What the kid did was wrong. But what the kid did was very excusable... to a degree.

No one knows what was going on inside that kid's head; how many times he'd been shot at that day; how many of his buddies he'd seen hit/killed; what he'd been through up to that point. There's no doubt his adrenaline was in overdrive and his judgement lacking from the fog of war.

But a certain discipline must be maintained on the battlefield. It's called Rules of Engagement. He may have very well killed the one man that knew exactly where Zarqawi is hiding or knew the insurgents battle plans. Or he could have been an innocent civilian held hostage by the insurgents.

That's why doctrine and the Rules of Engagement dictate the taking of prisoners when possible. Even a Gunny made that point when he was questioned afterwards.

All that being said, given the same circumstances and situation, I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing as that kid.

The real issue is the absurdity of having embedded reporters and cameramen with these units. Major mistake by the Pentagon.