Video of Marines Urinating on Afghan Corpses Was One of 12 Made That Day

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A year ago, the video of US Marines urinating on Afghan corpses surfaced on the internet and shocked most viewers. This week, in the trial proceedings for the Marines’ court-martial, it was revealed that the viral video was one of 12 such videos investigators found filmed that day depicting US Marines “behaving inappropriately.”

The judge in the case was presented with a DVD containing all of the videos. It is 20-minutes long.

This shouldn’t be too surprising to anyone that has managed to divorce themselves from the sterilized depiction of war and its warriors that is constantly propagandized in America. At the time the video became viral, McClatchy reported that Afghans aren’t surprised by the fact that US Marines were urinating on dead Afghans.

“I know a lot of horrible things happen in the south and nobody but the locals know about it,” Jamal Karimi, 32, told McClatchy. “Such things happen all the time, and people talk about it but media hardly report them.”

No matter how many times such dehumanizing behavior on the part of US troops is revealed to the public, the mantra that they are rare exceptions is hardly penetrated. At the time of the release of the urination video, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Kendra N. Hardesty said in a statement, “The actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps.”

But as I wrote at the time:

When disgusting photographs of smiling U.S. soldiers proudly standing next to dead Abu Ghraib detainees were released, Americans were basically told to hide their eyes, buy their yellow ribbon bumper stickers and rest assured the incident would be investigated. When news broke of Manadel al-Jamadi, the Abu Ghraib prisoner who in 2003 was hung from his arms twisted behind his back, beaten, and tortured to death at the hands of U.S. interrogators, Americans were told this was the exception and that the war is still just. When the 5th Stryker Brigade in Kandahar – aka “Kill Team” – slaughtered Afghan children for the fun of it, took celebratory pictures next to their corpses, and mutilated their bodies for evidence of their trophy kill, again Americans were expected to buy into the “bad apple” excuse and forge ahead with the support our troops mantra. When American troops forced Afghan civilians to march ahead of them on roads believed to have been filled with bombs and landmines planted by insurgents, Americans were told it would be investigated and promptly looked away.

The point is not that every single U.S. soldier is the type to urinate on the faces of the dead or hunt Afghan children for sport. Rather, the point is that war invades and contaminates the humanity of individuals. And the context of war abroad while Americans sit safely at home pressures people to ignore its brutality in favor of “patriotism.”

All that said, perhaps the most despicable aspect of the war in Afghanistan is not that soldiers do ugly things; it’s that the soldiers shouldn’t be there to begin with.

3 thoughts on “Video of Marines Urinating on Afghan Corpses Was One of 12 Made That Day”

  3. yankee murderers[soldiers] were always like this it is in their training manual even at the start when they murdered 43million native americans raped pillaged mexico so this no revelation being broke may save a few innocent lives.

  4. Actually american Marines have become pchycologically sick person as to kill innocent is a crime and they know then they loose their mental behavior.

  5. They are a true reflection of American will as it has always been.
    How anyone who lives in this country and writes articles upon our national issues, can state our military should not be there at all denies the national character of the country he lives within.
    They buy into the falsety that the US has some form of morality or national character of nobility that its inhabitants adhere too when there never was and never do they want to be bound by laws of civility.
    Afghanistan would have been invaded without the towers incident because it is our will to do so.
    Every facet of civil discourse is goverened by military industrial needs.
    Although ithas so permeated our society it now includes almost the whole scientific and even our charity orgs depend upon wars overseas.
    Our religious orgs depend upon wars and rumors of wars to keep the koffers full.
    Another thing the deniers do os blame a state of war to be the cause of how we vent our rage when we are the rage itself looking for someplace to vent.
    Those soldiers are no more callous than any singles doubles triples orgys Friday night ameticans and the civilians do not have uniforms that much different in regimentation of sameness.
    Every thing that keeps the United States United is that we piss on anyone. Any object,any religion or philosophy that stands in our way from what we want.
    Within the states there may be a few thosand intelligent and honorable men but they would never enter politics, government yes politics no and of the rest maybe 5% at most with homorable intentions towards their fellow men.
    They feel not restrained by a flag that now represents no more than a blodfied Kotex for a natoons whore dom.
    NO these laughing men enjoy making war upn almost helpless civiians it is the american way for ever asonly twice in history did the people ever face any challenge to their military supremacy and that wad no real challenge.
    We have thosewho politic and profit asprophets from holy mounts that are below sealevel in authenticity.

  6. It is almost surreal how many in the media reported the pissing on dead Afghans. The banality of killing in America's culture of government imposed death is evident when the newsreaders who are apologists for the state opine about the immorality of pissing on the dead, but find the actual killing of these humans to be completely acceptable. How noble these pundits are that advocate civilized killing done with good manners. Why, it's just bad form for brave fighting men to mutilate or urinate on those they kill.

    I am used to being pissed on by the government, metamorphorically speaking, but being killed first just adds fatal injury to mere insult.

  9. Rick Perry defended the soldiers that urinated on dead Afghans. Ask him if he will let us urinate on him after he dies.

    1. Me too & that too of his dead children once they die
      I am horrified even about thinking about suh a ghastly dastardly act
      May our lords curse be on all such men & women.

  10. I totally disagree with these Marines urinating on the dead Afghans. However, it is worth pointing out that these Afghans were insurgents and not random civilians.

    1. And you know this how? Because that's what the urinaters said? And that makes it OK?

      C'mon, Phil, think. If you can justify such actions because "they were insurgents", which I guess is like saying, "they're not quite human", then it just becomes a matter of "who/whom" and we know where that leads.

      When some say "They hate us for our values", in cases such as this I must agree.

    2. Let me get this straight. Foreigners, unwelcome and unbidden, force themselves onto YOUR country and YOU are then labeled an "insurgent" by the invaders and thus your getting killed by them is thus "sanitized" and righteous? Are you screwed up or what? This coming from the biggest liars on the planet: The US FedGov and it's evil handmaiden the Military. They're one and the same and joined at the hip.

  11. The poor decisions of a few does not or should not reflect on all. While we WILL NEVER know the TRUE and WHOLE story behind each and every ignorant act we really have no right to judge. As a mother who has a son currently serving over there it behooves me to think such acts can take place; but if it's so then there should be consequences. Only God and those individuals know exactaly what happened and they will have to answer to God when the time comes. In the meantime support the troops, because like it was said, "WE SHOULDN'T EVEN BE THERE"…

  16. o the extent that communities divert law enforcement resources from violent crimes to illegal drug offenses, the risk of punishment for engaging in violent crime

  17. dies divert law enforcement resources from violent crimes to illegal drug offenses, the risk of punishment for engaging i

  18. asdasdget a great job at an influence mill with that on your résumé. You do if Ambassador to Saudi Arabia means what doing the "important work" needed under current policies. "We have to

  19. whose most important job is taking your call when you get drunk in Riyadh. You don't get a great job at an influence mill with that on your résumé. You do if Ambassador to Saudi Arabia means what doing the "important work

  21. thanks for sharing the information keep updating, looking for.Hope that you will continue with Nice to very useful info

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