While some commentators have rushed to suggest that the puppy shown in this video was either dead or stuffed, the accused Marine has reportedly posted an apology. David Motari has been named as the Marine in the video, though the Marines are still investigating. In what is purported to be a posting from him below, he blames the stress of combat.
In his alleged apology, Modari says that in combat people “develope [sic] a different sence [sic] of humor than what others are used to.” He say that he is “sorry about the dog.” He also complains about people bothering his family and his girlfriend.
For the statement, click here
Yet, in this video of the incident, a strikingly different individual is shown.
There is still no confirmation that this is indeed a genuine apology from Motari. Notably missing in the statement is any support for the spin recently put on the video to claim everything from a dead puppy to a suspected IED, click here
Even if there is no confirmed apology, one would have expected someone to come forward to make that stuffed or deceased dog claim given the torrent of controversy. Some advocates seem to be struggling to find a way to blame a liberal media for the controversy and have made criticizing this Marine into an attack on all Marine. Obviously, the outrage is due not only to the horrible attack but that this is not indicative of our service members. Indeed, the Marines seem pretty ticked about this whole episode and they will likely prove the harshest judges of all.
It is certainly wrong that people are harassing his family and girlfriend. That is a uniquely stupid act — not unlike throwing a puppy over a cliff. While combat fatigue may be a defense (or mitigating factor) in a possible criminal charge , click here, it should not alter the fact that this Marine does not appear capable of maintaining proper discipline and conduct in a combat area. It may be sufficient for Motari to simply agree to a less than honorable discharge as the proper punishment for this monstrous act. What he lost (in what this posting suggests is a momentary loss of humanity) should be the honor to wear the uniform of the United States Marines. It is a hard punishment for a young Marine, but it could be worse: he could be thrown over a rocky cliff.
OMG, there’s so much stupidity on both sides of this argument my head just exploded reading it!
I’m not sure what bothers me more, a puppy being thrown off a cliff or how loudly people show their ugly side when they see a point of view that’s difficult to argue with.
I would like everyone reading this to think of the worst thing you have personally ever done, hopefully that will give you a little bit of perspective. And don’t lie to yourself, you all have something.
BTW, I’m not defending the marine in any way. Throwing puppies is bad.
fake video, fake apology.
This Marine should not be discharged. He requires obviously needs our support and the support from qualified psychiatric staff.
This is what happens when parents push off a borderline personality onto a willing branch of the military. They expect someone else to straighten up, man up or grow up their mess. I have two sons in the USMC, both air contracts. They were horrified when they viewed the video. David Mortari had big problems before he went overseas. He never should have been in uniform. Unfortunately, with troops averaging 2-3-4 back to back 11 month combat tours, who in their RIGHT mind wants to serve? Support these young men and women..Bring them home. This damn war is taking a huge toll on our troops, their families, and their communities….
And this Ernie character stating that its no big deal because in that arena life becomes cheap and yeah big deal a puppy died. The problem is Ernie, that its a sure fire bet this marine will at some point hang up his hat and go live possibly in your neighbourhood. Do you trust the US authorities to deprogram the killer instinct in these guys, or the mental attitude that killing can be fun. Your an ignoramus of the highest order. Im sure youd feel different if he moved next to door to your sister and flipped out one day and shot her in the head, cause he thought it might be funny, or maybe because hes so messed up in the head. I symathise with what the soldiers have to see and live with every day, but in those circumstances the wheat and the chaff get seperated, and the cold blooded killers arent the wheat Ernie!!!
The puppy throwing is a direct result of his training. Dehumanisation. Killing for him isnt evil. Its his job most of the time. Still Id put a bullet in his head and sleep great that night. 🙂
Ugh, this makes me sick. My friend (not a dog lover) sent me the video as a joke, knowing I’d put my dogs’ lives ahead of most people I know.
I read this coward’s so-called apology at http://www.davidmotari.net and it made my stomach churn.
Ugh.
DeeplyWorried:
Hi Susan, this is not to disagree with what you said but in a real sense everyone over there including the civilians and animals, earns our sympathy. Its one big JF.
