US Marines Who Urinated On Taliban Corpses Are Formally Charged

Two U.S. Marines who were caught urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban fighters have been formally charged. The men are also facing charges realted to a grenade launcher incident.

A USMC representative tells TMZ:

“The Marines — Staff Sergeants Joseph W. Chamblin and Edward W. Deptola — have been charged for “violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice” for their involvement in the urination incident.”

The USMC also claims the urination incident happened during a counter-insurgency operation in Afghanistan on or about July 27th, 2011.

Chamblin and Deptola have also been charged with the following list of alleged crimes:

— Being derelict in their duties by failing to properly supervise junior Marines
— Failing to require junior Marines to wear their personal protective equipment
— Failing to stop and report the misconduct of junior Marines
— Failing to report the negligent discharge of a grenade launcher
— Failing to stop the indiscriminate firing of weapons

Other cases involving the incident are also still pending with the United States Marine Corp. although what those cases were not discussed as the USMC released the recent charges against the men.

In discussing the case moving forward the USMC official says:

“We will be as forthright as possible while preserving the rights of the accused and fairness and integrity of the military justice process.”

Charging the Marines comes at a time when US sentiment is at an all-time low in the Middle East following the destruction of the Libyan consulate and various demonstrations against U.S. forces in other parts of the region.