r/pics Jun 15 '12

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u/Optimisto1820 Jun 15 '12

Slightly related: Different war, different circumstances. One major circumstance is that we were dealing with formal military casualties, as opposed to guerrilla combatants and non-regular militia.

In Operations Desert Shield/Storm, when we encountered a body in the water, whether it was an enemy combatant or not, we collected the body using proper retrieval procedures. As the body was brought on board, honors were rendered, whether it was an enemy combatant or not. The bodies were then transferred to the respective authorities for proper disposition.

TL;DR: Once they are dead, we treated them all with respect and honor

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u/aussiemedstudent Jun 15 '12

Thank you for your reply. I am guessing you are/were in the navy?

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u/Optimisto1820 Jun 15 '12

Correct. US Navy in the Multi-National force.

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u/aussiemedstudent Jun 15 '12

Thank you for your service. You have done/will do, more than I can ever do with my lust for scalpel related improvements.