Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered a probe into a YouTube video that surfaced this week which shows a group of Marines gathered around the dead bodies of Taliban soldiers and peeing on them .
Panetta called the acts “utterly deplorable.”
He then said in a statement,
“I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. This conduct is entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military and does not reflect the standards or values our armed forces are sworn to uphold. Those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent.”
White House Spokesman Jay Carney while refusing to pass judgement on acts that are unconfirmed, said that the White House finds the “apparent” activity deplorable and regrettable.
The men in the video are seen surrounding a group on dead Taliban soldiers and then peeing all over them. A person in the videos is heard saying “Have a great day, buddy”
Marines Corps Commandant James F. Amos said he was assigning an investigatory unit to look into whether it is true that the soldiers “desecrated” the dead bodies.
He issued this statement,
“I want to be clear and unambiguous, the behavior depicted in the video is wholly inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and warrior ethos that we have demonstrated throughout our history. Rest assured that the institution of the Marine Corps will not rest until the allegations and the events surrounding them have been resolved. We remain fully committed to upholding the Geneva Convention, the laws of war and our own core values.”
Do you think the Marines behavior upholds the values we want our soldiers to have?
Watch the video here!
