Video: US Marines urinating on dead Taliban

[Tender Branson]

Marines urinating on Taliban video: egregious and unacceptable says Pentagon

The US military is investigating an online video purportedly showing Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, a spokesman said Wednesday, calling the behaviour "disgusting".

The video shows what appears to be four servicemen, dressed in US military uniform, relieving themselves onto three bloodied bodies on the ground, apparently aware that they are being filmed.

"Have a great day, buddy," one of them says.

The Pentagon has not yet verified the video, but spokesman John Kirby told AFP: "Regardless of the circumstances or who is in the video, this is... egregious, disgusting behaviour, unacceptable for anyone in uniform."

"It turned my stomach," he added of the video, which was posted on the Live Leak website.

If authenticated, the images - which conjure up memories of the detainee abuse inflicted by American soldiers at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison - are sure to spark deep anger and resentment in the Muslim world.

A military official who asked not to be named said the helmet and weapon carried by one of the men seems to indicate the four could be members of an elite sniper team.

The official also said such conduct would be punishable under the US code of military justice.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, condemned the alleged desecration of corpses by US Marines.

"If verified as authentic, the video shows behaviour that is totally unbecoming of American military personnel and that could ultimately endanger other soldiers and civilians," CAIR said in a statement.

"We trust that this disturbing incident will be promptly investigated in a transparent manner and that appropriate actions will be taken based on the results of that investigation," the statement said.

"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws."

A statement issued by the Pentagon said: "Headquarters Marine Corps has recently been made aware of a video that portrays Marines urinating on what appear to be deceased members of the Taliban.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9009184/Marines-urinating-on-Taliban-video-egregious-and-unacceptable-says-Pentagon.html

[CLARENCE 2015!]

This makes the news over the millions of Muslim girls not permitted to leave their homes today

Sure it is unprofessional and they will be punished but it is ridiculous for anyone to use this to criticize all Marines or all the men and women in our service as I'm sure is on the way....

[Ban my account ffs!]

This makes the news over the millions of Muslim girls not permitted to leave their homes today

Sure it is unprofessional and they will be punished but it is ridiculous for anyone to use this to criticize all Marines or all the men and women in our service as I'm sure is on the way....

Unprofessional?  A bank teller calling a customer a jerk is unprofessional.  A cook dropping food on the floor and employing the 3 second rule is unprofessional.  A teacher grading students based on her own political leanings is unprofessional.

Killing an enemy combatant and then peeing on the bodies like a f**king dog?  That's a little beyond unprofessional.  Trash like that doesn't belong in the military and they should be discharged for behavior like that.

But then... if they couldn't get their rocks off killing other people and get paid doing it, they'd probably be here at home torturing animals or something.  So maybe they're better off being on the front lines.  Out of sight, out of mind.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

This makes the news over the millions of Muslim girls not permitted to leave their homes today

Sure it is unprofessional and they will be punished but it is ridiculous for anyone to use this to criticize all Marines or all the men and women in our service as I'm sure is on the way....

Unprofessional?  A bank teller calling a customer a jerk is unprofessional.  A cook dropping food on the floor and employing the 3 second rule is unprofessional.  A teacher grading students based on her own political leanings is unprofessional.

Killing an enemy combatant and then peeing on the bodies like a f**king dog?  That's a little beyond unprofessional.  Trash like that doesn't belong in the military and they should be discharged for behavior like that.

But then... if they couldn't get their rocks off killing other people and get paid doing it, they'd probably be here at home torturing animals or something.  So maybe they're better off being on the front lines.  Out of sight, out of mind.

