Are these undisciplined troops, thugs, bullies and criminals, or are they under orders from their commanders to punish the natives? Or as my generation used to say,"waste the gooks".

Americans in every war have looted, raped, pillaged, killed and abused. But it was never government policy. We did it to loyal Brits during the Revolutionary War, to the Indians during the Indian wars, to the Yanks and the Rebs in the Civil War, and to the Germans and Italians and Japanese in WWII. In every army in every war there have been criminals like this. It was always a minority of bad apples who used the confusion of war to get away with crimes. Sometimes it is not policy, but the commanders "look the other way" and the crimes go unpunished. That's a crime too.

I know the definition is tricky, the guilty do not always leave evidence behind. But its important we keep that in mind or we are no better than they are.