I took Marine prisoners all over the southwestern United States from 81-84. I picked them up wherever they were arrested or turned themselves in for whatever reason, and from hospitals etc. Usually it was DUI or fights etc, almost always I treated them professionally and they cooperated with whatever I told them to do. Few really scared me but I was very careful with all of them from the 140lbers to the massive guys that could twist my head off if they got hold of me. We all were trained killers and I didn't forget that fact. The thing the Marine Corps pounded in my head was it was my job NOT to have to kill any of them, always have control of the situation. I could shoot them or use deadly force if I THOUGHT it was necessary, but I owed it to my God, Country and Corps to take them from point A to point B without incident. It was my duty.
Many, times I picked Marines up from local PD's and transported them to their unit SgtMaj or to the brig or whatever. One time I got sent out to 29 Palms to bring a prisoner back to Camp Pendleton to stand a General Courts Martial for raping his XO's wife. OMG he was huge. I was in great shape about 5'9 176 lbs and low body fat. His biceps were the size of my thighs. It was 110F and I loaded him onto the back of a duce and a half to transport us out of the field to a jeep at main side. The 10 wheelers flipped over on a whim and even though the MPs suggested I hand cuff the prisoner to the bench I would not do it because if it flipped he could not jump and have a chance of not getting crushed. I handcuffed him in front, gave him my canteen because of the heat and hoped he would not jump me because of the kindness. He explained to me him and his XO's wife had been screwing for 2 years, he came home one day and caught them doing it and she immediately claimed he was raping her. I told him I actually believed everything he said, but it just makes me more likely to shoot you, so don't even look at me wrong. He got it, I avoided the situation that I had to use deadly force and I accomplished my mission. I would have had a lot more leeway shooting him than I would have a 140 pounder in handcuffs that had a DUI in Garden Grove. It is certainly situational, but he use of deadly force should always be the last choice. stand your ground etc moves that way up the scale of shooting early and letting God sort them out. Zimmerman created a situation he (if everything he says is true) had to shoot Martin. It was murder.
