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At the risk of sounding too touchy-feely, I think that there's too much talk at this point about "punishment." MOO, this undercurrent is generating counterproductive comments on all sides of the issue that may ultimately serve to undermine the institutional legitimacy of the Marines and the intellectual effectiveness of its supporters.
I'd much prefer to see stakeholders do a good job at finding out what happened, how, and why, before making determinations as to what corrective actions should be taken.
During this process, civilian society might benefit some scrutiny. If we civilians are going to hold members of the American armed services accountable for a certain level of historical knowledge, we need to make sure that we also meet that standard. MOO, one should be sufficiently educated to make an informed choice when dealing with matters of historical significance, and to understand the potential consequences of those choices.
This is not to say that all Americans should be indoctrinated to have the exact same view of the past. Our strength as a nation grows in no small part from our capacity for rigorous debate.
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