U.S. air support troops learn to hold back

In an effort to reduce Afghan civilian casualties, U.S. air crews, when they get calls from colleagues under fire on the ground, must try to ensure they don't cause additional fatalities.
By Tony Perry

March 22, 2010 | 5:43 p.m.

Reporting from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
At the nightly "hot wash" debriefing on the Dwight D. Eisenhower, a pilot from the Pukin' Dogs squadron was explaining how he dropped a 500-pound bomb on a Taliban target in Afghanistan -- and why.

The pilot, a Naval Academy graduate with combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, would face two such cross-examinations before he could get some sleep after his 12-hour mission.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,3420650.story

So we have finally reached the point where we will risk soldier's lives rather than risk civilian casualties. IMO, that is not only a travesty, it is justification for withdrawing the US military from any combat engagement outside our borders.