Can You Blame Them?

When it comes to women and children, most people would agree you should never shoot at them, no matter what. Just imagine, though, if you were a soldier fighting in battle and you see a child with a gun about to shoot at a fellow soldier. What would you do then?

    I agree with the fact that women and children should not be shot at. Although, if I saw a child shooting at me or another soldier, I would have to say that I would pull the trigger. I know that might seem wrong but saving a soldier's life would be more important.
   The Battle of Mogadishu is an example of when many American soldiers were faced with such a decision. During this battle, there were many Somalian citizen casualties, including women and children. Many of the Somalian gunmen used women and children for their advantage and used them almost like a shield. This was the reason for the high number of civilian deaths. American soldiers did not have much of a choice. Therefore, it is hard to say whether this was wrong on the American soldiers' part. Soldiers do only have a split second to make such a difficult decision.
    In an interview with Keni Thomas, a Battle of Mogadishu veteran, he states his opinion on the topic. He says, "Taking a life down the sights of a rifle is something you have to carry with you for life. And it is not easy to know that some of those lives were women and boys." He continues to say how unless you have actually been in the situation, that you cannot really know what you would do. He also goes on to say that maybe we should be questioning the culture for putting the women and children out in the battle.

    This brings up the discussion of their culture and how they were raised. In some cultures, everyone including women and children, are raised to fight and defend themselves. Women and children were even used as a defense mechanism for the enemy because they are less likely to be shot at. For some, it's all they know, so can you blame them? Should they be punished for the way they were raised? These are both tough questions to answer.
   It is hard to say whether you believe shooting at a women or child in any circumstance is unacceptable or it is in certain situations. If you are being shot at, it is not just a choice to save their life but also you and/or even a fellow soldier's life. It all comes down to choosing to save the woman or child's life or choosing to save your own. But, it is not that easy.