Posted on 03/04/2008 6:36:57 AM PST by yankeedame
Last updated at 13:49pm on 4th March 2008
The U.S. military are investigating a shocking video of a smiling Marine throwing a puppy off the top of a steep hillside in Iraq into a gully below.
The video gained widespread attention and condemnation after appearing on the web site YouTube, where it has been viewed over 8,000 times.
The footage shows two Marines, in combat gear and smiling, as one holds a white-and-black puppy by the scruff of its neck.
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Sickening: The grinning soldier holds the puppy aloft
and then throws it off a hillside
Read more...
The small dog seems to be about eight weeks old and is motionless as it is held.
"Cute little puppy, huh?" says one Marine as he smiles broadly.
"Oh so cute, so cute, little puppy," says another in a child-like voice.
The Marine holding the puppy then turns and hurls the animal overhand into a desert-like gully below.
The puppy can be heard yelping in terror until it thuds to the ground at the bottom of the gully.
"That's mean," one Marine says after, in a sickening understatement.
"The video is shocking and deplorable and is contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine," a spokesperson revealed.
Marine spokesman Major Chris Perrine believed the culprit is based in Hawaii.
"We do not tolerate this type of behaviour and will take appropriate action," he said.
The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment of about 1,000 Hawaii Marines recently replaced a sister unit in Iraq, the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii said the vast majority of Marines "conduct their duties in an honourable manner that brings great credit upon the Marine Corps and the United States."
"There have been numerous stories of Marines adopting pets and bringing them home from Iraq or helping to arrange life-saving medical care for Iraqi children," said Major Chris Perrine.
"Those are the stories that exemplify what we stand for and how most Marines behave."
I agree it is sick, but it isn’t all to the story.
Very much so.
Very Nice Find. Looks exactly like that dog.
US TROOPS CONNECT IRAQI CHILDREN WITH HEALTH PROGRAM
NASR WA SALAM As reconciliation efforts decrease sectarian violence here between Sunnis and Shiites, other challenges still exist, such as connecting the Ministry of Health (MOH) with Iraqi children in need of specialized medical care.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 21st Stryker Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division Baghdad, along with their battalion surgeon, recently took one more step in connecting the Iraqi people with their new government at a public health clinic in the small village of Nasr Wa Salam, west of Baghdad, by introducing the people to one of the governments new programs.
The overall intent of reconciliation with physicians is to work with the Ministry of Health, said Maj. Jason Davis, a Killeen, Texas, native, who serves as the 1-21 Inf. Battalions surgeon. One of the programs is the National Iraqi Assistance Center (NIAC).
(The NIAC) is a non-profit organization run by the Iraqi government, Davis said. It basically sponsors Iraqi children under the age of 16 who have severe medical problems and cant get care here, so they can go out to other countries to get the care for free.
Were trying to bridge the gap between the MOH and the local people, so thats what we did today, said 1st Lt. Shawn Skinner, a San Diego, Calif., native, who serves as the assistant civil military operations officer for 1-21.
The beginning phase of getting care under the NIAC program is determining if a child is eligible for assistance.
This morning, I was evaluating the children to make sure they were appropriate for NIAC, Davis said, and telling the families their role.
While at the clinic in Nasr Wa Salam, Davis took part in examining three children who could possibly benefit from the NIAC program.
The first child, a 5-year-old boy, suffered from a broken leg, which was a result of a rare bone defect that makes his bones much weaker than an average child and thus susceptible to easy fracturing. The other two children, one less than a year old and the other approximately 7 years old, both had congenital heart defects, Davis said.
They both have heart problems, which would not allow them to live as long as they normally would, he added.
Due to the severity of their conditions, the childrens cases have been documented and prepared for the next step of the programs process, which will take them to the NIAC office in Baghdad to arrange for travel, Davis said.
Once the paper work comes through, were going to escort the kids to Baghdad for treatment, said Skinner.
While their diagnoses warrant acceptance into the program, conditions must be met. If the conditions are not met, they may not receive the treatment they need.
Part of the conditions for Iraqi families to partake in the program requires them to provide $1,000, or the equivalent in Iraqi Dinar for travel, which is later reimbursed. In addition, only female family members, such as the childs mother or an adult sister, can escort the child to receive treatment due to international concerns with terrorism, said Davis.
If the kids get their surgeries, Ill feel like I contributed a small part to the program, said Davis, Ill feel good about that.
