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If someone asked you this week if you heard the one about the Marine, a cliff in Iraq and a puppy, rest assured that it wasn't a joke.
A video popped up on YouTube last week of two United States Marines, one holding a puppy that he then appears to wind up and hurl over the side of a cliff, laughing, while the camera rolls.
YouTube has officially taken it down, although other copies are popping up. The UK Daily Telegraph embedded the clip in their news article about the incident. The video is graphic and may be difficult viewing.
Please note that because neither major news outlets nor the military have officially identified the man, I will not be reprinting his name here and ask that any commenters also refrain from doing so due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
Thanks to Antonette at Unrestricted: My NASCAR Rants and Raves and Leslie Carbone for links to the Marine Corp's response.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii continues to investigate a video of a Marine mistreating a puppy that gained widespread attention on the internet Monday. The content of the video is deplorable and contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine at home and abroad.
MCBH learned of the video Monday morning and immediately began an investigation to confirm the authenticity of the video and the persons responsible for the video. The investigation will be thorough and will examine each person involved. Upon completion of the investigation, it will be reviewed by each Marine's commander who will determine the appropriate action to take in each case.
No charges have been filed at this time. In the event that any Marine is charged with an offense, he will be afforded the constitutional and due process protections guaranteed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The vast majority of Marines conduct their duties in an honorable and compassionate manner that brings great credit upon the Marine Corps and the United States. There have been numerous stories of Marines adopting pets and bringing them home from Iraq or helping to arrange life-saving medical care for Iraqi children. Those are the stories that exemplify what we stand for and how most Marines behave.
If you have a comment regarding this incident we encourage you to visit our Web site and leave a comment or concern at www.mcbh.usmc.mil and click on the mcbh.pao.fct@nmci.usmc.mil e-mail link. Incoming statements and comments will be compiled in a database for use in this situation.
The Humane Society wrote a letter to Sec. of Defense Robert Gates to request that the Marine be punished.
“A videotape widely circulated on the Internet during the last several days depicts a man, who appears to be a U.S. Marine, tossing a yelping puppy over a precipice. We understand that the Marine in the videotape is identifiable, and we therefore expect the Department of Defense to investigate and to take swift and appropriate disciplinary action...Such instances of cruelty are objectionable in their own right, but take on special urgency as we welcome American military personnel home from the war zone,” Pacelle wrote. “While only a few incidents of this kind have come to light, we worry about the psychological stability of those who could perpetrate such vicious acts against the most vulnerable of creatures.
PETA was on the scene as well, with a response and a petition.
While we thank the Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) for launching a full investigation into this apparent act of extreme animal abuse, we want to make sure that the punishment reflects the serious nature of this violent act. The MCBH should require that the suspects appear before a court-martial and should seek the most severe penalties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including discharge from the Corps, for the suspects if they are convicted. The U.S. Marine Corps should also establish a zero-tolerance policy for cruelty to animals, which would help ensure that this is the last time that the U.S. will suspect any of its brave men and women of abusing a defenseless animal during their service to America.
Leslie Carbone writes about the rumors that the puppy wasn't real:
But questions about the video have arisen, in part because the dog doesn't move or make any noise while being held by the scruff of the neck and because yelps heard as it appears that the dog is going over a cliff sound possibly dubbed.
These questions haven't stopped death threats against the man
