Marine tosses dog from cliff on YouTube
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A video appeared on the Internet yesterday under the title "US Marine throwing a puppy," showing a man who appeared to be a Marine in Iraq picking up a puppy by the back of its neck and throwing it off a cliff.
As the animal soars through the air, yelping sounds can be heard.
The video posted on YouTube has drawn widespread condemnation on the Internet and by Marine officials at Kaneohe Bay.
Kaneohe Marines are investigating the 15-second video to see whether the Marine is one of their own. The Corps said such activity is not tolerated and that appropriate action will be taken.
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The Marine Corps is investigating a 15-second video of what appears to be a smiling Marine lance corporal in full battle gear throwing a black-and-white puppy into a gully in Iraq while a fellow Marine jokes with him.
It drew widespread condemnation on the Internet yesterday and by the Marine Corps at Kaneohe Bay.
Maj. Chris Perrine, Kaneohe Bay spokesman, said "the matter is under investigation" to determine whether the Marine belongs to one of three infantry battalions stationed on Windward Oahu.
Perrine said there have been reports that the Marine is a lance corporal assigned to Kaneohe's 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, which returned in October after seven months in Iraq.
"We just saw the video," Perrine said yesterday. "We are conducting an investigation. We don't who is in the video or whether it is legit."
In a written statement, the Marine Corps here said: "The video is shocking and deplorable and is contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine.
"We do not tolerate this type of behavior and will take appropriate action.
"The vast majority of Marines conduct their duties in an honorable manner that brings great credit upon the Marine Corps and the United States. There have been numerous stories of Marines adopting pets and bringing them home from Iraq or helping to arrange lifesaving medical care for Iraqi children. Those are the stories that exemplify what we stand for and how most Marines behave."
Comments posted on the YouTube site included:
"Absolutely disgusting. Of course this is tame compared to the Abu Gharib (sic) list of horrors."
Another person wrote, "U know this guy gives good Marines a bad name and is honestly an a------ person."
"Its a fake," another viewer wrote, "the puppy was already dead. They probably found it. Sounds were added later. Notice how the dog is completely motionless."
"Even if it's a fake," another person wrote, "it will remain one of the most stupid things you can do as a soldier. You won't win more popularity for this war."
The video, which appeared on YouTube under the title "US Marine throwing a puppy" yesterday morning, shows a man who appears to be a Marine in Iraq picking up a puppy by the back of its neck and throwing it off a cliff.
As the animal soars through the air, tumbling several times, yelping sounds can be heard.
The Marine then shrugs as another Marine says, "That's mean."
Kaneohe's three Marine infantry battalions have been rotating through Iraq on a seven-month basis. The Marines from the 1st Battalion were replaced by members of the 3rd Battalion, which returned home last week.
They were replaced by Kaneohe Marines from the 2nd Battalion.
Some reports on YouTube said the Marine was from Monroe, Wa.
The Everett Daily Herald in Washington asked veterinarians at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine to view the video to determine whether the puppy might have been a fake.
"There is no way to know for sure if the puppy is real or not unless you are the one who produced it," Charlie Powell, a veterinary college spokesman, told the Everett newspaper.
"Whoever did produce the film needs to be looked at, even if it is fake, because the intent is the same and represents a horrific act of cruelty, real or not."
