Marine Reassigned Over Coin Flap

[unhappycamper]

Source: military.com / Mclatchy

Marine Reassigned Over Coin Flap
May 30, 2008
Mclatchy -Tribune News Service

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military confirmed May 29 that a Marine in Fallujah passed out coins with Gospel verses on them to Sunni Muslims, a military spokesman in the Iraqi city said. The man was immediately removed from duty and reassigned.

The coins angered residents who said they felt that the American troops, whom they consider occupiers, were also acting as Christian missionaries in a predominantly Muslim nation.

"It did happen," said Mike Isho, a spokesman for Multi-National Force West. "It's one guy and we're investigating."

The Marine was passing out silver coins to residents of the Sunni Anbar province with Arabic translations of Bible verses on them. On one side, the coin read, "Where will you spend eternity?" and on the other, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."

Read more: www.military.com/news/article/marine-reassigned-over-coin-flap.html

[tanyev]

1. The comments are disheartening.

Only two so far that understand that the Marine was out of line.

[mac2]

2. He is there as a soldier not a clergy.

We don't pay him to do that.

[slackmaster]

30. He may be a Christian, but for the time being his ass belongs to the Corps

[The Stranger]

3. It is called a Crusade.

And the coins were not an isolated incident. There are powerful interests that have infiltrated the military and have compromised its mission with Christian fundamentalist extremism.

[PassingFair]

4. Especially the Air Force, from everything I've read...

Onward Christian Soldiers!!!

:sarcasm:

[saigon68]

5. Onward, Christian Soldiers

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.

I guess this conflicts with the "Beliefs" of the natives


"No problem Grease them-- so what", Gangster Cheney.

[mac2]

6. Why is it that religious people feel it is OK to kill in God's

name?

[saigon68]

9. It's a Red-Neck thing

Kill 'Em All; Let God Sort 'Em Out



in it's original form, comes from Cardinal Robert of Geneva. The good Cardinal, when his troops had taken an enemy city, was asked how to determine who were faithful - and thus should be spared - and who were heretics to be put to death.

The Cardinal responded "Kill them all, God will know his own."

He was the son of Amadeus III, Count of Geneva, and was born in Geneva, in what is now Switzerland, in 1342. Appointed Protonotary Apostolic in 1359, he became Bishop of Thérouanne in 1361, Archbishop of Cambrai in 1368, and a cardinal on 30 May 1371.

In 1377, while serving as papal legate in upper Italy (1376-78), in order to put down a rebellion in the Papal States, known as the War of the Eight Saints, he personally commanded troops lent to the papacy by the condottiere John Hawkwood to reduce the small city of Cesena in the territory of Forlì, which resisted being added to the Patrimony of Peter for the second time in a generation; there he allegedly authorized the massacre of 4,000 civilians, an atrocity even by the rules of war at the time, which earned him the nickname butcher - or executioner of Cesena.

[wmbrew0206]

10. You need to fix that photo because the color of the beret doesn't match the insignia

You have an Army Special Forces symbol on a paratrooper beret. The Army SF beret is green, not maroon.

[saigon68]

32. I know that

The fools making these shirts sell them to Wannabees

Maybe Dick "5 deferments" Cheney could wear one.

[MJJP21]

7. There is

There is quite a bit of proselytizing in the military. The evangelicals have in fact gotten quite a foot hold on our military. It has been said the Pat Tillman (atheist) was in fact shagged because of his opinion.

http://www.futureofthebook.org/mitchellstephens/archives/2006/07/pat_tillman_non.html


http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/12/13/weinstein/

[MindPilot]

29. Pat Tillman would likely be a very happy man had he been shagged

He was--as many suspect--fragged.

[liberal1973]

8. Good

This person shouldn't be in our Armed Forces. He should be on the 700 club.


This from the story-
"A U.S. military spokesman said he was unsure where the silver coins came from but speculated that they may have been sent to the young Marine from outside Iraq"

You think?

This guy who gave the coins out is clearly a nutcase.

