It is not very profound to observe that in choosing from a group of enemy targets to kill, a soldier is more likely to kill the one that represents the greatest gain to him and the greatest loss to the enemy. But if no particular soldier poses a specific threat by virtue of his actions, then the process of selecting the most high-value target can take more subtle forms. One consistent tendency is to elect to shoot leaders and officers. We have already noted the marine sniper who told Truby, “You don’t like to hit ordinary troops, because they’re usually scared draftees or worse…. The guys to
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