that building opens and someone runs out; chances are that person will be dropped before they even realise it's a kid.

[DL Lycan]

My problem is I AM the kid wearing baggy clothing, and I've concealed an desert eagle and several hand grenades in my jeans......

[LV426]

I'm not copping out. I just don't believe in war enough to really want to get involved. I'm basically a selfish and self absorbed person when it comes down to my life. To be honest I would just move to a place where I wasn't in a situation that demanded me to be in a warzone. The only time I would really fight is if I was in a fight or die situation and that is such a remote possibility that I can't fathom being in a situation as the one described above. But I can say that I have had to make the decision twice in my personal life to fight or die and it wasn't in a war time situation, it wasn't involving firing a long range gun, it was a hand to hand situation. My decision is obvious since I am here typing this. I know I would defend myself and a few other people that I care about in my life, but for anonymous wartimes, I'm not risking my neck for some stupid fuck to take pot shots at me and prove a point. I'd be more likely to just bomb the fuck out of the place and kill them all while I sit in relative safety. Casualties are part of war, I just don't want to be one.

[Razo WOLF]

I would shoot you never know what is in those baggy pants.only one pound 6 oz. size bomb of a certain material can destroy a
large house. Also a person will be so shaken they cant think
and their first impulse would be to shoot whoever they see come out of the building whether or not it could be a kid.

[FMtRIS]

Clouds of war, they tend to obscure things, including judgement. Ever see the footage of the AH 64 Apache that was blown into some friendly coordinates in the first desert war against Iraq? Thay lauched Hellfire missiles and destroyed some armored fighting vehicles they thought there Russian BMPs. You really can't tell from the gun footage what they are. The pilot's voice is casual as he fires on them, until he gets the IFF that they are friendlies. Psychiatric counseling soon followed.

Then there is the conscious thought of killing a civilian such as that mentioned by Budda Kitty. It was also in Vietnam that there was the account of Carlos Hathcock who, when seeing a little boy with rifles strapped to his bicycle, decided to first shoot the bike. The child then got a rifle off the bicycle and Carlos shot and killed him. His logic was that if someone is old enough to aim and fire a weapon at someone, then they are old enough to die.

Would I shoot? I don't know. It would probably be determined by the threat level. In a Western frame of mind, when would you expect to find a child in a combat zone? If it was a large barrage of fire and collatoral damage was incurred, then who is to say who shot whom? It would probably haunt me after the fact though.

[Firesong]

I'd have to agree with LH..I refuse to go to war just because some halfwit says "go die in this sandy shit pit for me".

but for the sake of the question...yeah...an yone comming out of that building gets ventilated on the spot, unless they go the opposite direction.

War has ONE rule...........


SURVIVE!

[Teej]

Those of you who said you would wait and watch have to understand that you are being shot at. You can't sit there and take notes while bullets are flying over your heads. I'd like to hear what a few of you say with this in your mind. It's noble that you don't want to kill innocent people, but there's no time for waiting in war.

[Lycan_bites]

It depends on if I have shot someone before. If I was a newbie in a war situation, the chances are I would be cowering behind some rubble. If I had gotten over the shock of killing someone then I would probably fire straight away.
And no-one is gonna tell me to kill people either. I don't think I have it in me to kill someone, unless it's absolute life or death.

[Zombie]

If he approached my position, Id fire. If he retreated away from my position, Id hold.

-Z

[Owlie]

I'd shoot him.


War is hell. :shrug:

[Silver Wolf]

To be honest, if a group of soldiers are being shot at by the occupants of a building and then the door of that building opens and someone runs out; chances are that person will be dropped before they even realise it's a kid.


I think that 95% of the people would shoot. The words above me explanes it all. Nuff said. :)

[McKitty]

Those of you who said you would wait and watch have to understand that you are being shot at. You can't sit there and take notes while bullets are flying over your heads. I'd like to hear what a few of you say with this in your mind. It's noble that you don't want to kill innocent people, but there's no time for waiting in war.
That's true but I'm going from experiences I've been through in JROTC war games and I know they're not the same as the real deal of a combat situation but we were playing as if it was life and death (namely big-ass brusies and aches that won't go away ...plus latrine duty for the losing teams) and paint-balls HURT like a mother when you're wet and cold. I learned that sometimes, waiting was the better of two plans although not during all situations.

I try not to be trigger happy, like I said but if someone's twitching in a way that's weird I'm probably popping them just to save my hide.

Now that I think on it. If I'm intent on trading fire with the building I probably wouldn't notice the boy until after he's out of the door and doing whatnot so chances are he would already be shot by a squad amte or has run off if he's innocent.

[WhiteCrowUK]

Situation: You are in a war and a building is shooting at you and your fellow troops. A boy runs out of the building, you don't see him holding a weapon, but he has baggy clothes on. Would you shoot him? Remember, he just came out of the building that is shooting at you.



No matter what you say, you won't know for sure. Do you know why this is?

"War changes human mentality", this famous quote, and it is true. The person that everyone considers the bravest could freeze up in a battle. The nerdiest person could end up taking out a key point in a battle. No matter what you say, until your in that position you will never know for sure.

I was asked this question, and i decided not to answer for this reason. Isn't it wierd how the mind works and how war effects people?

To quote British rules of engagement ... "British rules of engagement only allow troops to open fire when attacked, using the minimum force necessary and only at identified targets.".

So if you broke that by shooting at the boy, you'd be court martialed, unlike other armies around the world ...

[Hagakure]

Shoot him. If he's innocent... who cares?

Well, besides him, but he's dead, so he doesn't count.

[McKitty]

Shoot him. If he's innocent... who cares?

Well, besides him, but he's dead, so he doesn't count.
That's a bit ....disregardful of life.

Yes you're in a war but to shoot an innocent child is something that shouldn't be spoken about as flippantly as you did.

[Hellcat]

Shoot him. If he's innocent... who cares?

Well, besides him, but he's dead, so he doesn't count.


In war there are no innocents, just a bunch of people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I back LH, I wouldn't be in a war. At the very most I would be hiding under the bed wishing for a clean set of underwear, but I definately wouldn't be getting involved on the battle field.

[Lore]

I would probably shoot,it's to much of a risk. But i would probably fell like crap later. :(

[perpetual sorrow]

Well I wouldn't hesitate in shooting him, you don't know his what is he up to. Yeah he could be just a civilian, but in war you have two choices:

a)kill

b)get killed

That's my point of view.