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Marine Under Investigation in Shooting of Iraqi Soldier
Fort Worth(less) Startlegram ^
| 4/27/03
| AP Story
Posted on 04/27/2003 7:37:18 AM PDT by harpu
Military officials are investigating a Marine who says he shot an Iraqi soldier twice in the back of the head following a grenade attack on his comrades.
The Marine Forces Reserve announced the preliminary inquiry of Gunnery Sgt. Gus Covarrubias on Friday, the day the Las Vegas Review-Journal ran a story in which he described the killing.
Covarrubias, 38, of Las Vegas, said that during an intense battle in Baghdad on April 8, he pursued a member of the Iraqi Republican Guard who had fired a rocket-propelled grenade at his unit. Covarrubias said he received a concussion in the attack and several other Marines also were injured.
Covarrubias, a 20-year Marine veteran, said he found the soldier inside a nearby house with the grenade launcher by his side. Covarrubias said he ordered the man to stop and forced him to turn around.
"I went behind him and shot him in the back of the head. Twice," Covarrubias told the Review-Journal.
He said he also shot the man's partner, who tried to escape. He showed what he said were the men's ID cards.
"I'm not vindictive, and I might get in trouble for telling you this, but I take it very personally when you do that to my family," Covarrubias said. "The Marines are my family."
The Marine Forces Reserve said the preliminary inquiry by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service will determine whether Covarrubias "met the established rules of engagement and complied with the law of war," and whether a formal investigation is warranted.
Calls to Covarrubias' home and knocks at the door went unanswered.
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."
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: grenade; grenadeattack; guscovarrubias; irag; iraqifreedom; marines; republicanguard; rpg; usmc
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To: kellynla
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.
To: harpu
The Marine should have kept his mouth shut. Now he's in deep doo doo.
62
posted on
04/27/2003 1:06:06 PM PDT
by
Godebert
To: Chad Fairbanks
Exactly, Why in the heck is he talking about it anyway?
63
posted on
04/27/2003 1:15:34 PM PDT
by
grapeape
To: harpu
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
64
posted on
04/27/2003 1:22:13 PM PDT
by
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.
65
posted on
04/27/2003 1:25:11 PM PDT
by
Sandy
To: Central_Floridian
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.
66
posted on
04/27/2003 1:40:29 PM PDT
by
OldFriend
(without the brave, there would be no land of the free)
To: harpu
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.
67
posted on
04/27/2003 1:47:01 PM PDT
by
Arkinsaw
To: kellynla
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.
68
posted on
04/27/2003 1:49:07 PM PDT
by
Arkinsaw
To: harpu
"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.
69
posted on
04/27/2003 1:55:46 PM PDT
by
Minty
To: Central_Floridian
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.
70
posted on
04/27/2003 1:58:57 PM PDT
by
Minty
To: Restorer; kellynla; Arkinsaw; El Gato; Stavka2; All
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.
To: Minty
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.
72
posted on
04/27/2003 2:01:03 PM PDT
by
umbagi
(There is no opinion so absurd that some philosopher will not express it. -- Cicero)
To: Arkinsaw
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.
To: Sandy
That Marine is a disgrace to the Corps.
He has the mentality of a gang-banger.
To: kellynla
This miserable string of posts you've put on this thread is some of the worst crap i've seen on this form.
75
posted on
04/27/2003 2:07:35 PM PDT
by
briant
To: Unwavering Conservative
If what is quoted is true, I agree. Unfortunatly he has many like minds here.
76
posted on
04/27/2003 2:09:13 PM PDT
by
briant
To: Central_Floridian
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.
77
posted on
04/27/2003 2:09:35 PM PDT
by
wimpycat
('Nemo me impune lacessit')
To: wimpycat
I'm hoping the Marine in question was telling the reporter a fish story.
Me too.
78
posted on
04/27/2003 2:10:53 PM PDT
by
Arkinsaw
To: Restorer
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.
79
posted on
04/27/2003 2:11:20 PM PDT
by
nanny
To: OldFriend
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.
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