>>Reading about the USS Cole, they had plenty of time to machine gun the the bomb-laden boat into swiss cheese, but the engagement protocols prevented them from firing without the captain or first mate's permission. Very odd.
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>This shows the insanity of protocol. Think of the American Revolutionary war. The Americans hid behind trees and took shots at British Officers as well as enlisted men. Protocol of that day called for never shooting at an officer. One should stand 100 feet from the enemy and fire when the command is given by an officer.
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>Hiding behind a tree was not cricket!

And bunching up, 3-4 abreast, in a long column, hemmed in by the width of the road and the knee-high walls at each side, was sheer lunacy. That, what you've just said, the overwhelming vastness of the land, and the French Navy are the reasons why yoiur panel isn't sporting the same flag as mine now.

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>Initiate is not something the military allows. During hurricane Katrina a helicopter on its way to deliver supplies saw some people on a housetop in need of assistance. The helicopter crew rescued the family and when they landed the men were in trouble for “disobeying orders”. They had no orders to rescue anyone.

How about those UN soldiers who had orders to leave the village they were "protecting" in Rwanda, knowing that as soon as they'd gone around the corner the villagers would be massacred. The commanding officer there must have been weighing his military career against his humanitarian feelings! Man, I'm glad I've never had to make a decision like that.