NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.wokr13.tv/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=422B960A-26BA-4891-9E60-21C8818788D4

Here we have a news station repeating the claim of a "former Marine" concerning his role in Saddam's capture.

Let's examine this, shall we?

First of all, there were no major Marine units in Iraq at the time that Saddam was captured. The last Marines to leave Iraq left at the end of September '03. Marines did not re-enter Iraq en masse until January of '04.

Second, I tried searching the Marine Locator on Marine Online, this guy has no account (something that's been required for a few years now).

Third, I tried searching the Marine Corps Uniform Board tool for looking up who has been approved for a Combat Action Ribbon (something he would have received had he, you know, ever been shot at or shot at someone), his name does not show up (tool located here: https://lnweb1.manpower.usmc.mil/manpower/mm/mmma/AwardsVerification.nsf/search ).

Fourth, I looked up who was killed around that time here: http://icasualties.org/oif/BY_DOD.aspx and couldn't find either anyone of Sudanese descent, nor any Marines (goes back to my first point) killed around that time.

This guy is making it up. And the media is repeating it.

http://www.wokr13.tv/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=422B960A-26BA-4891-9E60-21C8818788D4

Here we have a news station repeating the claim of a "former Marine" concerning his role in Saddam's capture.

Let's examine this, shall we?

First of all, there were no major Marine units in Iraq at the time that Saddam was captured. The last Marines to leave Iraq left at the end of September '03. Marines did not re-enter Iraq en masse until January of '04.

Second, I tried searching the Marine Locator on Marine Online, this guy has no account (something that's been required for a few years now).

Third, I tried searching the Marine Corps Uniform Board tool for looking up who has been approved for a Combat Action Ribbon (something he would have received had he, you know, ever been shot at or shot at someone), his name does not show up (tool located here: https://lnweb1.manpower.usmc.mil/manpower/mm/mmma/AwardsVerification.nsf/search ).

Fourth, I looked up who was killed around that time here: http://icasualties.org/oif/BY_DOD.aspx and couldn't find either anyone of Sudanese descent, nor any Marines (goes back to my first point) killed around that time.

This guy is making it up. And the media is repeating it.


a) who cares?
b) what the army never makes mistakes in its reporting?
c) what some guy punching in names @ said website could never have made a mistake right?

It's pretty damn low to take credit for something that others have put their lives on the line for.

That sounds like a pretty implausible story- I mean, if Saddam had a firefight, they probably would have just killed him while they had an easy excuse. No trial, no mess at all, nice and clean.
Besides, the term spider-hole was such a cool catchphrase for a bout three weeks.

lol, it'd be a gas if you were right. If some dude on the internet can dig up better information than an official news source, then that media organisation is teh crap.

There were no Marines in Iraq during the time Saddam was captured.

So it's rather hard to say that he was with a Marine unit that captured Saddam.

Especially since it was an Army unit that captured Saddam.

People faking military service is a big no-no to me!

It's not big, it's not clever, ever!

How do you feel about the media sources now?

This is equally important to me, were they the victims of a hoaxer or are they trying to run something for sensationalism?

People faking military service is a big no-no to me!

It's not big, it's not clever, ever!

How do you feel about the media sources now?

This is equally important to me, were they the victims of a hoaxer or are they trying to run something for sensationalism?

I haven't trusted media sources for years.

The clincher for me was the atrocious coverage of the first Gulf War.

After meeting CNN reporters who didn't know anything about anything they were looking at, I gave up counting on the major news agencies to produce an accurate story.

Bias is one thing (such as Fox, or Dan Rather at CBS). But just getting the story completely wrong - that bothers me.

Scenario:

It's January 1991, near the Saudi-Kuwait border.

You are about 30 km from the border.

You see the 1st Infantry Division's tanks and Bradleys unload off of their truck transports and roll up to the Iraqi border in broad daylight.

Then, under cover of darkness, you see them coming back rapidly, reloading the truck transporters, and moving 150km up the road - along the border and up to the Neutral Zone which borders Iraq.

Any third rate fool standing there could see what was going to happen next.

But did the CNN reporters who I saw standing there trying to figure it out understand what was happenning?

No, they didn't. They were too ignorant. They were busy filing stories about how we were going to wade through flaming trenches and land mines, and how we were going to take 5000 casualties in the first hours.

So now, when they report on something non-military, such as social policy, or health, or science, I figure that they're even more ignorant on those topics.

People faking military service is a big no-no to me!


So I take it you didn't vote for Bush then?

