The soldiers failed to report on Oct. 13 for a mission to transport supplies from Tallil air base near Nasiriyah to Taji north of Baghdad. They had claimed that they balked at the mission because the vehicles were unarmored and in poor condition. They also said complaints to their commander about their concerns went unheeded.

Smart move by the military. A court-martial would have brought more media attention to the lack of equipment and the justness of the troops' complaints. And besides, they're too desperate for troops to lose 23 men to legal proceedings.