I don't understand why you can't just live in shame and shut the fuck up if you're a veteran. Just live in shame and shut the fuck up about your experience.
No one's going to forgive you and rationalize for you, your victims will probably just let go of their anger instead of turning their grief into ghosts as they still need to live and move on. I think most people outside the US know that American troops are brainwashed brutes anyway, as if they'd let that excuse their crimes, but just choose to not obsess about individuals and instead lament and resist the institutions and power behind the American state.
ors downvote bombed the people pointing this out.