Ever notice that when some little yapping cur yaps at a Great Dane, the Dane doesn't acknowledge the cur.

In the same way, I'm sure Mr Roberts-Smith will never notice the likes of this whiny nobody author.

Dear Diver Dan,

You wrote: "All’s fair in love and war. Have we forgotten that one? The Taliban certainly didn’t, and guess what, they defeated the US in Afghanistan with a motley band of rough necks."

Even stop to think that was because all the indiscriminate killing saw there was little differentiation between the invading forces and those home grown to the ordinary Afghani. The Four Corners report on the conflict showed there were households when one brother was fighting with the Afghan Army and another with the Taliban.

The US kept corrupt and brutal Afghan officers because "all was fair in love and war".

It seems by your rhetoric you would have had no problem with the My Lai massacre because it would have contributed to a "fearsome reputation". You would have accused the helicopter pilot who intervened and later reported the mass killing of over 500 unarmed civilians as a "squealer".

As an Australian I was heartened hearing Australian pilots in Iraq exercised stricter rules of engagement than the Americans and when US command raised the issue with the ADF and ministers they all backed the pilots.

My father who served always felt the way Australians conducted themselves in combat situations honourable in comparison.

But due to rogue conduct by a small group of SAS troops in Afghanistan we have the Americans informing us that their actions:

“may trigger Leahy law consideration with regard to the relationship between the United States armed forces and a partner unit or organisation, in this case either being Special Operations Command or the Special Air Service (SAS) regiment”.

And while a certain person "continued to serve in the special forces, there was “no path” to alleviate the concerns of the US".

What the hell have we become?

Finally your arguments seem to clearly accept that he did commit war crimes but you have sought to excuse rather than deny they occurred.

It really is time to park the jingoistic crap, acknowledge what happen was a dark stain on the reputation of the SAS and let it get dealt with properly.

One sides WAR HERO is the other sides WAR CRIMINAL.

I can appreciate the frustration of soldiers boiling over & regretful actions ensue but for lounge chair parasites to call someone criminal is criminal in itself !
As someone said recently, the civilian walking towards you will pick up a hidden in the grass weapon behind your back, shoots you & puts the weapon back in the grass & acts like an unarmed civilian again !
How idiotic is it to talk about rules of war with people who say they wished they had more kids to sacrifice ?

Indy,

For one who shirked the opportunity to enlist in the military when presented, now you are safe in old age from any such engagement, it hypocritical of you to say; "reintroduce a National Service with a few weeks of military enlightenment thrown in" As for only militarist being eligible to govern, it shows you want the the country run by a military dictatorship of I assume old farts!

p/s Why did YOU shirk military service?

Why did YOU shirk military service?
Paul1405,
Too many Paul1405's out there who don't deserve a second of my time to be wasted on ! That's why !