Sitting duck

For God's sake, Sergeant, we need to get to cover – we're sitting ducks out here.

[Now that the last gay bathhouse has closed] the AIDS Action Committee will no longer have all of those sitting ducks to reach with education

Joker: We're sitting ducks out here. I have to try to lose them in the debris field!

The soldiers were sitting ducks, sent forth by Russian commanders to act essentially as human cannon fodder in an assault.