Marines Caught Urinating on Dead Bodies

[Nova]

So long as we condone and make excuses for this type of behavior, this type of behavior will continue.

True, but I think it's possible to have some understanding of the offenders as people without condoning or excusing their behavior.

I am not a vet and have never been to war. I realize there have to be some rules for war, though the concept seems paradoxical. But since I haven't seen my best friend blown up beside me, I also believe I have to extend some compassion to those who have.

 

[Soulmagent]

I saw the news report on chennel 8 this morning. My honest reaction to the story was how do we really expect 18 and 19 year olds to behave in the middle of crisis and trauma? Emotionally I would expect them to revert towards a more immature coping method because they are so young, it is alot to handle and acting out on their enviroment is a type of mental release. Their brian development hasnt done its whole thing, that is done at arround 22.

These man,who have seen far worse then I have I am sure(and I have seen some uglies) are really just teens.

Gitana1

We expect these young men to come out of these situations unscathed and to act normally and sanely at all times under such circumstances. I think that's a ridiculous expectation.

__________________

I agree. It is absurd.

 

[Kat]

I saw that this is an accurate photo. When I saw the report at first it was still under review.

It is reprehensible and heads will roll and not just these men urinating or the one with the camera either.

This will go up the chain of command. Careers are going to end over this because the command sets the tone for the unit with boots on ground. It's just a matter of fact. How far up it will go---just depends but the Commander in Chief called for an investigation himself so this is going to be a very serious for a lot of people.

(I have never served, so I can't speak from experience. I have only been as close to this war as one can be as the wife and now Mom of a soldier, so my thoughts aren't expressed from one who has served).

But, soldiers are human beings. Yes they have an admirable code of conduct and many live, breathe and personify the core values and codes of conduct of the military but a lot don't. Not any more or less than you see in the civilian sector---we see people in that sector (I am a civilian) do some pretty idiotic unthought through actions. Some are kind, considerate and some aren't. They are just human.

This is a black eye for the USA and for those that serve the military. Only because of the way they are percieved not only in the world but also a small section of the USA society that already has preconceived notions about those that serve the military. So it is only in that way that I'm cringing.

I can't make an excuse for their behavior but to be honest they didn't hack the heads off the deceased and parade down the street with their bodies. They didn't hang the deceased bodies off a bridge and set them on fire. They didn't drag the deceased back to base camp whereby all the soldiers joined in and dragged the bodies around chanting and shooting off firearms and celebrating. They just made a very bad judgement call. Real bad. They should not have been peeing on a dead body and they sure as heck shouldn't have filmed it or the bodies.

But, in all honesty, I couldn't care less. Just being very honest about that. Meh, could have been worse.

All JMHO

 

[Kimberlyd125]

War is not honorable. I'd be willing to bet everyone of those guys have picked up pieces of their buddies bodies to collect to send home.

I'm just sorry this was posted. They have been through hell and will never be the same. I am not disgusted by it but truly hope they do not suffer any consequences for it.

Regarding our soldiers if they're captured, as far as I know most of our boys have been chopped to pieces after only God knows what happened to them first.

If those bodies had been alive then maybe I'd be a little concerned... but if after walking beside my best friend then seeing him blown to pieces with parts of his body and blood all over me by these same people I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing.

At least they are not cutting the man's head off while he's still alive with a dull sword.

Great post!
ITA

 

[QueenD]

All I want to say is why was this even leaked to the public?

We did not need to see or know this.

Now the retaliation someone (solider) is going to have to take for this.

