So it was wrong for us to prosecute and execute German and Japanese officers for what we determined were war crimes? We should not have prosecuted 2LT William Calley for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam?

Here's something to bear in mind: at the end of the war in Europe, when the Soviets came into Germany, there was wholesale rapine and slaughter even among the civilians. When we entered Germany from the other direction, we tried our best to succor the civilian population and tried to hold our own soldiers responsible for looting, rape, or murder.

Today, who does Germany stand with? The Russians? Or NATO?

That's the practical, long-term wisdom of holding one's own to account for war crimes. We can see it today: Kuwait was so grateful to us for freeing them during Desert Storm...but when we wrongfully invaded Iraq, we cemented the enmity of generations to come across the whole of the Middle East.

Remember that wars always come to an end, and the wise leader does not wait until the shooting stops to make efforts to build good will - or at least mitigate ill will - among the other side's civilian populace. Prevention of war crimes by one's military is a crucial part of such efforts.