Marine Corps brass soon will be wondering why enlistments have dropped off, following word that courts-martial are ahead for two Marines charged with urinating on corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan after posing for photos in the incident, predicts Grumpy Editor.
Charges were made against Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Chamblin and Staff Sgt. Edward W. Deptola. Administrative punishments for three other Marines for their role in the urination episode were announced earlier.
What the brass --- and non-question-asking media --- failed to consider is that the deceased bad guys in Afghanistan belonged to no official military force, represented no country, wore no uniforms or dog tags, held no rank and possessed no serial numbers.
What triggered the military inquiry was a video that surfaced in January showing Marines allegedly urinating on three dead Taliban fighters.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) jumped in with a criminal investigation.
It said there were "other pending cases related to this incident" but mentioned no specifics.
The leathernecks were members of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines that fought in the southern Afghan province of Helmand for seven months.
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