 

[MarthaM]

Besides finding the behavior of these 'men' to be completely embarrassing and disgusting, I question the intelligence of all of those involved. Doing such a thing on video and then sharing it tells me that these aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

 

[Seek&Find]

First, I'd like to thank these young men for serving our country. Even though my greatgrandfather, grandfather, father, and stepson served, I can't imagine what it's like to literally fight for your life. Is what they did wrong? Of course. My hope would be that they're counseled by fellow soldiers who know how it gets on the battlefield, the emotions, the fear, the relief, etc. Their actions were degrading to the enemy but also to themselves, and will be used to fuel anti American sentiment, in spite of all the hard work many of our soldiers have put into rebuilding infrastructure, schools, etc. It was immature and not thought through, but not evil or despicable. Those words should be reserved for those who molest, rape, torture, and murder IMO. They didn't mutilate, pose, or burn the bodies. They peed on them. I hope they don't face too severe punishment but are corrected in no uncertain terms. Their CO should get into some trouble, but I hope no careers are ruined over this.

 

[sharkeyes]

I am not going to judge these soldiers. I cannot imagine what they have been through - being programmed to eliminate the enemy and living in a constant state of hypervigilance will take its toll. And once you've killed the enemy, accomplished your mission, secured the area, and you're still breathing, what are you supposed to do?...start sobbing because you feel bad?...no, it's YOUR JOB to kill the enemy, the stress and adrenaline involved has got to be mind numbing. Unfortunately, the video was posted on the net, well, I'm sure there has been much worse done to our men that will never be spoken about much less made public via an online video. I would have no problem thanking each and every one of them for their service to this country.

There but for the grace of God go I.

 

[Trvl4Lyfe]

Can almost make you think less of our honorable military. :twocents:

 

[Charlie09]

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/...geller-on-marines-victory-tinkle-so-what.html

I was interviewed for the 11 pm news on WTSP (CBS Florida affiliate) on the US Marines breach of protocol and the the ensuing brouhaha.
<modsnip>
G-d bless the US Marines.

 

[MarthaM]

All I want to say is why was this even leaked to the public?

We did not need to see or know this.

Now the retaliation someone (solider) is going to have to take for this.

It all goes back to the participants, and they're the ones to blame for us finding out about it. If that little group hadn't pee'd on the bodies, there wouldn't have been anything to make a video of and for the public to find out about.

I don't need to know every single instance of inappropriate or unacceptable behavior by some of those in the military. But as horrible as these instances are, I do think it's necessary to occasionally be reminded that just because someone wears a uniform doesn't mean that he or she always acts in an admirable way and is beyond reproach. I don't think pushing these things under the rug is at all helpful.

What I want to know is... what are these Marines' superiors like, and is this an isolated incident or something that has been tolerated or even encouraged?

 

[Gardenlady]

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/...geller-on-marines-victory-tinkle-so-what.html

Sorry to be blunt but... wtf does any of this anti-Muslim propaganda have to do with the Marine incident?

And how sad is it that an excuse my KIDS use ("yah, but HE did worse stuff than me!") is being used to somehow justify the bad behavior of these grown men? hoh:

 

[Nova]

Sorry to be blunt but... wtf does any of this anti-Muslim propaganda have to do with the Marine incident?

And how sad is it that an excuse my KIDS use ("yah, but HE did worse stuff than me!") is being used to somehow justify the bad behavior of these grown men? hoh:

Indeed.

Perhaps the real lesson to be taken here is not that a few young Marines did something stupid. Perhaps we should consider that if they feel the way they feel (and who can blame them?), imagine how Afghans feel after a decade of prolonged occupation (however noble we may deem our own intentions to be).

Presumably, the families and non-military friends of these Marines are thousands of miles away, safe and sound. How do young Afghans feel, considering their families and friends are often caught in the cross-fire?

I thought we had agreed as a country that there would be no more Viet Nams, that we would never again ask our soldiers to endure long tours of duty in occupied countries where they come under fire from foes who can't be distinguished from innocent civilians. I thought we learned this lesson when I was a young man...

 

[davehead21]

We all know that war isn't rainbows and butterflies, we all know that far worse has and will be done during times of war. However, that does not mean our military men and woman cannot act in a way that our country can be proud of. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." I am afraid that is the case here-- so many people are condoning this behavior because it's war and they were Taliban men.

