"Rules of Engagement" *SPIT*

USMC Corporal Dakota Meyer of Greensburg, KY, will be receiving the Medal of Honor from President Obama at the White House.

Had it not been for the Rules of Engagement in place in Afghanistan that are intended to minimize civilian casualties in that savage place, the actions that Corporal Meyer took that earned him the Medal of Honor would not have been necessary.

The team was pinned down, and the only way out was to pound the militant positions with airstrikes or artillery.

Meyer's team and others in the valley called for airstrikes. The requests were denied by staff officers in a command center who were concerned about civilian casualties and were unclear how fearsome the ambush was, according to a military investigation.

From the valley it appeared as if the entire village had joined the fight. Women were running between positions, resupplying the insurgents with ammunition. Some of the shooters were children.

Coalition command policy was to use airstrikes sparingly to avoid harming civilians, but troops in trouble were supposed to get the firepower they needed to protect themselves.

"If (you) don't give me this air support, we are going to die out here," Johnson yelled over the radio, according to the Marine Corps account of the battle.

Click to read the whole thing, and to see video. The officers in the command center were later censured for failing to support Meyer and his team.