1115.org

Once upon a time — not in the time of Bush — the phrase “proud Marine” could validly be regarded as containing one superfluous word.

Somewhere around the time that news of Marines being responsible for an ugly massacre at Haditha massacre was followed by allegations of Marines being responsible for the killing of an unarmed Iraqi civilian in the village of Hamandiyah, people began wondering if the Marines were no longer who they used to be.

I was moved to write of “the guys who indelibly stain the honor of the Marines forever”.

I was moved to add:

After this, if you tap the proudest Marine on the shoulder and spit in his face and say “Semper bloody fi”, he would just have to look down in shame and turn away, instead of punching your bloody lights out without a moment’s hesitation.

At that time, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee could still make a statement like this, and be taken seriously:

“Make no mistake, a Marine who has been found to have violated our standards will be held accountable. It is an important part of who we are, and all Marines expect it. High standards and accountability define Marines.

At that time, phrases like “a few bad apples” used in connection with stories that tended to shame the Marine Corps would still not have invited hoots of derision.

I’m not sure if this is still true any more:

Only 40 percent of Marines and 55 percent of U.S. Army soldiers deployed in Iraq say they would report a fellow serviceman for killing or injuring an innocent Iraqi, a Pentagon report released on Friday shows.

Sixty percent of Marines would cover up a war crime. This is what the Marines have come to? Who takes the blame for this? Who resigns in shame?

(I would love to see what kind of statement the Marine Corps Commandant comes up with now.)