By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
Disclaimer: this is not an easy read, but it is not a topic we can ignore.
This has been a week when the threads of policy that have put this nation in extremis have woven themselves together to give us a glimpse of the dark fabric of the American psyche. As implied by the title, you probably know where I’m going with this, although video of four Marine snipers urinating on three dead Taliban fighters is just the latest stitch in a larger design. It’s a disturbing image that has caught even the Pentagon’s attention. YouTube will show you the original 34 second clip, posted anonymously, providing you sign in as over 18 years old. I’m not sure which you need to be an adult to see, the murdered or the desecration, but we might as well show it to the young ones, it’s so obviously adolescent. Besides, they see worse in their video games.
As the YouTube from Afghanistan went viral, a Marine Corps spokesman protested that the “actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our corps.” Well, you could have fooled me! The bodies of those slain are wearing traditional Afghani garb and are unarmed. Point of order: if you’re going to celebrate over the enemy dead, it always looks better if they’re armed to the teeth. But these are Marines we’re talking about, the ultimate fighting force. Bound by their band-of-brothers loyalty and their motto, Semper Fi, Marines have always done the down and dirty work for the American military. They’re trained to kill and call it good in service to their country.
Existing just beneath the thin veneer of civility, Marines have their own code of honor. As Marine General James Mattis put it to Iraqi tribal leaders he hoped to enlist in his cause against al Qaeda, “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all.” Mattis is now the commander of U.S. Central Command, with responsibility for Iraq, Afghanistan and the region. A few years back, as a Lieutenant-General, he tried to explain away 24 civilian deaths in Haditha by pleading the fog of war and perils of counterinsurgency. It would have been easier but less politic to state the obvious: Marines shoot first and take names later, if at all.
I’m not trying to pick on the Marines. I was fathered by a John Wayne clone and I’m a loyal Leroy Jethro Gibbs fan. Every country has its own version of the Samurai, ruthless and tradition-bound — the Marines are ours. There are some acts the average citizen can barely entertain, much less commit. During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt became her crippled husband’s wandering ambassador for troops and service personnel. Aware of the extreme dangers faced by our drafted military, most of them scared teens fresh off the farm, the First Lady spoke with unexpected candor when she said, “The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!”