Sorry, gotta do this stuff once in a while to keep my liberal street cred.

So I take it you didn't vote for Bush then?

Sorry, gotta do this stuff once in a while to keep my liberal street cred.

Yeah, it was different in the days when military records were kept on paper.

They can find you now - even after you've left the service.

The gray areas of Bush's service (and the gray area surrounding Kerry's discharge) will not exist in the future.

(and the gray area surrounding Kerry's discharge)
He could easily have made those area's crystal clear. He chose not too. Whereas Bush may or may not have arranged for an accident to the records. Two different scenarios.

thats prety low, damned posers... that is also disrespectful too... My step-dad is a retired marine, and i am going to be here soon, shipin' out to Paris Island in september.

So I take it you didn't vote for Bush then?

Sorry, gotta do this stuff once in a while to keep my liberal street cred.


I wouldn't have voted for Bush if my life depended upon it! But it's easy for me to say that as I'm British. There are many words for Bush in the english language and as far as I'm concerned the most accurate one is the one which rhymes with punt. ;)

He could easily have made those area's crystal clear. He chose not too. Whereas Bush may or may not have arranged for an accident to the records. Two different scenarios.

There is evidently no evidence that Kerry received a proper discharge from the Navy until he became a Senator - but the reasons for not getting a normal Honorable Discharge were never made public. In a time when it was a fairly simple step in the process of comig home from Vietnam, he somehow never got one in the same manner as everyone else. Of course, he would not have arranged to "not get one". But someone else must have. It's not something that can be chalked up to a "simple administrative mistake".

As for Bush arranging accidents to his records, I doubt it. You're talking about the man who said there was WMD in Iraq, and when he discovered he was wrong, didn't have the brains to call the CIA and have them put a few drums of anthrax in the middle of Tikrit along with a press conference.

I tend not to believe the sinister explanations - I go with the stupid every time.

There is evidently no evidence that Kerry received a proper discharge from the Navy until he became a Senator - but the reasons for not getting a normal Honorable Discharge were never made public. In a time when it was a fairly simple step in the process of comig home from Vietnam, he somehow never got one in the same manner as everyone else. Of course, he would not have arranged to "not get one". But someone else must have. It's not something that can be chalked up to a "simple administrative mistake".

As for Bush arranging accidents to his records, I doubt it. You're talking about the man who said there was WMD in Iraq, and when he discovered he was wrong, didn't have the brains to call the CIA and have them put a few drums of anthrax in the middle of Tikrit along with a press conference.

I tend not to believe the sinister explanations - I go with the stupid every time.

Yeah, conspiracy-theory credibility went right out the door when the U.S. didn't find WMD.
As for Kerry, he served in Vietnam. He was wounded. He was a war hero. All this "swift-boat veterans for truth" crap was just a response to questioning of Bush's war records by others.
That said, I'm not sure why it was such a big issue in the states- I mean, just because someone is brave, or a decorated veteran does not mean he's a good leader of the country.

http://www.wokr13.tv/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=422B960A-26BA-4891-9E60-21C8818788D4

Here we have a news station repeating the claim of a "former Marine" concerning his role in Saddam's capture.

Let's examine this, shall we?

First of all, there were no major Marine units in Iraq at the time that Saddam was captured. The last Marines to leave Iraq left at the end of September '03. Marines did not re-enter Iraq en masse until January of '04.

Second, I tried searching the Marine Locator on Marine Online, this guy has no account (something that's been required for a few years now).

Third, I tried searching the Marine Corps Uniform Board tool for looking up who has been approved for a Combat Action Ribbon (something he would have received had he, you know, ever been shot at or shot at someone), his name does not show up (tool located here: https://lnweb1.manpower.usmc.mil/manpower/mm/mmma/AwardsVerification.nsf/search ).

Fourth, I looked up who was killed around that time here: http://icasualties.org/oif/BY_DOD.aspx and couldn't find either anyone of Sudanese descent, nor any Marines (goes back to my first point) killed around that time.

This guy is making it up. And the media is repeating it.


Well, the unit that captured Saddam was (AFAIK) TF 121, a joint task force, drawing on all US forces, including CIA paramilitaries, so it is possible he got in through there. But, I'm generally inclined to agree with you.

As for the coverage of the 1st Gulf War, the CNN interview I saw wherein this exchange took place says much:

Soldier (pointing to grenade rounds on his web gear while explaining it to an ignorant reporter): These are rounds for my grenade launcher.
Reporter: Oh? And what are they used for?
:headbang: