HONOLULU, June 12, 2008

Marine Faces Expulsion For Puppy Video

Another Marine Will Be Disciplined For Posting Video Online In Which A Puppy Is Thrown Off A Cliff In Iraq

  • The Marine Corps said it was expelling one Marine and disciplining another for their roles in a video showing a Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff while on patrol in Iraq.

    The Marine Corps said it was expelling one Marine and disciplining another for their roles in a video showing a Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff while on patrol in Iraq.  (CBS/AP)

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(AP)  The Marine Corps on Wednesday said it was expelling one Marine and disciplining another for their roles in a video showing a Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff while on patrol in Iraq.

The 17-second video posted on YouTube drew sharp condemnation from animal rights groups when it came to light in March.

The clip shows two Marines joking before one hurls the puppy into a rocky gully. A yelping sound is heard as it flips through the air.

"That's mean. That's mean, Motari," an off-camera Marine is heard telling the Marine who tossed the black and white dog. The off-camera Marine snickered slightly afterward.

Lance Cpl. David Motari, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment at Kaneohe Bay, is "being processed for separation" from the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps said in a news release. He also received unspecified "non-judicial punishment."

The Marine Corps didn't say what role Motari played in the clip.

The video was viewed tens of thousands of times before YouTube took it down due to a violation of the site's terms of use.

"The actions seen in the Internet video are contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine and will not be tolerated," Marine Corps Base Hawaii said in a news release. "The vast majority of Marines conduct their duties with honor and compassion that makes American people proud."

The second Marine, Sgt. Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion also received unspecified "non-judicial" punishment.

Encarnacion is assigned to the Weapons and Field Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

First Lt. Binford Strickland, a Marine Corps Base Hawaii spokesman, said the service may not reveal what roles the two men played in the video because that was part of the investigation. He said releasing such information would violate the Privacy Act.

Strickland declined to provide details about the disciplinary measures taken against the men for the same reason.


© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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by jegibbons June 13, 2008 10:36 AM EDT
Processing out the Lance Corporal may be a quick solve for the Marine Corps'' PR Department but when Lance Cpl. David Motari becomes Mr. Motoari his thinking problem becomes the community''s problem.

A Viet Nam Veteran, myself I appreciate these youngsters for their service and I realize that for many they may have trouble turning off what has been cranked up. Seems like the younger the soldier or Marine the more likely this is a problem.

I hope the Marine Corps mandates some VA treatment for the young Lance Corporal.
I would hope this kind of animal cruelty was not in him prior to his Iraq War experience. If not it is the Marine Corps'' responsibility to fix whatever''s broken.
If not at some time far in the future, at a place yet to be determined when the young Corporal is an old veteran, he might realize the full reality of his heinous deed with dire consequence.
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by patriot12436 June 13, 2008 2:04 AM EDT
Just a note of interest.My daughter told me that the Iraqui''s kill dogs whenever they see them, just for the hell of it. Doesn''t sound to me like they are worth defending. Another note. It is a well known fact in Russia that Sadaam was the illegitimat don of Stalin. Put their pictures together and they look identical.
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by patriot12436 June 13, 2008 1:57 AM EDT
codymac4
I don''t support the war in Iraq. My daughter just returned from duty there. I do support all our troops. I am 100% disabled Vietnam vet, my oldest son is 100% disabled from getting hurt with the rangers, my daughter is active duty, and my youngest son is geting ready o join the rangers. I could not be more proud of our troops than i am, hopwever this act of animal cruelty is not forgiveable. The puppy has nothing to do with politics or starting this senseless war.
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by patriot12436 June 13, 2008 1:47 AM EDT
I believe that our service members are held to a high standard. He has brought dishonor to all our members. There is no excuse for his behavior. I am glad they printed his name so everyone will know him wherever he goes. This man is a dangerous person as he has no soul. I hope that Budhism is real as they believe everything you do in life, good or bad, comes back to you tenfold. I can''t wait to see this man get what he deserves.
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by freescopic June 13, 2008 12:48 AM EDT
all too typical of the nationalist, power-needy Christian soldiers that our tax dollars support every day. they''re not defending freedom, they''re just thirsty for blood to compensate for their own deficiencies, and some days, if they can''t kill Muslims to get that rush of superiority, a puppy will do. Imagine what doesn''t get on youtube!
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by daiseylu June 13, 2008 12:04 AM EDT
Once again, the subject is,,,a marine threw a puppy off a mountain,,this is not about the war,,who started it , who didn''t,,9/11,,,put blinders on and stick with the subject,,just focus on one thing, this ARTICLE IS ABOUT A GOOF AND A PUPPY....only,,,that''s it,,,
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by sgtrds-e4 June 13, 2008 12:01 AM EDT
So, let me get this right, codymac4, now your blaming the Iraq puppy for 9/11?