The thing that leaves me scratching my head the most is that these men filmed it, then let it get leaked (maybe a little pun intended). I mean, seriously?! Who does something like that with video evidence?! I can't help but laugh at that part.

 

[Soulmagent]

We all know that war isn't rainbows and butterflies, we all know that far worse has and will be done during times of war. However, that does not mean our military men and woman cannot act in a way that our country can be proud of. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." I am afraid that is the case here-- so many people are condoning this behavior because it's war and they were Taliban men.

The thing that leaves me scratching my head the most is that these men filmed it, then let it get leaked (maybe a little pun intended). I mean, seriously?! Who does something like that with video evidence?! I can't help but laugh at that part.

Someone who wants a discharge.

I think.

 

[Charlie09]

Sorry to be blunt but... wtf does any of this anti-Muslim propaganda have to do with the Marine incident?

And how sad is it that an excuse my KIDS use ("yah, but HE did worse stuff than me!") is being used to somehow justify the bad behavior of these grown men? hoh:

<modsnip>

The greater question is -Why is our military smeared with the leaked video of an incredibly small group of soldiers? Why is there no outrage at all at the other incidents? Why is the outrage saved for these soldiers? And why have we all heard of this, and not the other incidents?

 

[Reader]

US Marine Corps Soul Searching After 'Urinating' Video

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-marines-soul-searching-urinating-video/story?id=15353762

The U.S. Marine Corps is launching an internal investigation into the culture of the Corps in response to a video that purportedly shows troops urinating on the corpses of suspected Taliban fighters, a Marine official told ABC News today.

The probe will attempt to answer the question "What happened in the Marine Corps that this happened?" according to the official.

"It'll be a holistic look at everything surrounding this issue," he said.

USMC Commandant Gen. Jim Amos first announced an internal "preliminary" probe Thursday, saying the video showed behavior "wholly inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and warrior ethos that we have demonstrated throughout our history."
------

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) has already launched its own independent investigation into potential criminal activity shown in the video. ........ The results of both the NCIS and the USMC investigations will be presented to Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser who will determine further action, the USMC said in a statement.
-------

If authentic, the video portrays potential violations of both the first Geneva Convention, which calls for the dead to be "honorably interred" and graves to be "respected," as well as the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice for allegedly bringing "discredit upon the armed forces."


More at link....

 

[Nova]

<modsnip>

The greater question is -Why is our military smeared with the leaked video of an incredibly small group of soldiers? Why is there no outrage at all at the other incidents? Why is the outrage saved for these soldiers? And why have we all heard of this, and not the other incidents?

So the problem is <modsnip> just that these Marines got caught? Or that a poster used a common acronym that isn't vulgar unless you already know what it means?

 

[Charlie09]

So the problem is <modsnip> that these Marines got caught? Or that a poster used a common acronym that isn't vulgar unless you already know what it means?

The problem<modsnip> is that a handful of soldiers are being used to smear our entire military as though this is the greatest outrage ever. Why don't we hear of these other atrocities?

The vulgar language was a side note and addressed as such.

 

[Nova]

The problem<modsnip> is that a handful of soldiers are being used to smear our entire military as though this is the greatest outrage ever. Why don't we hear of these other atrocities?

The vulgar language was a side note and addressed as such.

<modsnip>

Many of us here (including myself) have expressed some compassion toward the Marines involved on the basis that we have put them in a terrible situation.

I don't know that the entire Corps has been tarred; it hasn't in my mind. And frankly I tend to agree that if it's okay to kill somebody, urinating on his corpse afterward doesn't really make things worse. This isn't 500 B.C. and I don't think discarded bodies have to be ritually "clean" so their owners can get to the After Life.

But we're supposed to be the "good guys" in Afghanistan. We're supposed to be representatives of modern civilization, democracy and justice defending the Afghans themselves against the forces of medieval barbarism.

So an incident such as this one isn't just distasteful, it quite literally contravenes our entire mission in this war.