Mentally Unfit, Forced To Fight

In past wars, soldiers were allowed to rape or torture, to help keep themselves sane. But we expect male American soldiers to be such gentlemen. I can't help feeling that, if they were allowed to do these things, then they can be hardened to think of the Iraqis as less than human, and therefore be less frightened of them, even amidst the suicide bombings.

After the conquest of Germany, Red soldiers raped thousands of women:

Against this horrific background, Stalin and his commanders condoned or even justified rape, not only against Germans but also their allies in Hungary, Romania and Croatia. When the Yugoslav Communist Milovan Djilas protested to Stalin, the dictator exploded: "Can't he understand it if a soldier who has crossed thousands of kilometres through blood and fire and death has fun with a woman or takes some trifle?"

But we expect ours to be such brave and noble gentlemen.