The frustrating part is its only for kids under 16, Davis added. You cant help everyone.
The Soldiers who went to the clinic with Davis said they felt the mission of getting a means of treatment to a few children of the village was a success.
It went well, said Skinner. The (Iraqi) doctor couldnt come because of traffic, but our doctor was still able to see the patients.
Although only up to three children might see the benefits of the NIAC program as a result of this visit by Davis, Skinner and the Soldiers of the 1-21 Inf., the small connection created between the Iraqi government and its people is just the beginning of a much larger network of medical assistance within Iraq.
(Story by Sgt. Jerome Bishop, Multi-National Division Baghdad)
That being the case I'm glad you're not wearing our country's uniform.
With all due respect, mind you.
Huh? It's one continuous shot.
“BTW—I am a vegetarian.”
Turn away from the dark side and embrace your humanity. Juicy, tender meat, succulent fowl, and delicious seafood await. After all, our digestive system is clearly suited to eating animal protein, and humans have been hunters for countless millenia.
I recommend catching your own food, the activity will educate you as to the realities of nature, as opposed to the fantasies of humans.
Okay, so we train 18 year old kids to kill for our safety, send them to a foreign country where a lot of people are trying to kill them, tell them they have to forget all the rules of society because of what the enemy will do to them and we expect them to remain unaffected.
If the video is accurate, slap the perps on the wrist and get them some help. These are marines, that was a common dish eaten in Vietnam. Keep your eyes on the ball, folks. Combat affects different people different ways. If you haven’t walked the mile, don’t judge.
Later read.
That dog was already dead.
If they are Marines, and it's fake, it was pretty dumb given the global political environment. If it's real, they should be prosecuted.
“That being the case I’m glad you’re not wearing our country’s uniform.
With all due respect, mind you.”
Please don’t confuse what I said. I apologize if it didn’t sound right.
I am saying that the brutality of war has different effects on different people.
I in no way condone this act.
I can’t make a real judgement due to lack of info.
It could have been already dead, still a weird thing to do to a dead creature, or is could be a doll, just a joke to “lighten” the mood.
Who knows.
Still picture (4) in the article.
Stupid, depraved and **not funny** even if it was already dead.
If it was alive, this person should not be wearing the uniform and should face court martial. Period.
If it was fake, it is a stain on the military and thus should also have consequences.
Simply stated, this person’s judgement can no longer be trusted.
If you honestly believe it is not a problem for him to do this, you suffer from the same malady as these fellows.
Sick, wretched peices of filth who should not wear the uniform.
How many purebred sheepdog puppies are hanging around in Iraq? And the yelps sounds fake, human, and intended to be comical.
CAPTAIN SCOTT SOUTHWORTH ADOPTS DISABLED IRAQI BOY
Web of miracles’ join soldier, disabled Iraqi boy
cnn.com ^ | Dec 23, 3007 | AP
Posted on 12/23/2007 2:19:51 PM PST by RDTF
Capt. Scott Southworth knew he’d face violence, political strife and blistering heat when he was deployed to one of Baghdad’s most dangerous areas.
But he didn’t expect Ala’a Eddeen.
Ala’a was 9 years old, strong of will but weak of body — he suffered from cerebral palsy and weighed just 55 pounds. He lived among about 20 kids with physical or mental disabilities at the Mother Teresa orphanage, under the care of nuns who preserved this small oasis in a dangerous place.
-snip-
Black haired and brown eyed, Ala’a spoke to the 31-year-old American in the limited English he had learned from the sisters. He recalled the bombs that struck government buildings across the Tigris River.
-snip-
Over the next 10 months, the unit returned to the orphanage again and again. The soldiers would race kids in their wheelchairs, sit them in Humvees and help the sisters feed them.
To Southworth, Ala’a was like a little brother. But Ala’a — who had longed for a soldier to rescue him — secretly began referring to Southworth as “Baba,” Arabic for “Daddy.”
Then, around Christmas, a sister told Southworth that Ala’a was getting too big. He would have to move to a government-run facility within a year.
“Best case scenario was that he would stare at a blank wall for the rest of his life,” Southworth said.
To this day, he recalls the moment when he resolved that that would not happen.
“I’ll adopt him,” he said.
Before Southworth left for Iraq, he was chief of staff for a state representative. He was single, worked long days and squeezed in his service as a national guardsman — military service was a family tradition. His great-great-great-grandfather served in the Civil War, his grandfather in World War II, his father in Vietnam.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
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