Pretty ***king sick if this is true... (Investigation of Marines shooting prisoners)

[Purrybonker]

Apparently marines filmed executing prisoners...

here is the article:

"New York — The U.S. military is investigating the videotaped killing of a wounded and apparently unarmed Iraqi prisoner by a U.S. marine in a mosque in the former rebel stronghold of Fallujah, a marine spokesman said.

The dramatic footage was taken Saturday by pool correspondent Kevin Sites of NBC television, who said three other prisoners wounded a day earlier in the mosque had also apparently been shot the next day by the marines.

The incident played out as the marine 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment, returned to the unidentified Fallujah mosque Saturday. Sites was embedded with the unit.

The marines had treated the wounded, he reported, left them behind and continued Friday with their drive to retake the city from guerrillas who have been battling U.S.-led occupation forces in Iraq with increasing ferocity and violence in recent months.

The same five men were still in the mosque Saturday, Mr. Sites reported.

On the video, as the camera moved into the mosque during the Saturday incident, a marine can be heard shouting obscenities in the background, yelling that one of the men was only pretending to be dead.

On the video, as the camera moved into the mosque during the Saturday incident, a marine can be heard shouting obscenities in the background, yelling that one of the men was only pretending to be dead.

“He's (expletive) faking he's dead!”

“Yeah, he's breathing,” another marine is heard saying.

“He's faking he's (expletive) dead!” the first marine says.

The video then showed a marine raising his rifle toward a prisoner lying on the floor of the mosque. The video shown by NBC and provided to the network pool was stopped and did not show the bullet hitting the man, but the audio continued and a rifle shot could be heard.

“He's dead now,” a marine is heard saying.

The blacked out portion of the videotape, provided later to Associated Press Television News and other members of the network pool, showed the bullet striking the man in the upper body, possibly the head. His blood splatters on the wall behind him and his body goes limp.

Mr. Sites reported that a marine in the same unit had been killed just a day earlier when he tended to the booby-trapped dead body of an insurgent.

A spokesman at U.S. Marine Corps headquarters in the Pentagon, Major Doug Powell, said the incident is “being investigated.” He had no further details, other than to confirm the incident happened on Saturday and that the marines involved were part of the 1st Marine Division.

On Tuesday, the U.S. military said in a statement that the 1st Marine Division is investigating an allegation of the unlawful use of force in the death of an enemy combatant in Fallujah during combat operations on Saturday.

The marine has been withdrawn from the battlefield pending the results of the investigation, the U.S. military said"

[Mule]

Sounds like he was doing the job we sent him to do!

[island911]

Yeah. . . and I'm pretty ***king sick of MMQB'ing lib's politicizing military events to demonize our military.

Our military is dealing with a lot. . .including investigating this incident.

If this soldier in question, has a future run for POTUS as a Dem, guys like you will be the first to find a way to dismiss the incident.

Day two. . .the same guys shooting at me, after they were given a chance to stop? I would have popped the guy too. . . .These people we are fighting are not fighting by any convention or treaty. . .they take no prisoners (unless they need to stage a beheading) and yet dumb-ass lib's are "BEING OFFENDED" by a solidiers need for self-preservation.

Get real.

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by Purrybonker
Mr. Sites reported that a marine in the same unit had been killed just a day earlier when he tended to the booby-trapped dead body of an insurgent.

Ok, I'll grant that shooting unarmed prisoners is bad. But let's look at what we know about this other story: Marine going to tend an insurgent's body gets creamed. Wouldn't you be a little tense about enemy bodies after that? Wouldn't you be even more tense if you saw one that was still alive?

Modern warfare has rules -- military people need to be in uniform. People carrying out military action need to clearly differentiate themselves from the innocents. The reason for the rules is clear -- if one side in a conflict takes to non-uniformed combat, then all of a sudden everyone is a target. Children have been known to carry explosives (Vietnam war reference) -- therefore, all children are now potential enemies, and therefore are targets. Apparently dead bodies have been known to be booby-trapped -- so dead bodies aren't "safe" anymore. The "common sense" rule is "If it can kill me, it is an enemy." The Iraqi insurgents are making it impossible to tell the difference between warfighters and innocents, which puts US troops in an impossible position.

Dan

[joeclarke]

island911 - Did you actually read that article before you put your keyboard in gear? If this is true, as reported - sounds pretty much like murder in the 1st IMHO.

I doubt many human beings would support such activity regardless of political stripe. I think that the Marine Corps can do pretty well in their own defense (if justified) without the necessity of venom spouting from your keyboard.

[Rot 911]

From CNN "The Marine who shot the Iraqi man had reportedly been returned to duty after suffering a minor facial wound Friday.

About a block away, a Marine was killed and five others wounded by a booby-trapped body they found in a house after a shootout with insurgents.

The human rights organization Amnesty International raised concerns about violations of the rules of war last week, after a British news program broadcast video of what it said was the killing of another wounded insurgent by U.S. troops.

Amnesty also noted reports that insurgents have used mosques as fighting positions, and in one incident appear to have used a white flag to lure Marines into an ambush."

I doubt one of those bastards would have hesitated to shoot a Marine inthe same situation. He made a choice to be in the fight. Turned out to be a bad choice, but it was his choice nevertheless. It wouldn't be a big deal if some terrorist sawed a Marine's head off on camera. You wouldn't hear squat out of the world opinion in that case. Or for that matter, Purry, where was your outrage at the terriorist sawing off the heads of Americans? Instead of burning that Marine, they should make copies of that video and distribute it. Pick a fight with 1MARDIV, you die. Far as I'm concerned, he executed a terrorist. Like stepping on a cockroach. Who gives a shiit?

