Rob Burns of the AP reported “Marines probe video showing troops urinating on enemy corpses”:
The Marine Corps said today it is investigating a video depicting what appears to be four Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters.
In a statement, the Marine Corps said it has not verified the origin or authenticity of the YouTube video. But it also said the actions portrayed are not consistent with Marine values.
If verified the video could create a strong backlash in the Muslim world and beyond for the disrespectful actions it portrays.
The military has distanced themselves from the crime:
Marine Corps headquarters at the Pentagon said, “The actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps. This matter will be fully investigated
But this is dishonest. The military’s training regimen relies on the dehumanization of the enemy and desensitizing troops to killing. According to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, author of “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society,” the “improved” training methods instituted since the Vietnam War have dramatically increased the rates at which troops fire their weapons and kill people, which has also coincides with increases in post-traumatic stress disorder and anti-social behaviors among returning combat veterans.