Marine Video in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Marines have identified the unit whose forces are suspected of being behind a video appearing to show them urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban in Afghanistan, a Marine officer told Reuters on Thursday.

WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE BELOW

The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Marines in question were believed to be from the 3rd Battallion, 2nd Marines, which is based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

There are no words to express my disgust at the video making the rounds today, of U.S. Marines apparently urinating on the dead bodies of the Taliban. As an Iraq War veteran who works with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans every day, I can truthfully say that the Marines in the video have undermined everything that I and those who served with me tried to do.

That's why I'm just as disgusted by right wingers like Pamela Gellar, who said, "I love these Marines" and joked, "Perhaps this is the infidel interpretation of the Islamic ritual of washing and preparing the body for burial."

Comments like these not only go against everything our military stands for, but only serve to put our troops on the ground in increased danger. It just shows that some on the right still just don't get it when it comes to our mission in Afghanistan.

It's a horrible thing, and I completely disapprove of treating the dead like that, no matter who they are. But does anyone really think this hasn't happened in other wars that we've been involved in?

If you think there wasn't a single soldier from the "Greatest Generation" that took a piss on a dead German or Asian, I'd say you're probably being naive. If there was an Internet seventy years ago, some bleeding heart would have posted a picture of an American soldier pissing on some scumbag Nazi. I guarantee it.

I hate the act they committed, but I have a very hard time hating the very people who are fighing for the country that I live in, whether I agree with the war or not (and I don't).

The reason we're so disgusted is that we're convinced we're "the good guys". We want to believe, somehow, that we're better.

However, war is war. It's us vs. them. The purpose of war is to destroy the enemy. You don't keep your white hat too clean when you're doing that.

I agree 100 percent, Oli. I'm just saying that I'd bet it happened in previous wars.

I've read comments to an article about this, and people brought up Bin Laden's body, saying that Obama shold've given Americans the chance to "do justice" to his body. Most of the commentators argued that americans had the right to violate his body, and that it would have brought some comfort to the families.

Do you guys think these soldiers are minority? I hear more and more opinions in support of this.