Being frustrated or angry at this is one thing.... saying that US Marines- the finest fighting force on the planet- "get their rocks off killing other people and gettin paid to do it" and would be criminals here... you are a vile human being

When I was in Vietnam after Hanoi Jane visited an area a bit farther north, we had a joke...one of us would greet the other by saying "Hello Jane Fonda" and the other would respond "Hello bitch!" The reason is that Jane Fonda is a US citizen who is ungrateful for the people who give her your freedom

Put something into perspective Snowguy- those Taliban fighters who got a golden shower, they would KILL you without ever knowing you- they want to kill my grandkids simply because they are infidels, the Taliban is admitted by everyone to have done 9/11. They kill gays, adulterers, infidels, etc on a daily basis. These US Marines on the other hand- without ever knowing you- volunteer to DIE for you and for my grandkids. These guys will probably be discharged, but the reason you have the freedom to bash our military, unlike they do in many countries, is because they put on that uniform and because they killed those enemies

I admit- I am jealous of you for being so God damned naive that you can be outraged over this... when you grow up a bit more you will realize that the folks getting pissed on want you dead, and it is the men who are getting discharged who are preventing that from happening

[Joe Republic]

No need to get sensitive and lash out, clarence.  Snowguy never said he was talking about all Marines.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

No need to get sensitive and lash out, clarence.  Snowguy never said he was talking about all Marines.

You are right.... I have read his post again and realized he was referring to only these Marines. While I still think it is wrong to insult these men, I apologize for letting anger get the better of me

[republicanism]

Disgusting and needs to be punished, but, sadly, things like this happen in every war and in every military.

[Ban my account ffs!]

This makes the news over the millions of Muslim girls not permitted to leave their homes today

Sure it is unprofessional and they will be punished but it is ridiculous for anyone to use this to criticize all Marines or all the men and women in our service as I'm sure is on the way....

Unprofessional?  A bank teller calling a customer a jerk is unprofessional.  A cook dropping food on the floor and employing the 3 second rule is unprofessional.  A teacher grading students based on her own political leanings is unprofessional.

Killing an enemy combatant and then peeing on the bodies like a f**king dog?  That's a little beyond unprofessional.  Trash like that doesn't belong in the military and they should be discharged for behavior like that.

But then... if they couldn't get their rocks off killing other people and get paid doing it, they'd probably be here at home torturing animals or something.  So maybe they're better off being on the front lines.  Out of sight, out of mind.

Being frustrated or angry at this is one thing.... saying that US Marines- the finest fighting force on the planet- "get their rocks off killing other people and gettin paid to do it" and would be criminals here... you are a vile human being

When I was in Vietnam after Hanoi Jane visited an area a bit farther north, we had a joke...one of us would greet the other by saying "Hello Jane Fonda" and the other would respond "Hello bitch!" The reason is that Jane Fonda is a US citizen who is ungrateful for the people who give her your freedom

Put something into perspective Snowguy- those Taliban fighters who got a golden shower, they would KILL you without ever knowing you- they want to kill my grandkids simply because they are infidels, the Taliban is admitted by everyone to have done 9/11. They kill gays, adulterers, infidels, etc on a daily basis. These US Marines on the other hand- without ever knowing you- volunteer to DIE for you and for my grandkids. These guys will probably be discharged, but the reason you have the freedom to bash our military, unlike they do in many countries, is because they put on that uniform and because they killed those enemies

I admit- I am jealous of you for being so God damned naive that you can be outraged over this... when you grow up a bit more you will realize that the folks getting pissed on want you dead, and it is the men who are getting discharged who are preventing that from happening

One of my best friends is a marine and has done two tours in Iraq, one in Fallujah in 2004 as a grunt busting down doors and getting shot at, and one that went a bit smoother until an IED killed two of his good friends and f**ked up his ankles.

He came home and the military doctors told him to get over the pain and refused to order him on light duty.  He went to a civilian doctor and found out he had multiple hairline fractures in his ankles and that he'd need surgery on them ASAP.

He finally had surgery.. but his ankles still hurt like hell if he has to walk around for more than a couple hours, so he adjusts his walking so it doesn't hurt as bad... but now that has f**ked up his knees and back.  

But he'll be going out for 5 weeks of training this week and then be off to Afghanistan this spring for a 6 month tour.  He won't be peeing on any dead bodies.  He's also not proud of having had to kill people.  Certainly not "proud" enough to piss on their bodies while taking a video of it.

I admit I couldn't and wouldn't sign up for military duty.  Killing somebody, no matter how much they wanted to kill me, would f**k me up too much.  So I have no problem admitting that.

