Petition for Marine A.

[Footsoldier]

Until you've been under fire, and seen comrades horribly wounded, I guarantee you don't.

Not to mention soldiers seeing fellow comrades body parts hanging from trees.

 

[User removed 4]

Guilty. Murder. Who else are we going to be asked to exonerate on NSC?

Quite a few 'well known NSC thickets ' would have us believe Omar Deghayes , and other Guantanamo detainess who were in Afghanistan for 'computer courses'.

 

[DJ Leon]

None of this matters. He executed a wounded, defenceless human being in cold blood, and knew exactly what he was doing in the process. I know enough about myself to know I could never bring myself to do that.

I won't be signing the petition, BUT I'd be interested to know if you've worked under similar circumstances to Marine A? As an office monkey, I know I cannot even imagine what it's like. I can't therefore say I wouldn't do the same.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

The bloke he shot would not have thought twice about killing the solider if it was the other way round. I don't agree with what he done, but my nephew was part of K company at the same time as this incident and he said it was blooming awful at the time of the killing and all of them was on edge, they had lost a few men in the weeks leading up to the incident and ALL were in a bad place mentally because of the losses. For you to say you would never do the same is rubbish in my opinion because unless you are there and in those situations you don't know how you would react. My nephew said that even under attack they were not allowed to fire back until permission was given from above, this caused HUGE stress on a lot of marines who are trained to kill, but were not allowed too because of stupid rules agreed years ago. Unless you were there, I fail to see how you can make a comment like you have. for the record, 7 of my nephews company never returned including "fish" who was his room mate through training.

Surely when people join the army they accept that they could be sent into dangerous situations and into war zones and that is what they are paid to do. They receive a high level of training to do their job and a huge part of that is discipline and to follow orders in times of high stress.

I can't see how that situation can then be used as an excuse to kill an unarmed person who was not in a position to be a threat to them at that time.

The excuse that they would kill if the situation is reversed doesn't wash with me, they arn't necessarily taught and paid to the same standards our army is, their political objectives arn't the same as for our army and they arn't expected to behave in the same way we as UK citizens expect our army to behave.

 

[grawhite]

None of this matters. He executed a wounded, defenceless human being in cold blood, and knew exactly what he was doing in the process. I know enough about myself to know I could never bring myself to do that.

You might know enough about yourself, no one is arguing about that, but to make a statement about how you would act under wartime conditions is just stupid, you have no idea how you would react, let's hope you never have to find out.

 

[daveinprague]

Its horrible agreeing with Bushy, but.. I think the circumstances for this type of thing, make it different from your usual type of murder. Its in a battlefield, and whilst what he did, was wrong, and hopefully, an isolated incident, I think a 10 year sentence is harsh. Having said that, he is unlikely to serve 10 years is he.

 

[paul & shark]

On a different note.

All these online petitions are the government dream, it stops people taking to the streets

 

[User removed 4]

Its horrible agreeing with Bushy, but.. I think the circumstances for this type of thing, make it different from your usual type of murder. Its in a battlefield, and whilst what he did, was wrong, and hopefully, an isolated incident, I think a 10 year sentence is harsh. Having said that, he is unlikely to serve 10 years is he.

He has been told he will serve AT LEAST ten years.

 

[strings]

On a different note.

All these online petitions are the government dream, it stops people taking to the streets

I disagree with most of what you post (sorry, nothing personal, or 'owt ). But that is spot on.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I think its difficult. I can understand the stress, but also understand that this was indeed a criminal act. I hope, this
was a very isolated incident. Think his sentence could be reduced somewhat, considering the local circumstances.
If the Taliban ever released a video of one of their combatants, shooting dead a wounded British soldier, there would be uproar.

And if a member of the Taliban did this and was then tried and convicted of murder as a result would you think that he should be cleared because he is doing a stressful job in a stressful situation and that would be enough of an excuse to override the fact that he shot an unarmed person who posed no threat to him or his colleagues and stated that he knew what he was doing was completely wrong at the time?

Would you sign that petition too?

 

[The Wizard]

And if a member of the Taliban did this and was then tried and convicted of murder as a result would you think that he should be cleared because he is doing a stressful job in a stressful situation and that would be enough of an excuse to override the fact that he shot an unarmed person who posed no threat to him or his colleagues and stated that he knew what he was doing was completely wrong at the time?

Would you sign that petition too?

& this

 

[paul & shark]

I disagree with most of what you post (sorry, nothing personal, or 'owt ). But that is spot on.

No offence taken mate

Thats life aint it, takes allsorts

 

[daveinprague]

No, im not signing the petition. What he did was wrong...and deserves punishment.

Ive also said , that if a Taliban released a video of a Taliban combatant, shooting dead a British wounded prisoner, there would be uproar, and calls for nuclear armageddon on Afghanistan.

 

[chez]

Signed

 

[daveinprague]

He has been told he will serve AT LEAST ten years.

Fair enough...still, for unlawfully, taking a human life, 10 years is pretty low. I find it a bit difficult to put a scale on the tariff to be honest.

 

[Simster]

Quite a few 'well known NSC thickets ' would have us believe Omar Deghayes , and other Guantanamo detainess who were in Afghanistan for 'computer courses'.

Not me though. That of course, is entirely irrelevant to this thread.

The fact is that Marine A was found guilty of murder. So maybe it is the verdict that needs to be challenged. Because I for one am very uncomfortable with dishing out tin pot custodial stretches for MURDER, which is what some people seem to be calling for.

 

[EDS]

Why? We think of ourselves as better than the likes of the Taliban because we are disgusted by their brutality and backward views. As soon as we stoop to their level we are no better than them and have no right to pass judgement. I, like countless other, have massive respect for our troops. I don't think for a second I could do what they do, under the pressure and trauma they're under. But that does not justify what he did. It was not a moment of madness in the heat of battle, it was a calculated execution. He deserves punishment in the same way any other murderer does.

As above

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Not me though. That of course, is entirely irrelevant to this thread.

The fact is that Marine A was found guilty of murder. So maybe it is the verdict that needs to be challenged. Because I for one am very uncomfortable with dishing out tin pot custodial stretches for MURDER, which is what some people seem to be calling for.

And if marine A had been Polish, Romanian, Russian, Chinese, Nigerian or whatever rather than British would your feelings be the same?

 

[The Kid Frankie]

And if marine A had been Polish, Romanian, Russian, Chinese, Nigerian or whatever rather than British would your feelings be the same?

Well if he was a Ruski or a Chink I would be very worried what he was doing in Afghanistan in the first place!!!

 

[sjamesb3466]

Not to mention soldiers seeing fellow comrades body parts hanging from trees.

I'm afraid this still doesn't excuse what he did.

I do not feel sorry for the Taliban and would be happy to see them wiped off the face of the earth, however we are meant to be above such barbaric acts whatever the circumstances. This sort of thing only increases Taliban support by portraying us as the barbaric 'West' who pretend to be moral but are corrupt, evil and determined to attack Islam etc etc. Whatever the circumstances the soldier stood there and murdered a man. He was calm, coherent and knew what he was doing. He even mentioned that he had just broken the Geneva convention and not to talk about it to anyone. This was not a crime that took place in the heat of the moment, whatever the pressures they were undergoing at the time. Further to this he was a marine. These soldiers are meant to be the best and a cut above the normal soldier. What he did seriously undermines our armed forces reputation across the world and should be shunned by our military, not excused.

Finally if you are stupid enough to murder an unarmed man when one of your fellow soldiers is wearing a bloody camera you deserve all you get.