Should Marine A be in prison

On video and then later in his diary?

And yea, I and many others regularly talk about killing another human being. While have a gun in our hands.

there are plenty of videos calling for retribution against the alleged killers of Gunner Rigby... but they have not been granted anonymity... funny that.

there are plenty of videos calling for retribution against the alleged killers of Gunner Rigby... but they have not been granted anonymity... funny that.

I speak as someone who is currently undergoing the Royal Marines Young Officer application process and I do believe he should be in prison.

To an extent, there are mitigating circumstances and until we have been in a situation such as that, it is hard to comment. I certainly hope that whilst a prison term is totally necessary, the Marine receives a degree of leniency.

However, Marine A's comments about the Geneva Convention, not administering first aid and the shuffling off of mortal coils makes the issue pretty black and white for me.

The Taliban fighter wasn't dead. They weren't under fire. They made pointed remarks about knowing how wrong it was.

It was murder. They've been caught and a Marine has been found guilty.

I see there are comments about the 'arbitrary lines' we draw as a society, and yes, it's certainly interesting point..

It's okay to target people who are not actually fighting us, with drone strikes. It's fine to kill civilians if they constitute collateral damage - 'these things happen in war'. It's acceptable to incarcerate and torture suspect people, if they can be suitably categorised. Extra-judicial executions are ok. But it's not ok for a soldier to decide, 'he's a known enemy, I'll kill him'.

Whilst the above is certainly an interesting debate - it is irrelevant. We are all (including our Forces) governed by rules. When rules are broken, there are consequences. The rights and wrongs of these rules are a completely different argument.

The actions of marine A were wrong, end of. However, stop applying your armchair logic to a warzone.

You may well talk about killing somebody else if they had just killed your friend. You have no idea the emotional toll of month and months of seeing your best friends get maimed or killed. It is so easy to 'turn the other cheek' sat drinking your frappalappacino and discussing the finer points of philosophy. Come face to face with the guy who gave your best mate a new bellybutton, and its not so easy.Im sure you would make some fairly aggressive threats to somebody who was trying to kill you about 3 minutes earlier.

And if you want to find an unarmed british soldier in Afghanistan, you'll be looking for a while. The gun has no bearing on anything.

Lastly, just because he wrote in his diary, doesnt mean a thing. He is probably a young marine, who has never knowingly taken a life, and is as concerned about convincing himself that should the need arrise, he will be able to, as he is about barbarism.

He should be punished for breakign the rules but the rules are also stupid.

What, you mean the rules which say: 'don't brutalise and execute an unarmed man incapable of fighting.'?

I just find it a bit odd that killing a known enemy who has been shooting at you in battle can be considered murder when we also dismiss civilians as collateral.

I dont think there should be any obligation to treat enemy soldiers. 1 less enemy to fight against.

Temporary Insanity is what Marin A suffered from when the incident took place.

Yes he should. The Geneva convention and all exists for a reason.

So I'm not allowed armchair logic and then you proceed to write an essay employing it yourself?

Yea, get lost.

I just find it a bit odd that killing a known enemy who has been shooting at you in battle can be considered murder when we also dismiss civilians as collateral.

I dont think there should be any obligation to treat enemy soldiers. 1 less enemy to fight against.

Whilst I agree with all the points made about morals and ethics regarding this, shove them.

Even if we do not treat them out of genuine human decency or the geneva convention (which we absolutely should), the intellegence we can gather from wounded combatants is very hard to beat.

Even if you feel they deserve to be strung up, it is remarkably short sighted, when the intellegence we can gather from them could save the lives of guys on the ground. Not to mention the whole pashtun code and hearts and minds angle which killing them does not help.

He got a life sentence but still no minimum serve time

He's not being sentenced till December 6th, so don't know how you figured that one out.


(It's likely that he will, ofc, but to say he has is wrong.)