But two of my friends who joined the military did so because one overslept the day of his ACT test and so he couldn't get into college and the other kid did not get admitted to the colleges he applied to.  So it was the military.  Keep in mind this was in 2002, so we weren't in Iraq yet... but they knew they'd probably see combat.  They also joined purely because they were too lazy to further their education outside of the military.  

Spare me the holier than thou crap about how they "kill adulterers and gays and infidels".  Lots of people and lots of nations want and do kill adulterers and gays and infidels.  Why aren't we at war with Iran?  With Saudi Arabia?  With China?  With Pakistan (well, we kinda are)?  How about Yemen?  Oman?  Uganda?  The Congo?  Sudan?  Somalia?  Hell we have pastors in America that endorse Republican candidates for president that would like to see "biblical law" instated, including the death penalty for homosexuals.  Why aren't you putting on your fatigues and marching to Nebraska and killing that guy and pissing on his body while greeting your friends by calling them Jane?

I'm not naive.  I am informed enough to know that in our military's effort to grow its ranks, it has accepted a good number of soldiers who otherwise would be causing problems at home.  The military can be good for these people because the strict authoritarian, disciplined structure keeps them in line.  But a few slimeballs still end up doing sh**t like this.  And the fact that they are marines should make it all the more disgusting.  They know better.

These people didn't volunteer to go over there and DIE for me.  They volunteered to join the military, receive training, pay, and benefits, and to follow orders to fight a war that will have been for nothing as the Taliban finally sits down with us across a table and negotiates with us and they take over their country.  If the soldier dies, it is a tragedy and he is a hero for honoring his duty to the end.  But be honest with yourself.  They're not defending the U.S. from imminent attack or really defending the U.S. at all.  They are pawns in a sad game of scapegoat in a world full of people and nations that deserve to burn in hell.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

I do not know a single major American politiican who opposed to War in Afghanistan... the Taliban attacked us, we attacked them back. They are planning to attack us again- Al Queyda is recruiting within the USA, we are dismantling their networks. I admitted that I misjuded your previous statement, but what bothers me is how you equate American soldiers with the Taliban... you make it seem like we are equal nations (if the Taliban was a nation)

With regards to your "Holier then thou" statement... well we are! As Bill Maher (who I disagree with almost all the time) says... not only are we a different culture, we are a BETTER culture. And regardless of what a person's motivation for joining is, they are pledging to give their life for YOU, plain and simple, whereas the Taliban wants you to die. Yemen, United Arab Emirates, etc, have their extremists, but they are not waging war against us

These soldiers will be disciplined and probably discharged but let me put you into the mindset of these Marines...I have made a lot of posts today about my Vietnam service and that was unintentional but it is not pleasent. The reason I am up all night is because I either dream or cannot stop thinking about Vietnam, or how I mistreated my wife for years after and only made it up her last few years. I do not want to sound like I am putting myself on a pedestal because of my service....though I am proud of it then anything else I have done in my life, I wish I could forget it

But one day in Vietnam- this was in 66- I was in a civic action team. We were building a school house for a Vietnamese village. An Army infantry squad was attached to us and the squad leader was a sergeant from Oklahoma whose wife was expecting child. One day he got word from an officer that the child had died hours after being born and he was allowed to come home to be with his wife. He was to leave that day for the States. He was killed that day by Viet Cong, shot dead as he walked through a family farm. It took every instinct I had and every man with me had to not abandon the school house and torture every Vee Cee we could find, not caring if we died or not

As you know from your friends, there is nothing more personal then war. It is not just two sides fighting each other- it is one group of people trying to kill you and destroy everything you stand for and another group of people who have your back.  These Marines hated those Taliban more than you or I could imagine because those dead bodies probably killed their fellow Marines, and Marines have an espirit de corps more then any other branch

