I would just like to add my two cents here.
I am not suggesting that I am ok with the actions of these Marines.
There are factors that must be taken into consideration. We take young men and train them to be killers. Standard Infantry, especially Marine Infantry, is by no means soft in any way. They teach you to be able to become monsters. We cannot be surprised that out of our entire Armed Forces that there will be some that will behave in this fashion. It's just a matter of statistics.
Additionally, in regards to the urination on the corpse, that could be a case of severe disrespect or it could be a way that these soldiers are dealing with the trauma they experience on the battlefield. Obviously, this isn't a healthy or appropriate vent, but I know that when I was in the shit and dealing with getting shot at and killing I had things I did to vent.
We had games we would play among different units. These were always in the form of stories from being out on patrol...Funniest Sound at Point of Death, Most Surprised Expression at Sight of a Flash Bang. Most Embarassing Kill. Stuff like that. Some of you may view that as sick, but frankly, I don't care. When you're in that situation you MUST add humor to the situation. Anything to take away from the fact that you're dealing with incoming fire, killing and seeing close friends die in explosions and gun fights. In short, these men are traumatized. They need help. Everything they did was still very inappropriate though.
On the subject of corpses. To me, a corpse is just a sack of meat. If someone called me right now and said someone had dug up my grandmother and was having sex with the remains, I would be more concerned about the guy getting captured so he could have his head examined. Once the brain stops, and the central nervous system shuts down...it's just a pile of organic mass that will decompose. I don't like the idea of grave yards. I feel they are a bit uneccissary.
If you want to remember someone, do it with the memories you had and shared with that person. Tell your friends, children, anyone...That way, the memory of that person lives on for as long as the stories are told. While I understand that people want to be able to visit a specific spot to "visit", I would rather they go to my favorite spot in Gambril State Park and sit on the rock I always sit on. I definitely wouldn't want to be buried in a field with a bunch of other people in caskets after being pumped full of chemicals.
When a corpse decomposes in a coffin, it's a very slow process. In the end, it winds up being this horrifying black sludge that just fills the container. I truly don't understand why we do this. If I could be just tossed in a forest somewhere to decompose or be eaten by scavengers, that would be just delightful. At least my corpse would give something back at the end of my existance. Yet, since we have actual laws stating how we can be disposed of, I will have to settle for cremation.
After that, I don't care what they do with it. Throw it away. Bake it in a cake and give it to someone you don't like and don't tell them. Shoot me out of a cannon. "Antique" someone with me. I don't give a hoot.
But, that's just my opinion and like assholes, everyone has one and they all stink.
-Joe
