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I went through the entire thread and would like to make a few points.

1) There was insufficient evidence to prosecute Master Corporal Perry. The investigation is over; its done. He behaved cooly in battle and by some accounts saved lives of allied soldiers. He also killed an enemy combatant while acting as a sniper at a distance of over one mile. Once the case cannot be proven, we are obliged to assume his innocence. We owe those who risk their lives in combat the benefit of the doubt. Give him the US Bronze Star--he deserves it.

2) In combat, the most highly prized attributes are courage, loyalty and competence. Mosby, your loyalty to your fellow soldier comes through all these posts-I hope he knows you are defending him, even while approaching the edge of personal attacks, which I think are unnecessary.

3) Having served some time in the US Army during the Clinton administration, I can attest to the endless political correctness; mandatory classes on "consideration of others," equal opportunity and sexual harrassment. It was mind numbing and if you dared speak out and say this is worthless--well, nice knowin ya. Goodbye. By many accounts, the Canadians have the PC fixation even worse than we do. So if I was this guy's company commander and the incident with the chaplain happened as described, I'd tell him to keep his mouth shut and leave it at that. Maybe have a counseling statement (slap on the hand) written just to show something was done. I too am sick of hearing about stress management, blah blah blah. Think about it folks, in Canada there are far fewer trigger pullers than there are professional meddlers. So again, in this case I would give the benefit of the doubt to the guy who actually risks his life, not some ... well you get the idea.

4.) It would have been best for all concerned if this had been resolved without getting into the media. Certainly the Al Quaida will play up the desecration. Some have mentioned that MCpl Perry should not be returned to the theater. Were I his CO I would keep him on my radar screen. A sniper is a very skilled and deadly soldier. This is not just some guy who slung hash in the mess hall. In the US snipers are given psychological tests to ensure they are stable. This incident shows the guy needs to have the attention of his chain of command, IF the desecration and comment to the chaplain are true (which the CO will know).

5.) For those of you who want to cut off limbs and bury dead enemy in pork skins you are way off the mark. Our military is a reflection of our society and our values as a nation. Our nation does not tolerate such behavior where we act like our enemies. We are a more developed society than theirs and subconciously they (those who are knowledgeble about such things) know this. War is the controlled use of violence and, as I posted before, the guys doing the killing are (on both sides) between 15 and 25. They need leadership and an example of how to behave in combat. If the squad leader, platoon sergeant, platoon leader, ISG and company commander do not provide this example and leadership, our army will be reduced to a tribe of murderers and looters, and we as a nation will lose the will to fight and provide moral support to our soldiers which the military so desperately needs.

6.) Furthermore, the army is an institution with a very long memory that looks for precedence. You allow this desecration of body stuff to take place, and you have just allowed it to take place down the line, later during the next war. For the Army, this is not just some quaint little exercise where we go and kick some ass and come home and drink a brewski. No, what we do now will set a precedence for future battles, which we will no doubt have.

7.) In addition to the physical battle taking place, there is the information or propaganda battle. Now I would rather be with the soldiers, as opposed to those who massage the information, but the battle of public opinion is every bit as important as the tactical/operational battle. Look at Vietnam; this war was lost at home. Now if soldiers are allowed to maim dead enemy and take human trophies, how long do you think we will prevail in the battle of public opinion?

A couple of lose ends. I'm a little miffed at all these civilians who have never served a day in uniform tell us how easy it is to go kill these so and so Al Quaida. I wouldn't give full credence to the DOD propaganda about how backward they are. The Afghans in particular are really tough fighters and are not pushovers by any stretch of the imagination. Remember, they whipped the soviet army (with spetsnaz) who probably wern't as constrained about human rights as are we. They are brave and worthy opponents. Remember, the first victim in a war is truth. Don't believe everything you hear or read, especially if it comes from the mass media.

Also, I'm kind of amused about this thread with the Australian guy. I guess not many here remember that the most feared (by the enemy) white soldiers in Vietnam were the Aussies. Lots of stories in the army about the things they did (see paragraph 6). Of course the most feared Oriental soldiers were the South Koreans.

I Apologize for being long winded.