In the whole context of these war and of radical Islam versus the West, this is a small and isolated incident... and to see the world and even American citizens be outraged at this when the daily travesties committed by radical Muslims go on without a thought is very disturbing to someone who knows what it is like to be thought of as a criminal for serving my country. To see the sacrifices I made and so many made in Vietnam go unappreciatd by many people in this nation is more offensive then you can imagine.  People always talk about Vietnam as a waste and say we should not have been there... that is debateable, but when we were there nothing seemed more important. To have something called a waste that people I knew and loved died for gets to my soul... I am a strong man but I cry thinking about it

I am sorry to have taken this out on you...but what I am trying to tell you is that until you are shot at and until someone you are serving with gets killed, it is impossible to understand the feeling. I know many people know veterans and know people who were killed, and I respect them enormously...but when you are out there risking your lives with people, the least you expect is respect back home and the veterans of my generation were denied that

[Middle-aged Europe]

Marines urinating on Taliban video: egregious and unacceptable says Pentagon

The US military is investigating an online video purportedly showing Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, a spokesman said Wednesday, calling the behaviour "disgusting".

The video shows what appears to be four servicemen, dressed in US military uniform, relieving themselves onto three bloodied bodies on the ground, apparently aware that they are being filmed.

"Have a great day, buddy," one of them says.

The Pentagon has not yet verified the video, but spokesman John Kirby told AFP: "Regardless of the circumstances or who is in the video, this is... egregious, disgusting behaviour, unacceptable for anyone in uniform."

"It turned my stomach," he added of the video, which was posted on the Live Leak website.

If authenticated, the images - which conjure up memories of the detainee abuse inflicted by American soldiers at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison - are sure to spark deep anger and resentment in the Muslim world.

A military official who asked not to be named said the helmet and weapon carried by one of the men seems to indicate the four could be members of an elite sniper team.

The official also said such conduct would be punishable under the US code of military justice.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, condemned the alleged desecration of corpses by US Marines.

"If verified as authentic, the video shows behaviour that is totally unbecoming of American military personnel and that could ultimately endanger other soldiers and civilians," CAIR said in a statement.

"We trust that this disturbing incident will be promptly investigated in a transparent manner and that appropriate actions will be taken based on the results of that investigation," the statement said.

"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws."

A statement issued by the Pentagon said: "Headquarters Marine Corps has recently been made aware of a video that portrays Marines urinating on what appear to be deceased members of the Taliban.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9009184/Marines-urinating-on-Taliban-video-egregious-and-unacceptable-says-Pentagon.html

That's probably the best recruitment propaganda the Taliban can get. The Marines should be charged with treason since they were clearly aiding and abetting the enemy.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I refuse to respect the guys who videotaped themselves peeing on a dead enemy combatant.  The fact that you are demanding that I respect those people is peculiar and offensive.  And not only does it reflect poorly on the Marine Corps., it also could blow up and hurt our progress in Afghanistan.  Like it or not, this war will end with the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan with concessions to the U.S. to protect our interests and the basic freedoms of the Afghans.  An incident like this can set back the process to peace quite a ways.

I know you think the Taliban is evil.  I hate them too.  I want them gone.  But as every invading force in Afghanistan has found, including us, is that it's impossible to conquer the country.  Instead, we need to go for a diplomatic victory.  I hope the UN is involved in oversight and that democracy can remain even if it takes the Taliban to garner popular support among the people.

---

I'm sorry your generation was denied the respect you deserved.  But it was your generation that was disrespecting the soldiers.  And it's your generation that disrespects our generation today by demanding tax cuts for rich people and ever more bloated defense and entitlement budgets that my generation will have to pay for.  The ME generation, that's your's, wants their cake and they want to eat it too.  And if they can't, they're gonna mush the cake up in their hands so that nobody gets any.  That's just the curse of your generation:  So much idealism and narcissism and passion.  It's ripping our country apart... but I think the Vietnam vets are the greatest example of our neglect, selfishness, and scorn.  Even today, all those homeless Vietnam vets are scorned by people driving SUVs with magnetic "Support our troops" stickers on the back.  It's sad.

