@RyanScott who do you credit with doing the most to ensure the Founding of our Country - George Washington, Ben Franklin, the Adams, Hancock etc?
Probably not.
The person likely most responsible for the founding of our country was a young boy in Concord on April 19, 1775. His name was known up until the '40s by elders in Concord that still had some connection to that past through first hand accounts from great grandparents but it has since been lost.
This boy came upon the aftermath of the first skirmish at the bridge after the British had retired to Concord center and the Minutemen had not knowing really what to do next started to disperse or mill about.
The boy came upon a British regular mortally wounded laying by the bridge and using his hatchet he beat his brains in and mutilated the body.
A heinous insane act by a kid that couldnt understand an insane situation. Perhaps he was a farmers kid and understanding you dont let animals suffer he felt he was doing a humane deed.
When the detachment of regulars that were across the bridge looking for buried cannon came back to the scene of the first battle they came upon the mutilated soldier.
Their observation of that ensured the events of the morning were not going to be forgiven by any of the troops sent to disarm the Colonials.
When they passed the news of what they saw to the rest of the column the war was on.
As the British retreated through Lexington and Menotomy they took reprisal on the farmers and families lining Massachusetts Avenue. If caught men were killed, if not nailed down it was stolen and if nailed down it was burned.
The Brits at that moment fought the war like a war and their doing so lead our side to also realize what war meant. They changed from being farmers to soldiers.
My story probably makes your point that "attrocity" only leads to a stronger resistance but what I am conveyong is that war is such an atrocity in the first place how do we stand in judgement of the people we require to go to the atrocity in the first place?
My main point though is that there is no "Good War", they are all an atrocity. Even the Revolution we look on as some noble struggle was on day one marred by heinous actions. What came later, particularly down south a way, was even more so. Nazi's might have paled upon seeing some of the atrocities carried out on loyalist or rebel depending on who had the upper hand on whom.
I think there is a romanticism in this country about what war is.
Why wouldnt there be? Hollywood conditions us to it and the .Gov needs that or no one would go when ordered.
If Chief Gallagher is guilty than so should the person be that sent him there.
When it seems people doing the fighting have reached a point of excess its time to consider care not incarceration.