Pentagon: Captured Marine was on unauthorized leave

[GreenPartyVoter]

WEST JORDAN, Utah (CNN) -- The military thinks Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, now listed as captured, initially left his base in Iraq on unauthorized leave, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.

A senior Defense Department official said Hassoun, who did not report to duty on June 20, might have been trying to reach his family in Lebanon and left his base under his own free will.

Sunday, the Arab-language network Al-Jazeera aired video of a man identified as Hassoun, who was surrounded by armed men. The captive displayed his Marine identification papers, and one of the captors brandished a sword above his head.

On the tape, a speaker said the man was lured from his base and captured, and his captors threatened to kill him unless U.S. military authorities release Iraqi prisoners.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/30/missing.marine/index.html

[orthogonal]

1. Blame the victim

Yeah, he was wearing a short Battle Dress Uniform skirt, and he was asking for it.

[underpants]

2. I guess they are sending out the message that they don't care

what happens to him. See, he don't exactly look like most of the others anyway.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. But if he had been a white contractor, well now, that'd been different.

[Connie_Corleone]

4. They don't care

The Pentagon sure is acting that way, isn't it? I've been getting that feeling ever since they acknowledged he was missing.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Welcome to DU

[Connie_Corleone]

6. Thanks!

:hi: