Marine veteran cleared of urination on Taliban involvement
LiveLeak video showing Marines and dead Taliban fighters.
James Clement, then a captain in the Marine Corps, found out that Marines under his command pissed on the corpses of dead Taliban fighters. During the investigation that followed, Clement discovered that the nature of the investigation was aimed at charging him. He was not aware that the incident or the video occurred.
He received an honorable discharge; however, it was for “substandard performance”. His luck turned around when the Board of Corrections of Naval Records sided with him. The reason for his discharge is going to be changed. Additionally, he is going to get a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
From the Marine Corps Times:
Initially, then-Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser was assigned, as the top-ranking Marine in Afghanistan, to investigate the incident and dole out punishment.
In that investigation, Clement said, he was interviewed by Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents and didn’t fear for any consequences on his part.
“My initial thought was … how could I be blamed for something I had no knowledge of,” Clement said.
But then-Commandant Gen. James Amos ordered another investigation when Waldhauser’s decisions resulted in nonjudicial punishment for some of the six scout snipers and Uniform Code of Military Justice violations for others.
It was when he re-interviewed with NCIS on that investigation that Clement’s feelings about his fate shifted.
“Whoa, they’re going to accuse me of crimes here,” Clement said he remembered thinking.
Even during his Board of Inquiry hearing, then-Gen. John F. Kelly testified to the Corps that Clement should receive an official apology for what he had been through.
The Board of Corrections of Naval Records’ 12-page report calls out Amos’ involvement with the case, citing a 2017 Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals decision to dismiss charges against Staff Sgt. Joseph Chamblin, one of the Marines involved in posing with the Taliban corpses.
The board notes that Amos “directly interfered” with the cases, saying Chamblin and others charged “should be ‘crushed.'”
The board also noted that authorities pursuing charges against the Marines withheld evidence.
Clement, speaking with Marine Corps Times on Friday, credits the Chamblin decision with his record being cleared by the board.
Despite those findings, the Board of Corrections of Naval Records Executive Director Elizabeth Hill countered the board’s decision, saying that Amos’ comments did not have any effect on Clement.
The Marine Corps Times has more on this news at this link.
Category: Marines
The USMC is better off without Amos. The worst USMC Commandant by far.
Best wishes, James Clement.
Amen!
He is typical of the flag officers elevated by the zerobama regime.
WORD ^^^^^^
Amos made his first star under Clinton but everything after that under Bush. Generally speaking (get it?) POTUS is completely unaware of anyone below 3 stars.
Also, this is a great example of how undue command influence can ruin someone’s life…
Berger is doing a hell of a “hold my beer” job as the CMC. His “strategic vision” for the Corps is Defense Battalions for the 21st Century. THAT stop the Chinese
That’s kind of everyone’s vision. The Army calls it Multi Domain Operations, the Air Force Multi Domain Command and Control.
If you don’t like change you will hate irrelevance…
This turd they have now is surely trying to outdo him though. And succeeding.
“Good!” –Grumpy Cat (who shall be missed)
I’m still not clear on why pissing on your dead enemy is bad, when drinking from their skulls and hearing the lamentation of their women is good.
Amen to that, Let’s look at what the muzzies have done to their captives while we had some marines pissing on the corpses of dead Taliban. I’ve seen what the Taliban have done and I say that pissing on their corpses is a compliment to them! IMHO the only mistake they made was filming what they did.
Because we are supposed to be better than them? Is this a trick question?
They were not honorable career Soldiers wearing the uniform of their sovereign nation. They were terrorists, on a global quest to kill anyone and anything that is not islam.
These Marines easily bested the in a fight, and now their corpses must endure the humiliation they worked so hard for.
You know, the Crotch has been famous for hanging the innocent and the uninvolved when something happens, particularly when it potentially embarrasses them, since I was in, back in 1978. I suspect it went back further, but I saw it countless times in my 20 years. I have to agree with Oliver North about the Marine Corps – when asked if he missed the Corps, he said “No. But I do miss the Marines.”
I feel sorry for the current generation. They will never know how, only the people there with you at the time can truly say what actually happened and each of theirs is a different perspective.
I have some lovely photos from Afghanistan, where we were under General Order 1, but often had farewell’s for senior people at our Coalition partner’s compounds! In every photo that I appear there is a Coke can clearly visible in front of me…and no drink clearly visible in my hand. We had some great send offs, and I clearly remember having to ask the guard at the prison if they could help us get our “Staff Sergeant” back who scaled their wall…and broke in! Some changes were made after that. Doug was a great Kiwi NCO!
I was going to say something smart and witty, but then I remembered that the enemy is always watching.
And we all know who the real enemy is. The Taliban and Al Qaeda can only take your life or your limbs, but the enemy can crush you, destroy your family’s future, and put you in jail for the rest of your life.
Situational awareness at all times. Do not walk into an ambush, whether of your own making or your friends making. Perception is reality.
Don’t let your guys drag you into a hole. On the contrary, keep them out of the hole. Life is tough, but the enemy is tougher. Always follow your RoEs and have clear PID, or the enemy will take your soul.