[RallyJon]

Is anyone investigating the boobytrapping of corpses? "playing dead" to ambush our troops? hiding in and shooting from Mosques?

Until you condemn that, you can shut the ***k up about a soldier who reacted quickly to make sure this wasn't another trap or ambush. It certainly is true and it's "pretty ***king sick" to ignore the real crimes of one side, while looking for any opportunity to create bad PR for our troops.

[joeclarke]

Originally posted by RallyJon
Is anyone investigating the boobytrapping of corpses? "playing dead" to ambush our troops? hiding in and shooting from Mosques?

Until you condemn that, you can shut the ***k up about a soldier who reacted quickly to make sure this wasn't another trap or ambush. It certainly is true and it's "pretty ***king sick" to ignore the real crimes of one side, while looking for any opportunity to create bad PR for our troops.

What is wrong with you people? Is there some fundamental disconnect from morality going on here? Did you read the story?

[nostatic]

I'm pretty much a flaming liberal, but I have to say "sad, imperfect, but all things considered, who gives a rat's ass?" If I try and put myself into the solider's place (which god forbid, I will never have to do), I come into a location where I've been taking fire and there is somebody wounded who I thought was firing granades at me...well hell yeah I'd put them out of their misery.

That may make me pathetic, but I think it is a human response to ridiculously insane conditions.

And I have no idea how anyone could call this "1st degree murder". If it is a crime, it is in the heat of passion (or more acurately, during a war).

And one last comment: any media has a POV. There is no such thing as "photorealism", or unbiased video. Ask any documentary filmmaker. Or news person who has a clue.

[RallyJon]

I just get fed up with all the one-sided arguments. I'll have to do a search, since I must have missed where Purrybonker and joeclarke have expressed suitable, proportional outrage at the horrors committed by the Iraqi resistance.

[joeclarke]

Originally posted by nostatic
I'm pretty much a flaming liberal, but I have to say "sad, imperfect, but all things considered, who gives a rat's ass?" If I try and put myself into the solider's place (which god forbid, I will never have to do), I come into a location where I've been taking fire and there is somebody wounded who I thought was firing granades at me...well hell yeah I'd put them out of their misery.

That may make me pathetic, but I think it is a human response to ridiculously insane conditions.

And I have no idea how anyone could call this "1st degree murder". If it is a crime, it is in the heat of passion (or more acurately, during a war).

And one last comment: any media has a POV. There is no such thing as "photorealism", or unbiased video. Ask any documentary filmmaker. Or news person who has a clue.

Well that caps it - the decline of the American Empire is now completely unstoppable. Nostatic was the one last bastion of rational, measured humanity that I had hoped existed on this board. If even he can absorb this as reasonable action by a fellow citizen acting on his behalf - America has gone over-the-top.

I am officially done with this board - so long folk - been good to know ya. Life is too short for the negative energy seething around here.

[Purrybonker]

Originally posted by RallyJon
I just get fed up with all the one-sided arguments. I'll have to do a search, since I must have missed where Purrybonker and joeclarke have expressed suitable, proportional outrage at the horrors committed by the Iraqi resistance.

Is there a full moon? I post a reference to an Associated Press story - leave for a while and the next thing I've got a buncha lunatics jumping down my throat for some kinda Marine/American hating behaviour?

Shove it you troglodites - wallow in your misery.

Count me out too - last post for me.

[island911]

Originally posted by joeclarke
. . . . Life is too short for the negative energy seething around here.

You throw-up a post demonizing an American Soldier surviving in a hostle environment. .. and then throw-up some implication that WE are the ones with "negative energy" !?

Yeah, don't let the gate hit ya in the ass, on the way out.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by joeclarke
Well that caps it - the decline of the American Empire is now completely unstoppable. Nostatic was the one last bastion of rational, measured humanity that I had hoped existed on this board. If even he can absorb this as reasonable action by a fellow citizen acting on his behalf - America has gone over-the-top.

I am officially done with this board - so long folk - been good to know ya. Life is too short for the negative energy seething around here.

[YAHBO]

"They hate us because we're free."

[gaijinda]

Originally posted by Purrybonker
Is there a full moon? I post a reference to an Associated Press story - leave for a while and the next thing I've got a buncha lunatics jumping down my throat for some kinda Marine/American hating behaviour?

Shove it you troglodites - wallow in your misery.

Count me out too - last post for me.

Purry - Not jumping down your throat. Take a chill pill man. Read the posts.

[lendaddy]

First, your post title called them "prisoners" I would say that's a little inacurate/misleading, no? People have just had it with the blame America/Americans first crap. If you find what happened in that article to be horrifying I suggest you never read about war or talk to combat vets as it will turn your stomach what really happens. This is why I want these repoerters the F$%^ out of there.

[928ram]

Wow, did anyone besides me see the video?
Joe and Purry, without knowing all the facts you have convicted this soldier as a murderer and then you get offended because the rest of the world doesn't see it your way, or they are willing to wait till all the facts a presented before handing down a conviction?

[dhoward]

Originally posted by Purrybonker
Snipped, with extreme prejudice......

Count me out too - last post for me.

Oh, if it were only true.....

[gaijinda]

Originally posted by 928ram
Wow, did anyone besides me see the video?
Joe and Purry, without knowing all the facts you have convicted this soldier as a murderer and then you get offended because the rest of the world doesn't see it your way, or they are willing to wait till all the facts a presented before handing down a conviction?

Purry just posted the darn thing.