But if he did it, it was a bad thing, and the UCMJ will cover it no doubt.
************
DW, I agree. I should have clarified it before, but I’ll do so now. I have sympathy for all of our troops who have to be in a country they never asked to be sent to, for a war I feel is completely unjustified. I simply didn’t — and still don’t — have sympathy toward a marine because he was being verbally criticized for what I felt to be a cruel and unnecessary action. I believe he should be reprimanded by the USMC, no more.
Apology NOT accepted. I hope the media continues to cover this fully and completely UNTIL he is CONVICTED or is KILLED. He deserves to DIE.
Don’t let time forget this atrocity. He must PAY.
If I ever find my way out to Hawaii, or wherever that POS is living, I’d hunt him down.
David Motari Is a looser not at all what the Marines is about. My son is a Real Marine 2/7. I wish my son could meet up with David Motari to kick the living shit out of him. David Motari is a discrace to the U.S.M.C and to our great country. I sure hope the United States Marine Corps punishes this no good low life M*****F***** to the fullest extent of the law. He does not derserve to ware the uniform or represent our country. David Motari I hope you pay for this for the rest of your sorry life. I hope you loose every thing that is dear to you. I will personaly post everything I can find out about your sorry ass on every website I can. Most websites have taken the video down I will repost it on every website possiable.Here is a link to see this peice of shit in action.
http://poststuff5.entensity.net/030308/media.php?media=puppy.wmv.
David Motari We all hope you rot in hell and you will. Robert Nail. Jonesboro,Ar
Ernie:
I agree with you that this war is illegal and that it is a war of aggression. I also agree that soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen are in an untenable situation, and that the citizenry bears some responsibility just like we do for poverty and crime. This is a republican form of government and there was no referendum on this war. A group of militaristic Republicans accompanied by sycophant Democrats got us into this mess, and the citizens did everything they could in 2006 to end this debacle. More might be done this year.
With that said, everyone lives by an ethical code mandated by the law. Just like the speeder caught by the police can’t argue that others do it and that the police don’t catch everybody, you can’t convincingly argue that because you faced trying circumstances that others can’t criticize or hold your conduct up the standards agreed upon internationally. Ad hominem attacks on my service won’t help you much either.
I agree with Patty C that you may benefit from some counseling and participating in the discussions here. We have many points of view on this blog and yours is certainly interesting, needed, and, in my view, welcome.
Ernie, you need a little help calming yourself, my man.
You are ranting and it’s not healthy, helpful, or sane
-trust me.
You are obviously quite agitated, and you need to open up \and talk to your ‘peoples’ 😉
Find some place-warm and caring, if you can.
Or,come here once in a while!
Everyone, mespo’s self-righteous comments are precisely my point.
Ahhhh…. ok, tough guy.
“you, your participating comrades, and your officers are classic war criminals.”- ya don’t say? But then again isn’t launching a war of aggression a war crime? Do me a favor, cite that law and tell to your congress person how Bush broke it by launching his own war of aggression, see if flightsuit Bush “cooperate[‘s] in the investigation.”
Yeah, let’s prosecute those soldiers and marines who turn there soul’s inside out for an ignorant self-righteous citizenry. But then again i guess it’s our fault for trusting that America and its citizens wouldn’t stand by as we’re sent off to fight in an unnecessary and illegal war. Stupid marines.
Then you hinted that you served in some capacity, (coast gaurd, perhaps?) but this quote makes clear it was likely in some rear echelon capacity. “soldier you have a sworn obligation to report the officer who gave the order and to offer to cooperate in the investigation,” Yeah, ok. Anyone have commandants phone number?
We don’t fight for an oath and we don’t fight for a slogan, hell nowadays we don’t even fight for you… we fight for the person on the left and the person on the right, for my crew. We do what we think is necessary (right or wrong, but we try to be right) to keep ourselves, but more importantly our friends alive, so that they don’t come back all fckd up as a triple amputee at age 21. And if its punishment you seek, don’t worry once we get home we always provide the conscience… in spades. And I’m sure the fact that one in four homeless persons are veterans has nothing to do with anything.
