Accountability

Four decades after My Lai, Lt. Calley has apologized for his responsibility in the wanton murder of My Lai residents, including women and children:
“There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai,” William Calley told members of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus [GA] today. His voice started to break when he added, “I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.” (Robert Mackey, “An Apology for My Lai, Four Decades Later,” New York Times, August 24, 2009)

Lt. Calley explicitly acknowledged that orders from a senior do not excuse or justify immoral behavior:
I asked him for his reaction to the notion that a soldier does not have to obey an unlawful order. In fact, to obey an unlawful order is to be unlawful yourself. He said, “I believe that is true. If you are asking why I did not stand up to them when I was given the orders, I will have to say that I was a 2nd Lieutenant getting orders from my commander and I followed them — foolishly, I guess.” He said that was no excuse, just what happened. (Robert Mackey, “An Apology for My Lai, Four Decades Later,” New York Times, August 24, 2009)
Evidence presented at Lt. Calley’s trial, however, supported the claim by Calley’s commanding officer, Capt. Medina, that he never issued an order to massacre everyone in My Lai. In either case, massacring noncombatants constitutes unacceptable criminal behavior according to international and national law. Such behavior similarly violates moral norms established by Just War Theory.

U.S. citizens can justifiably be proud of a government and armed forces that hold military personnel accountable for their actions.

Similarly, holding intelligence personnel for their actions should make Americans proud, confident that their democratic system can withstand the challenges posed by radical Islamiscists and other adversaries. Without the rule of law – prohibiting private individuals and public officials alike from acting as the person deems best without a responsibility to uphold an established legal standard – civilization and freedom will not long endure.

The minor tempest that former Vice President Cheney has ignited with his unsupported allegations that the Justice Department’s investigation of CIA agents’ possible use of illegal interrogation techniques has made United States less safe ignores the essential importance that the rule of law plays in protecting both freedom and democracy.

Moral accountability, in contrast to legal accountability, is what Christianity has sought to establish through its understanding of divine justice. Not all behavior is acceptable to God. Behavior that diminishes or destroys life demands being set right. The goal of divine justice, so often misunderstood, is not punishing the wrongdoer. Instead, divine justice entails identifying unacceptable thoughts, words and deeds, then restoring creation to wholeness by setting wrongs right in a way that heals the damage inflicted as well as the culpable parties.