Well done, Congressman.
(The Hill) — A Republican House member and Marine veteran sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Wednesday urging caution against an over-the-top punishment of the Marines who were videotaped allegedly urinating on Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) said the actions of the Marines were wrong and that they should be disciplined, but he said they should not face a punishment “for the purpose of making a statement to our partners in the region.”
“What is particularly concerning to me, as a Marine who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, is the reported potential legal focus of the investigation and your promise that the Marines in question will be ‘held accountable to the fullest extent,’ which would include prison time under military law,” Hunter wrote.
Hunter, a retired Marine who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, said the realities of military combat can be difficult — if not impossible — to explain. He wrote that “most people will never know what our Marines endure unless they see it or experience it for themselves.”