Read the book War Crimes against Southern Civilians. There was no excuse for the behavior they displayed.
Well Duh!
That happens EVERY PHUGKING time you interface armed soldiers with unarmed civilians. It has happened in battle from the beginning of time. It is human nature.
Who was it that said, "Kill them all, God will take his own."
There is an evil fraction in any group of humans. The most evil tend to gravitate together. In ancient times it was anathema to kill gentleman officers of apposing forces, as those officers could be counted on to hold their savages in check after the battle was won or lost.
The Japanese savaged the conquered Chinese. Koreans suffered greatly at the hands of Japanese invaders. Every combatant force in WW2 slaughtered captured POWs when it was not convenient to move them back to Headquarters.
Pilots machine gunned airmen in their parachutes.
A certain segment of American GIs slaughtered innocent Vietnamese villagers and raped women and girls. Because they had the guns and the power and they could. German ground forces did the same all across Europe, not to mention what they did to "undesirables", no matter their nation of origin.
Such has happened since the dawn of time. It is a product of man's innate evil which surfaces when he has no fear of retribution. Man is naturally a predator, and must be taught not to take what ever he wants from the weaker.
It is very unfortunate that these things happened to Americans at the hands of other Americans. But it is an unavoidable byproduct of war. All we can do is catch such culprits and punish then severely including execution as a warning that there is fear of retribution.
