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Marine4life

I read a report that he was released, contingent on his promise to not return to the US military. If true which I hope it is, he will be back so he can stand trial for desertion and treason. If he made that sort of agreement to save his butt, well he should be tried for his crimes. No Marine can sell out his brothers and country and just walk away like Kerry did. I hope he is safe but if true he must be tried. I suspect that if it is true, we will take his citizenship away and disallow him to ever return to this country. The sad part is that he was there fighting for his fellow muslims not the U.S.. Of course I take all reports with a grain of salt, the liberal media is telling the story. Any bad light that they can spread on the CIC and our military personnel is attempted at this point. I am not convicting him yet, this is only about a report. But the lebanese have made other agreements of this nature to avoid beheading which adds merit to the report. Semper Fi.
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Helicopter Marine Attack Squadron 169 which is now HMLA-169. They added Huey's to compliment the Cobra effectiveness. When I served we just had Snakes.

LewWaters · Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 4:29 am Post subject:

I am watching this too, as I am the case of the two deserters in Canada right now. I really don't know if they would strip him of his citizenship, given the times. But if he did in fact make such a deal as well as how was it he came to be missing and captured, I can see a Dishonorable Discharge in the makes and possibly some time. Hard to say in todays air of politics and media notoriety.

Regardless of what happens or how it came about, I am glad if he is okay and safe. I'll be taking what I read in the media with two grains of salt over this one.

Marine4life · Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 4:45 am Post subject:

I hear ya Lew. Like I said it is a media report. He only arrived in America in 1992. So I think a permanant deportation hearing and a one way ticket back to lebanon is probable. But like I said I won't convict him yet, but it is a fact of life that many cowards have deserted in the past and it will happen in the future. Semper Fi.
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Helicopter Marine Attack Squadron 169 which is now HMLA-169. They added Huey's to compliment the Cobra effectiveness. When I served we just had Snakes.

The bandit · Commander Joined: 15 May 2004 Posts: 349

Wasn't McCain forced to denounce the US while he was being held? You do what you have to survive. Kerry on the other hand did not have a sword held behind his neck.

nakona · Lieutenant Joined: 04 Jun 2004 Posts: 242

I don't have any problem with a captive telling his captors anything he has to in order to survive.

Additionally, who's to say that the captors didn't make that part up?

It seems to me that they figured out that if they kill Muslim Americans, then people might figure out that their cover story about defending Islam might be bulls**t.
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13F20P

Tony · Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:14 pm Post subject:

This Marine was initially listed as UA and then his status was changed to captured. It's easy to jump to conclusions since he is from Lebanon, but given how excited certain elements of the media would be to have a real life deserter to report on, for now I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he is doing whatever he has to do to escape his captors and return to his unit. He is a Marine, after all. Hopefully he will live up to that standard.

As for telling the enemy what they want to hear - certainly no expert, but I remember being trained to resist as best we could, but if we gave in that was okay as long as we kept making an effort (this would have been the code of conduct being taught in the late 80s - not sure how or if it has changed).
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http://tonyk.smugmug.com/photos/1822816-L-1.jpg
USN 1983-1992

Marine4life · Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:39 pm Post subject:

If he returns back to the Corp, then all is cool. There are still questions about the initial abduction but he will earn some respect with a prompt return. His family is claiming that they have verified his release which to me means that he is hiding out from us. If in fact he has made a deal with the enemy and plans to carry out that deal well I am all for the death penalty. Say anything to them to get your butt out and thats ok but hurry up and get back to fight them again. Anything less than that is treason. Semper Fi.
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Helicopter Marine Attack Squadron 169 which is now HMLA-169. They added Huey's to compliment the Cobra effectiveness. When I served we just had Snakes.

JN173 · Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 4:12 pm Post subject:

Like most here I am thankful that the young man is safe.

I doubt that he will/can be charged for making a bargain for his release. Parole or the practice of giving a pledge not to participate in hostilities in exchange for release is in fact a practice probably as old as warfare itself. That is listed as the first definition of parole in my Webster's Unabridged. It was widely used in the American Revolution and in the War for Southern Independence particularly went the wining side in a battle did not have the means nor the desire to care for large numbers of POW's. Of course that was also back when a man's word meant something. Cool

Of course the issue of the conditions under which he left his unit may be a question for a court.
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A Grunt
2/503 173rd Airborne Brigade
RVN '65-'66

coldwarvet

I am willing to give this guy a hearing of the facts before casting judgement.
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Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.

"Peace is our Profession"
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USAF 75-79 Security Police