In all faiths, we are taught to respect the dead. But, we know it doesn't always work that way. Jordanian soldiers taking territory in Jerusalem in 1948 used Jewish headstones to build latrines. The treatment of prisoners by the Japanese during WW II was infamous. The beheading of Daniel Perl, a non-combatent journalist, by the Islamic fanatics, or the murder of Israelis athletes during the Munich Olympics in the '80s are, in my opinion, far more horrific than desecrating a dead body.
Should our Marine snipers have urinated on the Taliban dead that they killed in the course of battle? Of course not. But, let's be clear; it wasn't torture of a human. It wasn't murder of non-combatants. It was disrespecting fallen enemies. Not nice. But, on the spectrum of behavior of warriors in the field of battle, it wasn't the worst sort of crime. Was it a crime? Yes. But, it wasn't grand larceny.
So what could have motivated such behavior? Most of us will never understand. Only a warrior -- part of a small group of marines sent out to do battle with a more numerous enemy hardly known for their humane treatment of prisoners -- can understand the pressures and stresses under which these men operate. I say give them a break. Some punishment is in order. But don't bring down a hammer. Also, teach them to stop shooting off their cameras in situations where they find it necessary to relieve tension.
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