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Me#1You#10
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Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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 Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:11 pm Post subject: Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun: "Once a marine..." |
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"...always a Marine", and with that he ended his brief statement. It was preceded by his urging of his fellow Marines to keep their "heads held high". Interesting that it wasn't mentioned in the AP rendition...
| Quote: | Marine Who Vanished Says He Didn't Desert
MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press
Mon, Jul. 19, 2004
QUANTICO, Va. - Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, the Marine who disappeared under mysterious circumstances while on duty in Iraq, insisted on Monday that he was captured by enemy forces.
"I did not desert my post," he told reporters outside Quantico Marine Corps Base. "I was captured and held against my will by anti-coalition forces for 19 days. This was a very difficult and challenging time for me."
He did not answer any questions during his brief appearance. He was joined by his brother, who had recently arrived at Quantico from Utah.
Hassoun is in the midst of what the Marines call a "repatriation process" in which he is debriefed and given time to decompress and avoid the media spotlight, Marine Corps officials said.
Hassoun, 24, of West Jordan, Utah, disappeared June 20 from his base near the troubled Iraqi city of Fallujah and turned up unharmed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on July 8. It remains unclear how he traveled from Iraq to Lebanon, where he was born and still has some relatives.
The Mercury News |
Talk about real deals, sounds like this is a soldier that was underserving of the press speculation about his alleged capture.
Welcome home Marine! |
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Navy_Navy_Navy
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Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 5777
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:05 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, it could be a very long time before we know the real story behind this for several reasons, not the least of which are protection of the accused or protection of vital intelligence.
I don't blame people for being suspicious, though.
According to people in his unit, he cleared out many of his personal effects and made anti-US military statements to people just before he disappeared, which is what prompted him to be listed as absent without leave so soon after he disappeared.
But, he's one of ours and if he took a wrong turn in a moment of poor judgement and ended up in enemy hands, I just thank God he is restored to us.
As with the accused in the Abu Ghraib situation, I'm willing to let the due process of an investigation unfold without making judgements.
But, if it turns out that this WAS a desertion and a hoax..... 
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother |
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