Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
SwolerThanGabe
New member
Just because I'm bored on a Wednesday night, I'm going to post this problem that's asked of every prospective young officer multiple times. I'm curious as to how you all respond.
It's called the CO's Dilemna (which you know already, based on the thread title). CO stands for "Commanding Officer", for those who aren't aware we have a military in this country, and the dilemna stated is this:
You and half of your platoon of Marines are out set up in a listening post about 5 miles from your command center. You're a brand new platoon commander, thrust into the middle of a war, and you've just captured an enemy intelligence officer, who does not speak English. By the time he's brought back to base, he's revealed part of a plan to one of your multilingual Marines to attack your command center, but refuses to talk anymore.
The details of this attack are VITAL to the center's ability to defend itself. If you don't find out, the CC will, in all likelihood, be wiped out, and every Marine in it killed. However, with the information from this spook, you might be able to defend the center, and you firmly believe that it is your only hope.
He will not talk. Do you torture him, which would quite possibly reveal the information, but in the process violate the Geneva Convention that you are ordered to abide by? Keep in mind that as a serviceman, you've taken an oath to obey the orders of those appointed over you, so by torturing him, you break your oath. However, by not torturing him, there is almost a 100% chance that hundreds of your fellow Marines will die.
When you appear hesitant, your senior enlisted Gunnery Sergeant volunteers to torture him for you. Do you allow it?
Pop quiz, asshole: You've got a pissed-off Gunny, a base about to be hit, and a possible means of preventing it. What do you do?
It's called the CO's Dilemna (which you know already, based on the thread title). CO stands for "Commanding Officer", for those who aren't aware we have a military in this country, and the dilemna stated is this:
You and half of your platoon of Marines are out set up in a listening post about 5 miles from your command center. You're a brand new platoon commander, thrust into the middle of a war, and you've just captured an enemy intelligence officer, who does not speak English. By the time he's brought back to base, he's revealed part of a plan to one of your multilingual Marines to attack your command center, but refuses to talk anymore.
The details of this attack are VITAL to the center's ability to defend itself. If you don't find out, the CC will, in all likelihood, be wiped out, and every Marine in it killed. However, with the information from this spook, you might be able to defend the center, and you firmly believe that it is your only hope.
He will not talk. Do you torture him, which would quite possibly reveal the information, but in the process violate the Geneva Convention that you are ordered to abide by? Keep in mind that as a serviceman, you've taken an oath to obey the orders of those appointed over you, so by torturing him, you break your oath. However, by not torturing him, there is almost a 100% chance that hundreds of your fellow Marines will die.
When you appear hesitant, your senior enlisted Gunnery Sergeant volunteers to torture him for you. Do you allow it?
Pop quiz, asshole: You've got a pissed-off Gunny, a base about to be hit, and a possible means of preventing it. What do you do?
