Marine Under Investigation in Shooting of Iraqi Soldier

Fort Worth(less) Startlegram ^ | 4/27/03 | AP Story

[Central_Floridian]

I don't know who will care what I think supposing I see combat (I am considering joining the US military). I pray that anything I experience will not cause me to have a cruel attitude toward other people. And in the meantime I'll try to fulfill my duties and be a good and productive citizen.

[Godebert]

The Marine should have kept his mouth shut. Now he's in deep doo doo.

[grapeape]

Exactly, Why in the heck is he talking about it anyway?

[Sandy]

Covarrubias, a Las Vegan and a 20-year veteran of the Marine Corps, said it was not vindictiveness that compelled him hours later to hunt down and kill the Iraqi Special Republican Guard member who launched the grenade.

He said it was justice. . . .

When the major fighting was over, the Marines settled in for rest, food and water.

But Covarrubias, who had suffered a severe concussion in the grenade blast, was not in the mood to rest. . . .

After dark, he said, he slipped off most of his gear and grabbed his pistol.

"I'm taking off," he whispered to a couple of other Marines. "I'll be back in a little while."

He took stock of the location of the grenade strike and its trajectory, figuring it must have been fired from a nearby house. He sneaked inside. Upstairs, he said, he found the Special Republican Guard member with the grenade launcher next to him.

He said he ordered the man to stop, forced him to turn around, and removed his black beret. He shot him twice in the back of the head.

He took the man's military ID as a souvenir.

Outside, the man's partner was escaping. Covarrubias said he chased him down and killed him as well. He took the man's ID and his AK-47 assault rifle.

"This," he said in the interview, holding up the two ID cards, "is justice."

SOURCE

[Sandy]

He said he ordered the man to stop, forced him to turn around, and removed his black beret. He shot him twice in the back of the head.

[OldFriend]

Please please please do NOT join the military. It is no place for the politically correct baby. The purpose of the military is to kill people and destroy things.....

Definitely not for you........try meals on wheels.

[Arkinsaw]

Executing a surrendered soldier in uniform. Murder. Executing a surrendered soldier not in uniform without proper orders to do so. Murder.

We raised hell about the Iraqis doing this and announced our intent to prosecute those who did it as war criminals.

[Arkinsaw]

You shoot at a Marine you are dead meat!

From what I have heard, real Marines obey orders. It sounds like this man violated them.

[Minty]

"Marine reservist Sgt. Michael Dunn, who fought alongside Covarrubias and was injured in the battle, said he stands by him "100 percent."

"If he wouldn't have done it, those guys probably would've come back and killed or severely injured other Marines," Dunn said. "He did the right thing."

I agree and this soldier is a hero. Period. He saved lives.

[Minty]

I bet you that they were not surrendering. Probably the reporter made him look bad. I say that to chase these people into the house this soldier was valiant and if he did that, he must have had his reasons. Lets wait to hear the whole story.

[Unwavering Conservative]

As much as I understand what this Marine did, his shooting of this man in the back after he had him in a position to take him prisoner smacks of gang-banger mentality.

This kind of action is what one sees in some inner-city drug gang warfare, not a highly professional and heroic group of fighting men and women like the US Marine Corps.

[umbagi]

I agree and this soldier is a hero. Period. He saved lives.

And if he'd brought them in alive, he'd have saved fewer lives how?

Now he's also shot off his mouth, given free ammunition to the Kerry Klique ("we were all war criminals in Vietnam"), and very possibly gotten himself a long stay in Club Leavenworth.

[Unwavering Conservative]

Amen!!

This guy should be more at home in an inner-city drug gang than a heroic and honorable group such as the US Marine Corps.

[Unwavering Conservative]

That Marine is a disgrace to the Corps.

He has the mentality of a gang-banger.

[briant]

This miserable string of posts you've put on this thread is some of the worst crap i've seen on this form.

[briant]

If what is quoted is true, I agree. Unfortunatly he has many like minds here.

[wimpycat]

I think you'll do well in the military and I wish you all success.

I'm hoping the Marine in question was telling the reporter a fish story. If he wasn't, that concussion obviously damaged his brain for him to volunteer such a story.

[Arkinsaw]

I'm hoping the Marine in question was telling the reporter a fish story.

Me too.

[nanny]

I wasn't there - won't even try to judge this man. He was in a situation few of us will ever know - so as I said I won't judge.

I will say I have always thought 'Rules of WAr' to be a little strange. If we can all agree and conform to 'Rules of War" - why can't we agree not to have war. Just seems strange.

[Central_Floridian]

I am willing to kill people and destroy things to defend my country and it's interests. You called me a "politically correct baby" because of my statements that US soldiers shouldn't kill enemy soldiers IF they had surrendered and were compliant. Gen. Patton told his soldiers he would not tolerate them killing German POWs. I certainly don't think that made Patton a "politically correct baby". Just an honorable soldier. I don't think it takes alot of courage to shoot an unarmed POW in the back of the head.