this is honor?

Second Lt. Ilario Pantano of the US Marines had the murder charges against him dropped for an incidence last year in which he shot up two Iraqi insurgents (with 60 bullets no less -- having reloaded in the middle of it all), then hung a sign around their necks as a warning to other Iraqis. Whether it was premeditated murder is not my place to judge -- I wasn't there and I do not know how things are in the heat of combat -- but what bothers me is something his lawyer is quoted as saying:

The ruling "demonstrates that Ilario acted honorably in combat and the suggestion that he didn't that tarnished his reputation was unjustified," Gittins said. "I'm pleased for Ilario and his family because the nightmare is over."

Pardon me, but his actions don't quite seem "honorable" to me -- war or not, desecrating a human body like that isn't exactly cool (understandable perhaps, maybe even amoral given the circumstances, but not "honorable). But, as ABC News reports, he's not even going to receive punishment for that. So goes the war...