Aside from the obvious differences- motivation, uniform, beliefs, etc... falls the real difference. Actions on the objective. When a soldier does his job, he does so with professionalism, and per his rules of engagment. When an enemy combatant is captured, he is searched, tagged, and processed as an Enemy Prisoner of War(EPW). Then he's fed three times a day, and given a place to sleep. When a terrorist or insurgent captures an enemy combatant(soldier carrying a Geneva Conventions ID), he is videotaped, beheaded with a rusty saw, and his body is dumped.
I'm not saying this happens 100% of the time. Soldiers disobey orders, violate the ROE, and act like asshats. But the vast majority are professional in carrying out their assigned tasks. Unfortunatley, shit like Abu Ghraib happens, and makes every soldier look bad.
Personally, I've never taken a rusty e-tool and hacked someones head off, but that's just me.
I'm not saying this happens 100% of the time. Soldiers disobey orders, violate the ROE, and act like asshats. But the vast majority are professional in carrying out their assigned tasks. Unfortunatley, shit like Abu Ghraib happens, and makes every soldier look bad.
Personally, I've never taken a rusty e-tool and hacked someones head off, but that's just me.