# Can a Western soldier commit necrophilia? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125 "2017-06-16T16:33:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dude\_robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e7dd6/32.png) [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/1 "2017-06-16T16:33:50Z")
So, as the title says. No, this is not a bait or fetish, just a genuine question inspired by a “What would you do if you saw a fellow comrade murdering a family for fun” type of question. Can a western soldier commit a necrophilia on a corpse? Let’s make a scenario, and say that you are patrolling with two other generic marines, when you come across a clearing with some human and animal corpses lying there. To make it simple, let’s just say that all the human corpses were adults, because otherwise it would be creepy and somewhat off-putting. One of the soldiers bends down to a body of a human adult woman, and his buddy investigates a scorched goat. The original guy says “we’re going to have some fun, hehe, you stand watch and make sure no one gets the drop on us.” What do you do or say, assuming of course you don’t have the same urges. Bonus scenario: you decide its none of your business, they’re dead so it doesn’t matter and you want to see none of it, so you wander a few dozen metres away and have a smoke. Suddenly, there are multiple gunshots, then silence. You slowly make your way back, and discover both guys are dead, when another burst of fire almost hits you. You manage to RTB safely. Would you admit the whole truth, and what would happen if you did? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/2 "2017-06-16T16:44:50Z")
> [@dude\_robert](#): > > let’s just say that all the human corpses were adults, because otherwise it would be creepy and somewhat off-putting I have to admit, this is one of the most fascinating sentences I’ve read in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/3 "2017-06-16T16:49:25Z")
Jesus, I’ll be glad when school starts up again in the fall. ---
**Author:** ![dude\_robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e7dd6/32.png) [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/4 "2017-06-16T16:52:18Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I have to admit, this is one of the most fascinating sentences I’ve read in a long time. ??? If it was the corpse of a small child, I think I would be relatively disgusted, but at least an adult human is more normal. I mean it’s still very strange, but still… This is a authentic question, though. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/5 "2017-06-16T16:54:07Z")
Kind of confused here. \*Can \*the Western soldier, physically/technically, commit necrophilia? Of course. Can he \*legally \*do so? Almost certainly not, depending on the laws of the Western country, in fact, probably 100% illegal according to every Western military code. Now about your hypothetical, why would the hypothetical soldier tattle on his dead comrades – for what purpose exactly? They’re dead. Unless he’s afraid that he himself would get implicated when the evidence of necrophilia by his comrades emerges, and wants to exonerate himself ahead of time. Anyway, I suspect this thread is going to IMHO soon. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/6 "2017-06-16T16:55:22Z")
The answer to your question is yes, soldiers can commit necrophilia. Anyone can. Thread complete! ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/7 "2017-06-16T17:00:33Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Can he \*legally \*do so? Almost certainly not, depending on the laws of the Western country, in fact, probably 100% illegal according to every Western military code. There is a section in the UCMJ about how to treat corpses of enemies? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/8 "2017-06-16T17:01:15Z")
Wasn’t this an episode of _NCIS_? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/9 "2017-06-16T17:05:07Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I have to admit, this is one of the most fascinating sentences I’ve read in a long time. Lol. I know, right? I almost want to make that my sig line. ---
**Author:** ![dude\_robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e7dd6/32.png) [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/10 "2017-06-16T17:05:49Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Kind of confused here. \*Can \*the Western soldier, physically/technically, commit necrophilia? Of course. Can he \*legally \*do so? Almost certainly not, depending on the laws of the Western country, in fact, probably 100% illegal according to every Western military code. > Now about your hypothetical, why would the hypothetical soldier tattle on his dead comrades – for what purpose exactly? They’re dead. Unless he’s afraid that he himself would get implicated when the evidence of necrophilia by his comrades emerges, and wants to exonerate himself ahead of time. > Anyway, I suspect this thread is going to IMHO soon. I meant to propose that the two comrades died because the third soldier wasn’t keeping close watch like he read supposed to, and instead wandered a long distance away. I am also interested in your thoughts, and how you would react in that scenario. I suspect that some people would go stark raving mad and blow the guy’s heads off or something, it at least threaten to kill them. Would you let them do it, but report them later onwards, perhaps with some GoPro footage? Or just let them be? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/11 "2017-06-16T17:07:08Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > There is a section in the UCMJ about how to treat corpses of enemies? I’m not familiar with the UCMJ, but even if there weren’t, I can’t imagine an American soldier incurring no consequences were such actions to become known. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/12 "2017-06-16T17:09:31Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’m not familiar with the UCMJ, but even if there weren’t, I can’t imagine an American soldier incurring no consequences were such actions to become known. The US neither follows the Geneva code nor the ICC, so if the UCMJ doesn’t apply, what other Trouble would there be? Torture is allowed; killing of civilians is allowed (My Lay); raping of women is allowed; and in most cases, it will probably not be an “official” soldier but a blackwater mercenary (since in some places they outnumber regular troups 2:1 or similar). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/13 "2017-06-16T17:15:33Z")
Why “Western” soldiers? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/14 "2017-06-16T17:17:15Z")
I believe that the world would be a better place if you stopped typing. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/15 "2017-06-16T17:20:02Z")
Moving the thread from General Questions to IMHO, because we don’t have a forum called _I’m either mentally ill or just fucking with you._ **samclem** , moderator. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/16 "2017-06-16T17:22:57Z")
> [@dude\_robert](#): > > ??? > > If it was the corpse of a small child, I think I would be relatively disgusted, but at least an adult human is more normal. “Normal”? I don’t think that word means what you think it means. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/17 "2017-06-16T17:26:58Z")
> [@dude\_robert](#): > > This is a authentic question, though. I believe you. That’s why the sentence is so fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/18 "2017-06-16T17:28:44Z")
> [@dude\_robert](#): > > To make it simple, let’s just say that all the human corpses were adults, because otherwise it would be creepy and somewhat off-putting. Before they’re cold! Or that would be gross. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/19 "2017-06-16T17:30:50Z")
The OP needs a more wholesome hobby. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125/20 "2017-06-16T17:32:02Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Moving the thread from General Questions to IMHO, because we don’t have a forum called _I’m either mentally ill or just fucking with you._ > > **samclem** , moderator. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-western-soldier-commit-necrophilia/789125.md?page=2)