If Kerrey thought he could not get his squad safely out ot that area without killing the civilians, armed or unarmed, he probably was justified in doing whatever he did, as terrible as it is. His job was to complete his mission, and get his men safely back to base.

As others have pointed out, war is hell, and civilians are killed in war. What about the horrendous number of civilian calualties at Dresden and other German cities during WW2? Should the bomb crews on those missions be held accountable because of the loss of civilian life? I don't think so. They were doing what they were supposed to do.

DougR