Anyone keeping up on the two pilots from Illinois who are being tried for friendly fire?

HEADLINE:CNN.com

First, I believe this is a tragedy, and could have been prevented. Second, I think the pilots were pretty inept, if not downright trigger happy. Third, my heart goes out to the families of the Canadian soldiers who were killed.

BUT....Is it right to put servicemen on public trial for accidents in a wartime environment? There have been uncountable friendly-fire incidents in the past. Some sources quote friendly-fire as being the #1 source of American casualties during Desert Storm, but there's never been a face to it.

Now, there are two pilot's faces plastered on the T.V.. Society has someone to blame. There's an outlet for our hostility. PUT 'EM IN JAIL!!!!
HANG 'EM!!!! BURN THE WITCH!!!!

What purpose does this serve? What good comes of it? Do we now tell our soldiers, "If you're ever surrounded by gunfire, and there are bullets zipping by, people are dying, others are trying desperately to kill you. You are in the complete pandemonium of combat. STOP! Pause for a moment. Don't react. Think for a moment and determine a rational approach to the situation that is now exploding in your lap. If you accidentally SHOOT THE WRONG THING in this bloodbath, YOU COULD GO TO JAIL!"

Hey LFT- please post a link to an article about this. It helps start a good debate.

Aircrews in a combat environment, are called upon to make split second, life or death decisions.

The Coalition Air Operations Center was aware of the Canadian live-fire training exercise but neither pilot was briefed on the exercise prior to the mission.

Upon initially spotting the surface-to-air fire, the aircrew queried AWACS on whether or not there were friendlies in the area, but AWACS was unable to readily provide that information to the pilots.

The failure to provide the aircrew with information concerning the friendly training exercise is a command and control failure, not a pilot failure or error.

Indictment was wrong, conviction will be wrong.

I agree with Dontreadonme 100%, but, do you think command will take responsibility? I highly doubt it. If there is one thing that is obvious, it is that these two pilots are going to be bigtime scapegoats.

There is nothing that can repay Canada for its loss and I don't believe pilots going to jail for an error committed by others will help that cause at all. If they are not allowed to defend themselves then why bother sending them on the mission?

In the past, however, the military has chosen to sacrifice individuals in situations like this to placate other countries. Of course, those were different times. I hope they do not this time because this would start an unacceptable trend in the war ahead.

I feel really bad for the pilots. They have made statements to the families and I think they truelly meant what they said. They are truelly sorry. It was an accident. I hope the judicial system will work this time.