[rebel with a cause]

11. Iraqis say Marine promoted Christianity

Source: Associated Press

U.S. service member quickly removed from duty after complaints in Fallujah

BAGHDAD - A U.S. Marine handed out coins promoting Christianity to Muslims in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, outraged Sunni officials said Friday. The U.S. military responded quickly, removing a trooper from duty pending an investigation.

Tens of thousands of Shiites, meanwhile, took to the streets in Baghdad and other cities to protest plans for a long-term security agreement with the United States.

<snip>

Sharpening tensions?
The outcry could sharply heighten tensions over the proposal. The deal is supposed to be finished by July and replace the current U.N. mandate overseeing U.S.-led troops in Iraq.

Demonstrators in Baghdad’s Sadr City district chanted “No to America! No to the occupation!” A statement from al-Sadr’s office has called the negotiations “a project of humiliation for the Iraqi people.”





Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24886974

---

Yes Senator McCain, sounds like things are going real smooth in this war...ooops, occupation.

[wmbrew0206]

12. Man, did someone revive the horse than kill it so we could start kicking it again?

This topic has about three other threads on the front page of LBN.

[rebel with a cause]

26. I posted this not because of the headline

about the Marine, but because of the part about the demonstration about the occupation. Sorry if that offended you.

[scarface2004]

13. how about some zionist coins?!?!?

maybe they ll like them better!!

[rebel with a cause]

27. So you would be alright with the Iraqies taking over your home

town and forcing their faith on you? If you believe in religious crusades then this is nothing to you. I oppose this type of thing, but I actually posted this article because of the demonstrations against the occupation and the agreement to allow it to continue for a longer period of time.

[sabra]

14. U.S. army sacks soldier for ‘missionary activity’ – spokesman

Source: Voice of Iraq

Falluja, May 30, (VOI)- The U.S. army sacked a soldier in the city of Falluja for carrying out missionary work in violation of the U.S. armed forces’ laws, the official spokesman for the MNF-I said on Friday.

“The soldier distributed metal pieces with a verse of the bible in Arabic at the western inlet of the city of Falluja,” Maher al-Iraqi told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).

“The U.S. armed forces’ laws ban soldiers from promoting any religion,” he explained.
Falluja, Anbar province, lies 45 km west of Baghdad.

Read more: http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=80862&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

[wmbrew0206]

15. The article is incorrect in that it was a Marine and the US Marine Corps relieved him

[Trillo]

16. How can a soldier afford to buy metal coins to give away?

I guess I'm presuming he bought them, but it seems silly that he'd use personal money for evangelism. Is the allegation that this soldier also had access to a foundry and mint?

Is this soldier being made the scapegoat for some others 'behind the scene' who were supplying the coins? I guess I'd like more details.

[harmonicon]

18. I would assume that he didn't buy them

I wouldn't call him a scapegoat, no matter who game them to him (a higher up, fellow marine, evangelical group, etc.) he broke the rules himself.

[Trillo]

19. Sure, if he understood the written arabic language. n/t

[harmonicon]

20. oh, come on!

Because there are official novelty coins that the Marines give out?

[Trillo]

22. What is the Arabic literacy rate among U.S. Marines?

How do we know what trinkets Marines give out to encourage goodwill? I've read soldiers would give candy to Iraqi kids. Candy sometimes has writing on it, coins always have writing of some kind.

This seems like some low hierarchy person taking the fall, but without more pertinent details, its hard to determine whether it is or not.

[harmonicon]

23. how do you draw that conclusion?

To me it looks like a stupid asshole breaking the rules and causing serious harm.

[melm00se]

24. my nephew

has spent 2 tours in country and while he is no where near fluent, he can get by: he can read signs (so, in his words, as not to get too lost) and communicate at about a 5 year old level in Arabic (again his words: gotta know how to ask where the john is and understand the response). So i would imagine a Marine, if bent on evangelizing, would have enough understanding to know what the coins said.

[liberal1973]

25. He should have known better

[krispos42]

17. So he's been sacked because of his missionary position activities?

:rofl:

[wmbrew0206]

21. Longer thread on this subject here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3329958

[bean fidhleir]

28. That's one way to get out of Iraqistan. Bet it works even better than kissing your buddy. (nt)

[classysassy]

31. I have

no problem with that.God bless us all.