You know i don’t really know how i really feel about IVAW’s tactics. But you need to wake up, this war has kinda been going on for a while now, http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier
and btw if I’m a war criminal I would say you’re no better that an upstanding German citizen- living next to a concentration camp. If you want to play this game, its not only me and the military who are war criminals it’s this leadership and this citizenry; yes, you too. The military is under civilian authority, America is in charge of it and responsible for it just as much as is the service man or women. We go where you tell us to.
Oh, and please don’t call me “soldier”, its one of our agitations. thx.
http://www.davidmotari.net
Ernie: With all due respect, if you, without first ascertaining hostile intent, “had orders to light up any vehicle approaching us that doesn’t stop quick enough, which occurred often,” and did so, you, your participating comrades, and your officers are classic war criminals. Your feelings about idealism notwithstanding. This is not opinion but simply legal fact, and your argument that “war is hell” didn’t sell at Nuremberg in 1945 and it won’t sell now. I hope it’s hyperbole, but if not, as a soldier you have a sworn obligation to report the officer who gave the order and to offer to cooperate in the investigation. That’s what you swore to do when you signed on, now let’s see how much your word is worth. If you need US Code citations or Geneva Convention protocols, I’ll get them for you! You’ll have to supply the conscience.
Earlier on, I suggested that ernie “calm” himself and reassured him that while we, bloggers, do indeed regularly express outrage.
However, it is not directed toward him, his unit, or any other military installation, per se, AND in terms of the recent and ongoing effort, we would like to represent that we are on HIS side – indubitably!
“What exactly is your beef with the military?” huh? I don’t have a problem with the military, especially not my beloved Marine Corps. My problem is with the segment of America who can’t comprehend that in war, throwing a puppy of a cliff while cold-hearted and vicious, does not hold any significance to those of us who have committed or seen far worse acts.
You say, “I simply want them to behave as civilized men engaged in war.” What idealist world are you living in? We had orders to light up any vehicle approaching us that doesn’t stop quick enough, which occurred often, but no don’t you go be mean to that puppy because yeah thats what would be uncivilized and upset people. Now lets fire a couple HEAT rounds in that building and see who comes out.
It might be hard for you to believe but many times we just don’t give a sh*t because in war life is cheap, apparently sometimes cheaper than a puppies’.
Sgt. 1st Tanks USMC
Operation Enduring Freedom 2001-2002
Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003
Troops Home Now!
Ernie: I thank you for agreeing that we do humane things, but you must agree that in wartime, the killer mentality must be instilled otherwise, you fall into the wrong side of Patton’s famous comment on war that one must make the other soldier die for his country. We all know war is terrible, but it can be justified under certain circumstances as I am sure you would agree. What exactly is your beef with the military? I simply want them to behave as civilized men engaged in war, and not barbarians out for revenge and mayhem. In large measure they do behave in accord with the conventions of war, but there are exceptions as in this case. Most are not “killers” but soldiers charged with following orders. Some are enthusiastic and some are not but, by and large, most just want to come home in one piece.
“As for war, I think its much like sports–it reveals character rather than makes character.”
you mean the character of violence and the killer mentality I/We pro actively instill in our marines? I would never deny that we do “kind and humane things,” of course we do. But we’ll kill you just as quickly. We go hand out candy and gifts to Iraqi children and then go out and kill people. Its what we do. He killed a puppy. So what?
Is America really that surprised that killers a capable of killing animals for shi*s and giggles? Welcome to the real world where even little cute puppies aren’t safe, who would’ve thought?
ernie: Anybody with any sense is outraged by that and you know it. It’s like being against drunk driving, who is for it? The point is ythat ou can be outraged by both, but since we can only discuss one thing at a time, you don’t presume that’s all that bothers us because we happen to be talking about it now. As for war, I think its much like sports–it reveals character rather than makes character. Blanket statements like “Soliders and Marines do cruel things in war,” belies the fact that they do kind and humane things too. And you for one will not acknowledge this truth.