Posted by Kodiak8881 at 06:19 PM : Jun 12, 2008

Actually they shot the video in Hawaii. It was an American puppy that they killed.
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by ixoye_02 June 12, 2008 11:55 PM EDT
I see that this blog is filled with idiots who would suggest that we shouldn''t condemn bad behavior from soldiers just because they are "protecting our freedoms". There is never an excuse for bad behavior, but I realize that some folks were raised by animals instead of parents and learned everything on the street or from Fox News. Fortunately for many of us, we have the choice to ignore their comments and not respond to their idiotic babble when someone else offers common sense rebuttals.
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by sgtrds-e4 June 12, 2008 11:52 PM EDT
All deserved need some serious time in the brig before they get dis-honorably discharged! They''re disgusting!
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by daiseylu June 12, 2008 11:46 PM EDT
excuse me, am I missing something? What is the name of the marine who threw the puppy over the mountain, so it could break its bones and die?? Or maybe it didnt die, maybe it died, 6 hours later, What a horrible human being he is,,and you know whats more sick, the puppy was probably jumping around these freaks trying to play, as all puppies do,,what an ***.
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by carpriddler June 12, 2008 10:46 PM EDT
codymac4 %u2013 You%u2019re a great American, I would be honored to pull up a stool and have a brew with you. This "Ainttaken" is a rapscallion troll of nondescript pedigree who doesn%u2019t pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Why is that, you readers may ponder. Because he is undisciplined, uneducated, unable to formulate a constructive thought and convey it in his writings. He is a profanity laced name caller and cannot control his emotions. He is a non-hacker. God loves the Marines because they kill everything they see, and therefore, keep Heaven filled with fresh souls. God plays his game and the Marines play theirs.
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by babooph June 12, 2008 10:43 PM EDT
Only in the USA-all those dead people& a dog is the problem. At least now ,faking being gay can be switched with dog trashing to get out of the mess the troops are stuck in.
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by dnamj June 12, 2008 10:37 PM EDT
Just to put this in context, there are many many disciplinary actions taken every year to expel soldiers for inaction. That''s what happens in war, it sucks, and bad things happen. This is just one example. It''s not representative of most of what is going on, but it''s also not an isolated incident.

Next time, maybe we won''t START the war, then this stuff won''t happen.

And for those who think that this war is protecting us from Al Queda (who weren''t in Iraq before the war), you haven''t been paying attention. This war and occupation has been the most effective recruiting tool they have ever had.
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by carpriddler June 12, 2008 10:23 PM EDT
ainttaken
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by simplemind2 June 12, 2008 10:16 PM EDT
You Tube = You Fool = You Lose!
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by rudy654-2009 June 12, 2008 9:35 PM EDT
I''''m still P I S S E D, and have absolutely no sympathy for any of the "innocent" people in the middle east. Those innocent people suported and cheered terrorism. I''''m all about collateral damage.
Posted by codymac4 at 06:01 PM

So in Iraq you saw them all cheer, did ya? Unfortunately the terrorists have the same kind of mentality as you - there are no innocents.
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by carpriddler June 12, 2008 9:33 PM EDT
The Marines tried to train and motivate this young Marine, but failed. The Marines failed because you people failed the Marines by not supporting them in a time of war. So as far as I am concerned, you people owe the Marines for one dead puppy.
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by kodiak8881 June 12, 2008 9:22 PM EDT
***. It''s time to go. It''s been fun!
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by kodiak8881 June 12, 2008 9:19 PM EDT
Once again, if these guys have been so traumatized that they think it''s okay to kill a puppy - just for sport, they need to be out of the Marines and getting help before they do more damage. No one said war was easy or fun. Perhaps this will wake them up to their mental problems so they will get help.

So, let me get this right, codymac4, now your blaming the Iraq puppy for 9/11?
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by jboxton June 12, 2008 9:10 PM EDT
Good for that sadistic ***. That is a serious sign of mental porblems. He deserves what he gets.
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