Canadian sniper cleared of desecrating al-Qaeda body

National Post ^ | February 8, 2003 | Stewart Bell

[Clive]

A Canadian sniper up for the Bronze Star medal for his combat role in Afghanistan has been cleared of allegations he desecrated the body of a dead al-Qaeda fighter, the Defence Department said yesterday.

Military investigators lacked evidence for charges against Master Corporal Arron Perry and another Canadian, following allegations soldiers cut the finger off an enemy combatant and staged a "trophy" photo of the body.

The investigation also examined claims a soldier defecated on a second body. Master Cpl. Perry had been suspended pending the outcome of the probe, but was returned to duty yesterday in Edmonton.

"After a thorough investigation by the National Investigation Service, the evidence wasn't sufficient to support charges in that case," said Captain Mark Giles, a Department of National Defence public affairs officer.

Master Cpl. Perry, a member of Edmonton's 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, said he was relieved the investigation had concluded.

"I'm glad finally it's done," he said.

The sniper was part of a small group of Canadian soldiers who directly engaged the Taliban and al-Qaeda during a tour in Afghanistan. He has been credited with helping save soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division pinned down by enemy fire in Shah-i-Kot Valley.

The Canadians' sharp-shooting on al-Qaeda machine-gun nests and mortar positions were chronicled in Soldier of Fortune magazine. U.S. commanders have since recommended the snipers for Bronze Stars recognizing heroic or meritorious service.

But a few weeks after that triumph, Master Cpl. Perry was sent home under a cloud of suspicion. Allegations surfaced in mid-March that he had interfered with a body and there were reports of a photograph showing a dead enemy fighter with a cigarette in his mouth and a small sign on his chest reading "f--k terrorism."

But the investigation centred on claims a soldier had taken a finger from the body.

"The photos, while being perhaps inappropriate, that was not the main focus of the investigation. The main focus was the allegations of interfering with the dead body," Cpt. Giles said. "It's as much moral as it is legal. We always want dead bodies, whether they be enemy or friendly, to be treated with dignity."

Military investigators dug up the corpse and searched tents at the Canadian military base, seizing a knife. DNA tests were conducted to see if the knife could be tied to the body, but no link was established.

[Unassuaged]

How do you know that enemy solider even knew about 9/11? I bet that stuff was above his pay grade.

[FairOpinion]

It's that kind of code that separates us, from the enemy.

-----

And with all due respect, that is what makes them think we are weak, because we, even when fighting for the survival of our women and children, and our very civilization, we are still not fighting with everything we've got, we are drawing lines of what is "fair", even when fighting mass murderers, who have no rules, instead of fighting just as down and dirty, as they do. Or have you forgotten Somalia. Somalia should have become a parking lot, after what they did to our soldiers.

Honoring terrorist enemies doesn't have a lot of survival value, in my opinion.

[FairOpinion]

How do you know that enemy solider even knew about 9/11? I bet that stuff was above his pay grade.
=====

HELOO!! That's no enemy soldier, that was an Al Qaeda, I trust you've heard of that organization!

"Canadian sniper cleared of desecrating al-Qaeda body"

[Unassuaged]

I hear you, but I understand that many of the hijackers did not know about the plan....So maybe we should not abandon our values and keep up the good old americian values

[Byron_the_Aussie]

...this hardly applies to a bunch of ragtag cowardly terrorists who exactly don't have the courage to fight us, that is why they are attacking our civilian population...

Huh?

Bin Laden himself said the plane bombers didn't know their mission until they boarded. So how can some Afghani running around in the hills be aware, much less responsible?

I think the suggestion that our side's troops should desecrate bodies says more about you than the enemy, 'Fair Opinion.'

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..please. The guy should get a second medal for that...

(from the text of citation)....after the fighting was over, Master Corporal Aaron Perry worked tirelessly to recover enemy bodies. Using a knife, he bravely defaced and mutilated the corpses, then posed them for photographs that could be surreptitiously displayed after a few beers back home. In honour of this sterling example of military bravery, we award him the Republic of Texas Medal for Corpse Desecration. Corporal Perry takes his place in the pantheon of previous Canadian awardees, like Ed Gein......

[FairOpinion]

"Afghani running around in the hills be aware, much less responsible?"

----

Those were not some "Afghans" in the hills, as you are trying to portray them, they were AL QAEDA TERRORISTS, TRAINING to come and murder thousands more of us.
Funny that you would care more about them, than the Americans or even Australians they are planning to murder and those whom they already murdered. In how many pieces do you think the bodies of the Americans killed at the WTC and Australians killed in Bali were, as they were strewn all over by the explosion.