I think our neglect of veterans is proof that we are a broken nation.  We should be judged by the way we treat the least among us... and many of the least among us are vets.  They should have world class benefits from service to grave.  And for the homeless that want to be homeless, we should set up dorm style homeless shelters that offer both temporary shelter for inclement weather and permanent shelter in an open, group setting where people can come and go but have a warm bed and a hot meal to come home to when they need it.  Then we should ramp up mental healthcare for younger vets to ensure we don't abandon another generation of soldiers to the streets.

I haven't said once that I didn't respect you for going to Vietnam.  I understand it's probably a very rough subject for you and there are probably a lot of bad memories.  My mom's uncle, born in '47, did two tours in Vietnam and watched his best friend get his legs blown off while they were running through a field.  My great uncle was trying to drag him into the trees... but he was under fire, and his friend begged him to leave him there so he could save himself.  When he got home, he found out his wife had left him for another man... so he went back again.  The story about his best friend is just one of the few he will actually talk about.  He still has night terrors from the experience.  When my mom was thinking of adopting a baby in the early 80s.. potentially one form Vietnam, my great uncle told her "you adopt one of those gook babies and I'll never speak to you again"... and yet, 25 years later, he's one of the kindest, gentlest men you'll ever meet.

But you have to understand that I cannot respect anybody, no matter how much they hate the enemy, that would do something like pee on the bodies and videotape it.  Because beyond duty and country, there is humanity.  And I'd like to think that civilized Americans with strict military training can thank God it was that guy and not him and just move on without having to mark his territory like a feral dog.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

I am NOT a Baby Boomer Snowguy... those are the ones in charge now who are destroying my grandchildren's financial future...I was born in 42- I never knew my father as he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge and he only saw me once... I did not grow up with the easy 50s life that the Baby Boomers did so do not lump me in with them please

I joined the service in part because I believe in serving my country, part to honor my father, and part because I was not going to be anything without it. As a Seabee I learned construction and became a successful builder because of it. But I had to work for every thing I have had in my entire life and every move I make it for my kids and grand kids...ask Wonkish with who I have discussed my investments a bit. The Baby Boomers are the ones who moved into the Italianate mansionettes I built and drove BMWs when their budgets were tract houses and Fords. And YES- they are the ones who smoked pot and burned flags when I was building school houses in rural Vietnamese villages wiith the finest men I have ever met

[Ban my account ffs!]

I am NOT a Baby Boomer Snowguy... those are the ones in charge now who are destroying my grandchildren's financial future...I was born in 42- I never knew my father as he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge and he only saw me once... I did not grow up with the easy 50s life that the Baby Boomers did so do not lump me in with them please

I joined the service in part because I believe in serving my country, part to honor my father, and part because I was not going to be anything without it. As a Seabee I learned construction and became a successful builder because of it. But I had to work for every thing I have had in my entire life and every move I make it for my kids and grand kids...ask Wonkish with who I have discussed my investments a bit. The Baby Boomers are the ones who moved into the Italianate mansionettes I built and drove BMWs when their budgets were tract houses and Fords. And YES- they are the ones who smoked pot and burned flags when I was building school houses in rural Vietnamese villages wiith the finest men I have ever met

Well, you're on the cusp of the baby boom/silent generation... and you did grow up in the 50s/early 60s and fight in Vietnam.  My grandfather, for example, was born in 1930, grew up during WWII and the Red Scare and fought in Korea... definitely Silent Generation.  And he acts the stereotype.. he doesn't protest.  He does what he's told.  He votes early and often, is involved in all sorts of civic organizations, and at 81, works at the weigh station for a local wood processing plant where he gets to talk shop with all the truckers.

I guess you'd be what some people call "the lucky few"... though you're at the tail end.  It encompasses the group born from about 1934-1940... those too young to really remember the depression or much of WWII and were also too young to fight in Korea, but were generally too old for Vietnam (unless they signed up voluntarily early on, like you did).  They generally entered into their careers in the late 50s/early 60s when the economy was booming, ahead of the baby boom employee wave, and quickly moved up the ladder to supervise the baby boomers... retiring with lavish benefits and pensions and a robust Medicare and Social Security that benefited from the relative glut of births during that time period.

