Marines Seek To Close Combat Jobs For Women

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Marine Corps is expected to ask that women not be allowed to compete for several front-line combat jobs, inflaming tensions between Navy and Marine leaders, U.S. officials say.

The tentative decision has ignited a debate over whether Navy Secretary Ray Mabus can veto any Marine Corps proposal to prohibit women from serving in certain infantry and reconnaissance positions. And it puts Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Marine Corps commandant who takes over soon as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at odds with the other three military services, who are expected to open all of their combat jobs to women.

Canada slow to protect marine areas, report argues

A new report from an environmental group says the federal government is moving too slowly in setting aside marine areas for environmental protection.

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society was urging Ottawa to have a network of 12 protected sites by the end of 2012.

In its report released Monday, the group says that while that didn't happen overall, progress is also too slow.

U.S. Marines Pose With Symbol Resembling Nazi Logo In Afghanistan

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Marine Corps scout sniper team in Afghanistan posed for a photograph in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS, a military official said Thursday.

Use of the SS symbol is not acceptable, and the Marine Corps has addressed the issue, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stewart Upton said in a statement. However, he did not specify what action was taken.

It's the second time this year the Marine Corps has had to do damage control for actions of its troops.

The Marine Corps is currently investigating a group of Marines recorded on video urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban fighters. Those Marines were based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

The picture resembling the SS symbol was taken in September 2010 in Sangin province, Afghanistan. Upton said the Marines in the photograph on an Internet blog are no longer with the unit they were assigned to at the time.

The image shows a flag containing what appear to be the letters "SS" in the shape of jagged lightning bolts.

'I never fired at any women or children': Stunning denial by U.S. Marine at Haditha massacre court martial as judge rules he will serve ZERO jail time

It was the massacre which left 24 unarmed Iraqis dead and cast fresh shame on the American military, already reeling from Abu-Ghraib.

But a military judge yesterday ruled that the final U.S. soldier to face charges over the notorious assault on Haditha will not be jailed.

Instead, Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, who led the attack, faces no more than three months in confinement after admitting the least serious of three charges – negligent dereliction of duty.

He had initially been implicated in 19 of the deaths. Among the victims were seven children and a 76-year-old man in a wheelchair.

The ruling by military judge Lietenant Colonel David Jones came after a surprise statement by Wuterich in which he claimed he was not a ‘cold blooded baby killer’ and had never fired his weapon at any women or children.

He also apologised to relatives of the Haditha victims.

Marine gets no jail time in killing of 24 Iraqi civilians

Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will not serve a jail sentence following his guilty plea in the killing of 24 Iraqis in 2005, a military judge said Tuesday.

The announcement by Lt. Col. David Jones came after Wuterich took responsibility during his sentencing hearing at Camp Pendleton for the killings in the Euphrates River town of Haditha and expressed remorse to the victims' families.

Jones said he had planned to recommend 90 days in the brig — the maximum as requested by the prosecution — but that the plea bargain approved by Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser had called for no jail time.

"It's difficult for the court to fathom negligent dereliction of duty worse than the facts in this case," Jones told Wuterich.

Wuterich, 31, was the last of eight Marines charged in the Haditha killings to have his case resolved. Six had the charges against them dropped, and one Marine was acquitted.

The lack of trial convictions in the Haditha case is likely to further inflame anti-U.S. sentiment in Iraq, as well as fuel criticism by some legal analysts of the 6-year-long investigation and prosecution.

A Marine Corps spokesman said Waldhauser would offer no public explanation of his decision to accept the plea bargain and stipulate that Wuterich receive no jail time.

US marines accused of war crimes

US forces in Afghanistan are facing fresh accusations of war crimes after film emerged which appears to show American marines urinating on dead bodies and laughing.

The US military command in Kabul, which was severely embarrassed last year by revelations that Americans soldiers were running a "kill squad" murdering Afghan civilians, said it would investigate the undated video, and that if it proved to be authentic, desecration of corpses would be regarded as a serious crime. Despoiling of the dead is illegal under the Geneva conventions as well as under US military law.

In the graphic short video, four soldiers in combat gear and carrying weapons are seen acting in unison as they urinate on three bloodied corpses. One of the soldiers sighs with relief, another says "yeah" and a third laughs. One remarks: "Have a great day, buddy". Another says: "Golden, like a shower".
A fifth soldier films the incident.

The video was posted anonymously on Wednesday along with a caption that said: "scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans".