QUANTICO, Va. -- Three Marines received non-judicial punishment today for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for their role in the desecration and filming of deceased Taliban that became public in January 2012.
Disciplinary actions against other Marines involved in the incident will be announced at a later date.
The actions depicted in the video took place during a counter-insurgency operation in the vicinity of Sandala, Musa Qala District in Helmand province, Afghanistan on or about July 27, 2011.
Lieutenant Gen. Richard Mills, the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, is the general officer responsible for determining disciplinary action in the cases arising from the incident. The three Marines pleaded guilty at non-judicial punishment as the result of an agreement.
As non-judicial punishment is an administrative action, their names will not be released. All three were members of Third Battalion, Second Marine Regiment (3/2) or in units that were attached to 3/2 during their deployment.
A noncommissioned officer pleaded guilty to:
- violating a lawful general order, II Marine Expeditionary Force General Order 1A, by wrongfully posing for an unofficial photograph with human casualties.
- urinating on the body of a deceased Taliban soldier, which conduct was prejudicial to good order and discipline.
Another noncommissioned officer pleaded guilty to:
- violating a lawful general order, II Marine Expeditionary Force General Order 1A, by wrongfully posing for an unofficial photograph with human casualties.
- wrongfully video recording the incident above, which conduct was prejudicial to good order and discipline.
A staff noncommissioned officer pleaded guilty to:
- violating a lawful general order, Secretary of the Navy Instruction 3300.1C (Department of the Navy Law of War Program) by failing to report the mistreatment of human casualties by other Marines.
- making a false official statement to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigator concerning his knowledge of the video of the incident.
The specific punishments will not be disclosed as non-judicial punishment is an administrative proceeding. Punishment may include reduction in rank, restriction to a military base, extra duties, forfeiture of pay, a reprimand, or a combination of these measures. Regardless of the specific punishments, non-judicial punishment becomes a permanent part of the Marine's record with the potential to affect reenlistment and promotion.
We hold Marines to a high standard of ethical behavior. The Marine Corps takes misconduct by Marines very seriously and is committed to holding accountable those who are responsible.
This is the first set of disciplinary actions taken with regard to this incident; there are other cases underway. In order to preserve the integrity of the investigations, and to ensure fair and impartial legal proceedings in the future, we will not discuss evidence or specific findings of the investigations.
We will endeavor to be as open as possible while preserving the rights of the accused and the fairness and integrity of the military justice process.
Background:
On or about Jan. 11, 2012, a video appeared on the social media site YouTube depicting four U.S. service members urinating on several dead bodies. Captions in the video identified the four service members as U.S. Marines from Third Battalion, Second Marine Regiment (3/2), and the bodies as deceased Taliban. 3/2 is based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
After viewing the video, General James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, immediately initiated two investigations.
One was by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, to authenticate the video and verify the identities of the individuals.
The other was a command investigation led by a Marine Corps general officer and a senior Marine Corps attorney. The purpose of the command investigation was to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the video and the factors that may have contributed to the incident. This investigation was completed in March and the results briefed to Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills, the Marine Corps general officer responsible for determining disciplinary actions in these cases. Both investigations were completed and briefed to Mills in mid-March.
Based on information that came to light during the command investigation, Mills determined that further inquiry into possible misconduct by members of the unit involved in the incident depicted in the video was required. This was necessary to have a complete understanding of what actions took place. The investigation was conducted by a Marine colonel who recently returned from a combat command, and was completed in mid-June.
| Date Taken: |
08.27.2012 |
| Date Posted: |
08.27.2012 12:48 |
| Story ID: |
93867 |
| Location: |
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: |
1,692 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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