I have seen the video, the short and long version.
I have a theory myself.
The Screaming you hear is well before they start cutting his head off, and, it appears it is NOT from Berg.
In fact, Berg does not seem to fight at all!
I wonder if he fell for the 70 virgins lie, and went down voluntarily as a Martyr, to be used as a pawn, williingly and intentionally killed, but made to look like a murder in retaliation for Abu Grhaib?
He would be a secret Martyr to the world, but in his sick mind, a martyr none the less.
Even though two people are sitting on his back, I thought there would be more struggling.
The Russian soldier getting his head cut off is wincing, gagging, and he is not moving too much, either, it may be just that he gave up and let themselves be killed in an impossible situation.
I would hope I went down either screaming the Marine Corps hymn as they fought to kill me, or, go down singing hymns to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Race, I believe Nick was already dead at the time of the beheading. There was some apparent editing toward the end of the tape. As fas as Nick being MM's man in Iraq, that could very well be possible, he was, according to his dad, his murderers best friend they could ever have.
The murder video appears to have been shot with 2 cameras (with different time stamps).
Was Nick Berg castrated/genitally mutilated? If so, that could account for the screams you hear before his neck has been cut.
I have not had the courage to watch the Berg decapitation video (I saw the still images on Drudge's site), because I knew I couldn't bear the screams. If what you say is true, I suspect that they may have drugged Nick within an inch of his life so that he wouldn't struggle so much, and perhaps (mercifully), not feel so much pain. Either way, he died a horrible way, and we must not lose sight of that.
This was my impression after first viewing the film. No less horrorific, to be sure. But IMO Berg was probably duped by his "captors". IMO too, despite earlier "reports", the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. Just check out dear old Dad's "statements". It's all too convenient.
When the carotid artery gets cut..the blood loss to the brain is immediate and thus you don't get a lot of struggling...the body goes limp very rapidly!
I wonder what it's like when you know they're going to cut off your head, I think it would be the latter --- you'd just be praying for all you're worth and trying to not think about what they're doing. Fighting at that point --- they've got your arms bound and all isn't going to do you much good.
Your theory--concerning Berg martyring himself--is the only logical explanation for all of the known facts in this case.