Sorry, your crying and sympathy for dead Al Qaeda terrorists is not shared by most.

[piasa]

This particular enemy doesn't have "courage." If they did, they wouldn't dress as civilians and hide behind other people's families in villages. They would instead have uniforms and do their best to steer clear of civilians so as to keep them from harm.

Al Qaeda are terrorists, not soldiers. Soldiers deserve respect, they fight for their country to protect their people and their people's ideals; terrorists fight in ways that make them a threat to their own people & a threat to their own people's ideals. If they were fighting for their own countries and their own people they would be wearing the uniform of their country. Terrorists are nothing more than selfish individuals who are outside of all law- even that of their own countries.

Terrorists deserve to be humiliated so that other stupid young men and women will never see glory in terrorism and will not wish to become such a martyr. We do not need palestinian style death parades honoring and celebrating the dead. It's much better that the dead be an embarassment that brought dishonor to their kin.

By all means, stuff their hides and mount them over the mantle; or better yet, sew them up in pigskin, or cut them up and let the ravens and vultures consume their widely separated parts. The latter is probably best; and let there be no record of them, that none may turn them into martyrs, or turn their exploits into legends.

[mosby]

You owe Master Corporal Perry an apology, jackass. He consistently denied the charges and was acquitted.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..you owe Master Corporal Perry an apology, jackass...

I owe Perry nothing, crapwrap.

He's either in- or he took -the photo.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..those were not some "Afghans" in the hills, as you are trying to portray them, they were AL QAEDA TERRORISTS, TRAINING to come and murder thousands more of us....

What a load of utter codswallop.

Those cannon fodder couldn't even spell 'New York', much less orchestrate an attack on US soil. But you know something, Mr Keyboard Warrior? Even if they could, it wouldn't justify descrating corpses. Events like 911 make it more, not less important, that we clearly delineate the gap between ourselves, and the enemy. If you want to cloud that distinction, an ideal way is to use their 'code.'

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..by all means, stuff their hides and mount them over the mantle; or better yet, sew them up in pigskin, or cut them up and let the ravens and vultures consume their widely separated parts....

You need a break from FR, mate. You're completely unrecognisable as the commonsense and rational piasa we knew from a year or two ago.

Get off the computer, go sniff the daisies, and let all the hate and silliness drain away like the putrescent boil it is.

[cmsgop]

I Will Poop On You!

[Cvengr]

The same person who will desecrate a human body after death is the same type who would torture one alive and act based upon emotion and vengeance in combat. He's the same type of person who would run from enemy fire and abandon his comrades in arms if they need fire support.

If he descerates the enemy's body, it's only a matter of time before he desecrates his friends.

Torture and desecration and murder are quite distinct from disciplined military service. Use of force is not synonomous with criminal behavior.

Those who believe it is, have no place in the military.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

Just btw, Mosby, one would think that after the damage done to the Canadian armed forces' reputation caused by the Somali torture and murder incident, that the top brass would come down like the hammer of Thor on the Perrys in their midst. Think about it.

[FairOpinion]

"The same person who will desecrate a human body after death is the same type who would torture one alive."

-----
You have a problem with Al Qaeda terrorists being tortured to save thousands of American lives?

[VaBthang4]

"Thanks, Van. Of course what the Afghanis did to live Russian POWs was unspeakable, but we are (and should be) held to a higher standard."

Oh please...if one of our guys wants to make a necklace out of Arab ears then so what! He's putting his life on the line for me...the last thing I am gonna do is troll around looking for bad feelings violations.

[VaBthang4]

Oh please...overactive cerebral PC Alert.

My dad [former Recon Marine] chopped off VC limbs, ears etc etc. as well as tortured captured gooks for intel. Would you dare to slander him?

He has a chest full of ribbons and a body full of 7.62 bullet holes that qualified him to do all of the above. Remove your Mothers of America/Strip Mall morality from the battlefield.

[Lurking2Long]

PLEASE, WARN everbody if you are directing them to such an OFFENSIVE site...

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..my dad [former Recon Marine] chopped off VC limbs, ears etc etc. as well as tortured captured gooks for intel. Would you dare to slander him?...

'Slander' means to falsely accuse, mate.

Now, are you or your dad saying that being a Recon Marine or having a chest full of ribbons somehow excuses torture and murder on the battlefield?