And the Taliban would have acted differently of course? Dream on.
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Petition for Marine A.
- Thread starter spig100963
- Start date
And the Taliban would have acted differently of course? Dream on.
What's that got to do with anything? It doesn't excuse what he did.
Have you actually read any of the thread? We're above cold-blooded murder, regardless of whether the Taliban are or not.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
The Royal Marines have a proud and illustrious history as undoubtedly one of our most elite, toughest fighting forces. They are set apart from most of our other fighting units as simply getting through the training to be a Royal Marine Commando is as tough as it gets. Undoubtedly the biggest punishment will have been is disgraceful discharge from a service he undoubtedly loved and lived for. His breach of discipline will be keenly felt through the service as when a senior experienced commander can commit such a break of discipline under pressure, then how does that in turn affect the lower ranks.
Would be interesting to know what actual Royal Marines think about it. Whether they believe he has let the Marines and their reputation down, or whether they feel he has been unduly punished in a situation that no civilian could understand.
Would be interesting to know what actual Royal Marines think about it. Whether they believe he has let the Marines and their reputation down, or whether they feel he has been unduly punished in a situation that no civilian could understand.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,639
Difficult one this. There can be no doubt that serving in conflict zones can cause all sorts of mental and emotional problems for participants. Witness another case http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-23963788- I knew the chap in question before he went out to Afghanistan, and he's one of the last people I'd ever have imagined getting involved in something like that, so perhaps the tour did affect him badly. He got five years- in a criminal court- for his conviction, and when sentencing, he got the same mandatory sentence as any civilian would have done for firearms offences. Needless to say, his family were hoping for a far lighter sentence.
I have good friends who have served in Afghanistan in recent years, and I can completely understand that life is very different in a conflict zone. But, that said, our soldiers are trained to cope under extreme pressure, and their leaders should to some degree be trained to spot those who aren't coping, or who are starting to show signs of PTSD etc. Much as I can understand this Marine's feelings towards the Taliban, I can't help feeling that our servicemen simply HAVE to be above that sort of thing, regardless of whether the opponents play by the rules or not. As others have stated, if this was a Taliban fighter executing an unarmed, wounded British soldier, there would, rightly, be outrage. If we're going into other countries to remove regimes we regard as barbaric, repressive and evil, then I think our forces have to be beyond reproach themselves, and to be seen to lead by example.
Perhaps the sentence he gets might have taken into account his alleged PTSD in some way, that will always be open to debate, but sadly for him, based on what has been reported, it doesn't sound like court martial had any option other than to find him guilty.
I have good friends who have served in Afghanistan in recent years, and I can completely understand that life is very different in a conflict zone. But, that said, our soldiers are trained to cope under extreme pressure, and their leaders should to some degree be trained to spot those who aren't coping, or who are starting to show signs of PTSD etc. Much as I can understand this Marine's feelings towards the Taliban, I can't help feeling that our servicemen simply HAVE to be above that sort of thing, regardless of whether the opponents play by the rules or not. As others have stated, if this was a Taliban fighter executing an unarmed, wounded British soldier, there would, rightly, be outrage. If we're going into other countries to remove regimes we regard as barbaric, repressive and evil, then I think our forces have to be beyond reproach themselves, and to be seen to lead by example.
Perhaps the sentence he gets might have taken into account his alleged PTSD in some way, that will always be open to debate, but sadly for him, based on what has been reported, it doesn't sound like court martial had any option other than to find him guilty.
The Kid Frankie
New member
- Sep 5, 2012
- 2,082
Strikes me as amazing how the courts have gone all out to bring this lad to justice, when the Police in this country can kill pretty much whoever they fancy without needing to worry about being taken to task for it.
Tom Bombadil
Well-known member
The Kid Frankie
New member
- Sep 5, 2012
- 2,082
Ian Tomlinson
Mark Duggan
Jean Charles de Menezes
Azelle Rodney
Just 4 names of people killed by our brave boys in blue. None of whom have had their killers face any jail time. None of them are terrorists I might add.
But the police line is always 'he fell down the stairs.' There are no stairs in the desert.
The Wizard
Well-known member
- Jul 2, 2009
- 18,401
Just to clarify, in this context, who are you referring too? (Who have the police killed?)
The Kid Frankie
New member
- Sep 5, 2012
- 2,082
Please see above post.
I know several RMs from my time working for the MOD who witnessed comrades being blown to pieces, or critically injured, by mines randomly planted by the Taliban. Most were greatly affected by this and continue to suffer from severe emotional and psychological issues, as I am sure many of us would be working in similar circumstances. I've no idea whether Marine A's actions were linked to what he saw in Afghanistan, or the pressures of working in an operational theatre, and I'm not saying that if he had been so affected it would have excused what he did. To label him a cold-blooded murderer, however, is harsh and in my view misguided.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
This was a military matter undertaken in a military court. The accountability of the police is another matter.
glasfryn
cleaning up cat sick
War is a shitty business
and shitty things happen
we are at war with these people and although I hate war shit happens
and shitty things happen
we are at war with these people and although I hate war shit happens
As it did in WW1 and WW2 and every other war since.
As it did in WW1 and WW2 and every other war since.
Nonsense. How is executing someone lying wounded on the ground, then bragging about breaking the Geneva Convention anything other than the actions of a cold-blooded murderer?
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I generally wont have a word said against our forces, but you cannot attempt to hold the moral high ground whilst also allowing this to go unpunished , whether it should be 10 years is a matter for another discussion , maybe there could've been a diminished responsibility type defence, what IS beyond doubt is that they are complete fkwits for keeping copies of the incident on computer etc , I mean , that was beyond stupid....
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You've made your point , which is a fair one , you're now straying into territory you're not qualified to comment on, IE whether it was cold blooded etc, you quite simply cannot comment on the actions of a man in a warzone, from the comfort of the chair in front of your PC.
I have no intention of debating this issue with you since we are forever bound to disagree. Suffice it to say that I have first hand experience of how operational pressures can affect the balance of mind; and that it would not surprise me if such factors played a part in the case under discussion. Let's leave it there.