In a War, Expect the Unexpected

Re “Shooting Spurs Iraqi Uproar, U.S. Inquiry,” Nov. 17: As a former Marine, I do not agree with the killing of the Iraqi insurgent, but I do understand why the young Marine did what he did. Apparently, he was shot in the face a day earlier and lost his best friend to a booby-trapped corpse. He didn’t have to go back into battle but he felt like he would be letting his fellow brothers down if he was evacuated. This is war, and this insurgent was no ordinary innocent bystander. He was hiding in a mosque, shooting at Americans.

In the heat of battle, always expect the unexpected. The only thing that it reminds me of is the feeling you have when someone is hiding behind you in a dark room and comes out and scares you. “Boo!” Now imagine having that feeling 24 hours a day.

Cornelius Bridges

Cathedral City

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It is so telling of our fallibility that after “winning” the battle of Fallouja, we lose it with one shot.

Kent Bullard

Ventura

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Re “Shooting Spurs Iraqi Uproar, U.S. Inquiry,” front page and “Aid Group Leader Hassan Believed Slain by Captors,” Page A12: I wonder if the placement and emphasis of these news items tells us more than you intend and would like us to know about the values and priorities of your editorial staff? I find it disturbing that The Times apparently considers the brutal murder of an unarmed civilian who lived only to help Iraq to be of less news significance than the probably justified shooting of a possibly armed Iraqi insurgent enemy whose clear goal was to destroy Iraq and kill Americans.

Robert S. Coughlin

Rancho Palos Verdes

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It is both ironic and tragic that Margaret Hassan was able to live in peace and perform her humanitarian efforts for 30 years in Iraq, even during the reign of Saddam Hussein, yet was murdered as a direct result of President Bush’s “war on terror” and his attempt to bring freedom and democracy to that country.

Alan Cantwell

Hollywood

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Now that we know that the men fighting for Iraq’s freedom are not foreigners (“Few Foreigners Among Insurgents,” Nov. 16) can we please stop calling them “insurgents.” There is nothing insurgent about fighting against an illegal occupier of your homeland. It is simply spin to call them such.

These men are the true heroes in the eyes of the world, and for good reason. They are fighting a war in which they are badly overpowered by an inconsiderate bully led by an illegitimate commander in chief. Call them freedom fighters, for that is what they are. The Iraqi resisters are patriots just like our forefathers who fought against the British by any means available to them.

Mark Rutherford

Echo Park