How do they repay society?  By dressing up in tri-cornered hats and shouting for the gubmint to get its hands off my medicare... alas, I digress. 

So here's a question:  Would you ever consider visiting Vietnam today?  It's a place I'd like to visit, for the food if anything else... but I think 40 years on it's a beautiful country with a lot of promise.

I know many vets never would... the scars just aren't healed enough... but what about you?

[CLARENCE 2015!]

I actually did with my wife in 2005...it was a very emotional trip. We got onto the Vietnam Airlines flight in Tokyo and hearing the language gave me a panic. I was very happy to see how peaceful and advanced the country had become and how welcoming they were...I remember talking to the concierge at the hotel in Hanoi (a place I would have never thought I would visit) and he said many veterans were making the journey.  It is just like going to Japan or Germany I guess...

[John Dibble]

Honestly I'm not all that outraged at this - we've seen soldiers do worse to living people who weren't even enemies on the battlefield (I'm reminded of that one where the soldiers had some kids chasing after their vehicle just to get some bottled water) and this at least I can understand why they'd do this. Of course it's certainly unprofessional and it was utterly stupid of them to videotape themselves considering that nothing like that's going to stay secret for long, I just can't get all that upset about it.

[lowtech redneck]

Killing an enemy combatant and then peeing on the bodies like a f**king dog?  That's a little beyond unprofessional.  Trash like that doesn't belong in the military and they should be discharged for behavior like that.

Frankly, my only real problem with their actions (and its a big one) is that doing so is bad for PR and army discipline; I otherwise have a difficult time caring if someone desecrates the body of a person willing to shoot little girls for the henious crime of attending school, but that's just me.

[Link]

I actually did with my wife in 2005...

I started reading this and thought you were talking about peeing on your wife.

I need to go out and get some fresh air.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Court marshall the heck out of them.

[Link]

Stories about this incident are all over the web.  This story is totally overblown.  Panetta has weighed in.  Karzai has weighted in.  Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has weighed in.  I'm glad they're isn't a decade long war all three of them need to sit down and discuss.  It must be nice to have so much free time.  And now a bunch of animated posters on Atlas Forum have weighed in.

Thank God we have so many people to explain to the world urinating on dead bodies and filming it is wrong.

*News Flash*

About a million far worse things have happened on the planet in the past 24 hrs that we will never hear about.  In other news most people on the planet with a functioning brain instinctually know you shouldn't urinate on people... without their permission.  We really don't need a bunch of sanctimonious speeches.

What is the take home message from all this hysteria?  We have millions of people serving in or uniformed services and some of them from time to time show bad judgement.  Wonderful.  I just learned something.

Considering that Karzai and the Taliban live in Afghanistan I don't think this is the worst thing they have seen... since breakfast.

[I'm JewCon in name only.]

This was very unprofessional. But I'm not gonna hate on these men.

[Eraserhead]

Well, as long as these guys are cool with being pissed on after they're offed too, I'm cool with it!

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The Whataboutery is strong in this thread.

[Volrath50]

Not sure if it matters, but I'm in the Canadian military.

Anyway, my opinion on this is that there is no defense for what they did. They disobeyed orders, and harmed their country. Nothing good for America can come from this. Depending on reaction to this, it may even result in the lives of other American soldiers (or civilians) being killed. All because a bunch of troops decided to act like jackasses.

They deserve to be treated like any other soldiers that disobey orders and harm their mission.

[J. J.]

They are already dead; why do they need to do more?

[Mr. Taft Republican]

This doesn't shock me, our "allies" dislike us being there already. We knew this stuff proooobably happened already, and this is just a public showing of disrespect and hatred that both combatant sides already feel for each other. I don't feel anger towards these Marines so much as dissapointment, this seems a betrayal of Honor, Courage, and Commitment which they try to live by.

And Snowguy, as my good old Lance Corporal in the Delayed Entry Program has a habit of saying, in regards to war, "I don't hate a single person on this Earth, but our priorities are God, Country, Corps, and if anyone *expletive*'s with that, we will find them, and we will kill them.

US Marines- the finest fighting force on the planet

Hell yeah they are.