Taming America's Warriors

Violations of the laws of war have occurred as long as those laws or the norms that preceded them have existed, and incidents of violence against noncombatants remain a regrettable and persistent feature of war. Taming America's Warriors focuses squarely on U.S. land forces, assessing their commitment to fighting within the laws of war and their own set of professional values and exploring the factors that contribute to soldiers and Marines choosing to disregard those values, along with their training, to commit crimes that are detrimental to their missions. Retired Marine Dr. Scott Hamm recounts several cases of American war crimes in World War I and II, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War and identifies the progress that has been made in reducing violence against noncombatants as well as failures to hold perpetrators and those who enable their crimes accountable. This book addresses this central question: To what extent is continued violence against noncombatants affected by the military or influences outside its control, including public opinion? Taming America's Warriors is a valuable roadmap to diminishing the incidence of war crimes through an understanding of the law, as well as recognizing that they can be fostered by lax military oversight and battlefield supervision, as well as failures of training.