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Smith117 -> RE: Marines and a puppy (3/6/2008 1:03:27 AM)
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I guess that makes it my turn, then:
There are many viewpoints you have to view this sickening video from, and you need to see them all to get a real understanding. At least one of those viewpoints you will *not* be getting unless you have actually been in a warzone. It's not something that can be explained.
This video *is* fucked up. Anyone with a soul who glances at it will more or less say the same thing (I'm one of the people crying foul over it). However:
Firstly, marines are taught from day one they are killers, terminators, the 'bad asses' of the world. They don't question orders, they don't think for themselves, they are taught to do the mission and that's it.
How's that relevant? Simple. In all that training, until only recently (so I've heard) they are *not* told how to turn off that mentality. Case in point: a marine reservist I used to work with stood toe-to-toe with me and threatened to "rip my balls off" because he couldn't take a little service rivalry joke between me and the other ex-military guy at work. All three of us cracked jokes about each other, I was the first one to bust on my own service, knowing full well what they would say. However, one comment I made caused this "part time" marine to spin around on his heels, look me in the eye and tell me he'd rip my balls off. Over WORDS. You see the marines corps doesn't tell its people that *most* problems are to be solved *without* fighting or violence because that is not what the marines need or want in its ranks. The marine corps wants killers, plain and simple. And if its people stop to think in a time of combat, they are the ones who die.
Now for the sake of my valid points, I will refrain from getting into my personal thoughts on marines, though from the above scenario, it's likely not hard to figure out.
On to point 2:
I was in a warzone for a time...not nearly as long as some today are, but 'a time.' And I pretty accurately recall something in the base 'rules' about informing authorities about stray animals as they can and do carry diseases and/or are rabid. That is a situation that you can't be forced to worry about in a combat zone because one would think your troops have enough to worry about what with the bombs under their wheels and the bullets buzzing by their heads. I don't know the particulars about the base 'edict' in reference to strays (because it's been a while and it wasn't my direct area of responsibility), but they were not just allowed to live among us. And I really don't think there are any shelters in combat zones for safe treatment of strays.
I am pretty sure, however that the base rules did NOT mention tossing a puppy off a cliff.
And so that brings me to point 3:
War fighters who've been in fucked up situations have done far worse. Hell we read the news, right? Marines who are not even *in* combat have been doing far worse (ummm R-wording japanese UM's comes to mind....I've seen more stories like *that* from the marines than I care to see in one lifetime. There's even one or two simliar tales from iraq now that I think of it).
The simple fact is fucked up combat situations can and does do fucked up things to one's mind....especially a mind that's not told how to turn that stuff off. In the early days of the Afghanistan war, several Army soldiers came back and beat or murdered their wives over simple arguments. Realizing the problem, the Army now makes them go through countless return-briefings and screenings when they get home to help them 'turn off' that combat mindset and readjust to home life. They are now *trained* to come home almost as much as they are *trained* to go to war.
Having said that, I can now go to a seemingly un-considered point 4:
I found myself wondering something when I saw this video. We hear countless tales in the news abour soldiers and marines going back over there for 3, 4, or even 5 tours. Forget seeing that conflict just once....it's almost like these guys have bunks reserved for them they've been there so many times. Likewise, we've seen tales of soldiers or marines who *didn't want* to return refusing orders to go......going AWOL.....or even getting a friend to shoot them in the leg and say it was a car-jacking so they didn't have to go back. It's *this* area that puzzles me about this video.
We all see the video and go "that's fucked up, he should be booted out," etc etc. I'm wondering if he thought the same thing? Perhaps, (and I'm just spitballing here), but perhaps in his mind, he *knew* that this was something sure to get him *something* that would prevent him from returning. Who knows how this guy's mind works or worked at that moment? I can say one thing -- if his goal *was* to not get sent back....it surely worked. And as some here have pointed out, in many places this kinda crap is still a misdemeanor...meaning it wouldn't harm his employability on the outside like say....murder would. I mean let's face it. He killed a puppy. We see *how* he did it as "totally fucked up," because it is. But he killed a puppy. He didn't torture the puppy (that we saw). He didn't do any number of worse things to the puppy that I don't even want to think about. He killed a puppy in a fucked up way. I am pretty certain the marine corps will kick his ass in some way, but I would not, however, be a bit surprised if he wasn't booted out.
Though I'm convinced and in full agreement that this is a fucked up video and I hope they hang his ass from a yard-arm (no I wasn't in the navy, but did watch "A Few Good Men"); I just find myself unconvinced about his true intentions.
And while we're ready to hang said marine from said yard-arm, I would still suggest looking a bit lighter on the video shooter/other 'star.' From his reaction, I would gather he didn't know that was about to happen and the video is too short to give us a look at what happened after. Perhaps his buddies kicked his ass for it off camera and didn't want evidence? Perhaps they gave him shit for it because of how fucked up it was. Or perhaps they joked about it. Who knows? For now, only they know.
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