An Officer and a Moral Man

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the conflict a soldier faces between following orders and following morality; military code and personal responsibility for one's actions. The author discussed the Nuremberg trials, the Geneva Convention, and the My Lai massacre.

From the Paper:

"The most obvious party responsible for what the military does is the military itself. The people who actually carry out the violence of war and those who give the direct order to do so are most clearly responsible for the results. They bear the brunt of the physical evidence that war leaves behind. Members of the armed forces are also the most at risk to face the consequences of the violence they cause because of the conflicting beliefs they are asked to hold. The concepts of personal responsibility and superior orders constitute a type of ethical doublespeak that creates a moral dilemma for military personnel."

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