A U.S. Marine needs our help

In My Humble Opinion
1

I received this just t his morning and it speaks for itself.

This U.S. Marine Needs Your Help
By Alan Caruba

< prefatory material snipped >

The Marine Corps has charged him [2nd Lt. Pantano]with the premeditated killing of two Iraqi insurgents based on a complaint, two months after the event, by a sergeant in his unit who had reportedly been admonished on several occasions by the Lieutenant.

< exposition snipped >

What would you have done? The two Iraqis were stopped as they attempted to flee a site that was found to be filled with several mortar aiming stakes, a flare gun, three AK rifles, 10 AK magazines with assault vests, and materials for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices. Lt. Pantano ordered the two men to search their vehicle to insure it was not booby-trapped. At some point both men, ignoring an order to be quiet, and then an order in Arabic to stop, moved swiftly in his direction. He shot them both. I would have done the same thing.

< more opinion snipped >

This charge against Lt. Pantano needs to be dropped and the sooner the better. Pursuing the charge would put every other Marine and soldier at even greater risk as they must make a split-second decision between defending themselves or facing a possible trial. The Lieutenant was and is no rogue officer. He’s the kind of man we hope will lead our troops in battle.

< plea for money snipped >

Alan Caruba writes a weekly column, “Warning Signs”, posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com.

© Alan Caruba, February 2005

Sandy Price *Please note that the article has a copyright. The Straight Dope® honors copyrights and we do not permit such material to be used, wholesale, on the SDMB. If you can find the blog from which this was taken, you may post a link to it.

In addition, I do not see a topic of debate in the post you have presented, so I am moving this thread to IMHO.*

[ /Moderator Mode ]

2

I have to say, when I see a site that bitches about Ted Kennedy right off the bat under the heading of “Immigration” I tend to wonder what I’m dealing with. Also? “These Colors Don’t Run”? Isn’t that a nauseating Toby Keith song of the “My country, love it or leave it” type?

Need to find out more about this case—and I’ve just been watching news reports, appropriately enough, about Internet scams using the military angle.

Defending soldiers in wartime is a tricky business. On the one hand, indeed, we do have to make life-or-death decisions. On the other hand, there’s always a minority that will make that excuse when it’s not appropriate. It’s a fine line, and it certainly gives supporting the troops a whole new meaning. I wonder if the people who have those magnetic yellow ribbons on their cars have given much thought to what really supporting the troops means—and what it should mean.

A soldier who makes an awful mistake or a too-hasty decision in battle needs the support of his country more than ever, but it has to be honest, too. We have to ask them honestly what we want them to do, and have to share in the responsibility when something goes wrong.

Argh, not enough coffee. I don’t know about this case, I really don’t.

3

I presume this soldier innocent unless evidence at the trial proves criminal behaviour on his part beyond reasonable doubt. I believe Mr. Caruba’s release of this material may be prejudicial to that trial (and why the heck has he sought to copyright it?)

If this soldier has committed a crime, he should face the consequences set out by law, agreed?

4

Oh, he definitely should face the consequences. I confess to being deeply ambivalent about * some* of these cases that have come up. I don’t know if this is one of them.

I should clarify: I have a friend who’s a Marine, and he and I have had several conversations about the Marine in Fallujah. On the one hand, we as civilians have higher standards for our soldiers and marines * in those jobs* than we do for ourselves as civilians—we expect them to act perfectly, in the most imperfect situations imagineable. On the other hand, everybody who joins up agrees to those standards, don’t they? Or are they just unaware how high those standards are?

The reason the buddy and I were discussing the Marine in Fallujah is because what he did, according to my buddy, is unofficial policy.

I should add that the soldiers at Abu Ghraib don’t arouse any ambivalence at all. People are in a combat situation are something else.

I need more tea, sorry. Just not making sense yet.

5

It’s probably not as dire as the author of that piece made out. Here’s a link to another article. It may be a case of a disgruntled sargent who had an axe to grind. The Marines even deny that he’s been charged with anything. They say it’s just a hearing.

6

I don’t see the problem here. It’s just a hearing, which is entirely appropriate given the circumstances, I think. Unless one of our military dopers says that what’s going on is unusual, I don’t think Pantano is any real danger of being hung out to dry here.

7

If you want my HO, you recieved spam mail. And you kindly reposted it here for all of us. I’m curious - were you sure to forward this to everyone in your address book as well?? If you haven’t then hurry- it’s bad luck to not forward these things.

8

So now the US military justice system is part of the left wing cabal subverting our great nation? :eek:

9

This Anxiety Center guy is living in his own reality. His site is basically a full-goose rant against all sorts of causes that aren’t exactly in the ascendancy lately to begin with. Two of his biggies are the UN and socialists (when was the last time you even met a socialist? He sees 'em under the bed.) Oh, and the most prosperous economy the world has ever seen cannot be sustained if due concern is given to the environment.

(Didn’t see a thing about Marines, though…)