Would SA Soldiers Keep Bodily Souveneirs?

[Fenix Harth]

I was wondering that if say I kill a challenging enemy would it be ok if say I took a bone form their trigger finger (if they have one) as a trophy?

I was thinking that you might think it is a little far out but rune wasn't fully opposed. So just whated to know what the answer is.

 

[Wes]

It'd be odd, but I don't think anyone would stop him since the enemy dude would be dead anyway.

 

[Edto Xar'Sivaree]

This was posted on my... 11th birthday. I feel obligated to make a comment on it.

In all honesty, how would you get it? The bone to someones trigger finger? To do it to a humanoid would be considered the sign of a mental illness. You are desecrating a corpse for a prize. This isn't hunting game, you are collecting the knucklebones of other "people" regardless if they are your enemies or not. This would be akin to scalpig I feel.

 

[Wes]

Star Army regulations say this:

“The remains of our people will be treated with honor and dignity by the military. In cases where the death is not final, such as when ST data is available, bodies will be recycled to their molecular components. For a final death, a funeral service is authorized and any violation of the remains is strictly prohibited except for medical investigations.”

However they don't say anything about enemies. Hmm.

 

[Navian]

I'd think similar rules would apply. Taking a knuckle bone isn't very serious mutilation, mourners might not even notice at an open-casket funeral. In many cases the dead won't be tended to with much care, anyway, particularly in space battles. I don't see how this would be 'a sign of mental illness', unless they put a higher priority on taking trophies than on their actual job.

...all that aside, I somehow feel it would be a sign of mental illness if someone thought it A-OK to blow someone apart with a plasma cannon, but cutting off a piece after their death was a big no-no. Honour only goes so far.

 

[Edto Xar'Sivaree]

Yeah, and yet we do it now. Enemies in a war are nothing more than people who have orders against you. They are still people at the end of the day. Once they are dead, they should be left alone. On top of that, if you're in a space battle why would you take the time to do that? We have people blow others up with LAWs and AT-4's, Tanks, Snipers, whole nine yards. Plasma would make the person /gone/ but some of the things our weapons can do are horrific. Yet I don't know many militaries that would allow you to take body parts from soldiers in this day and age, unless in Yamatai the enemy is considered non-human.

 

[Wes]

Also this is one of those things where two sides of a war may have an unwritten agreement not to mess with each others' dead. Because if one side starts, the other might do the same in retaliation.