system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is it frowned upon to shoot down enemy soldiers in a parachute?
gpt
It's only "frowned upon" when they're pilots/airman who have abondoned their aircraft (as opposed to airborn soldiers parachuting into a combat zone to fight). At the point they've been forced to abandon their plane, they're no longer combatants. It's considered cruel to shoot them because they're basically defenseless. Generally, pilots/crew in distress are given the opportunity to surrender when they reach ground. Basically, it's "not fair play" to shoot at pilots when they can't fight back.