Murderer.
That's what this Marine is being called who shot and killed two Iraqi's. Details regarding the shooting are sketchy, depending upon who you listen to.
If you listen to 2nd Lieutenant Ilario Patano, the shooting was justifiable, based upon the instantaneous assessment that he thought they were going to serious bodily harm to him or his men.
If you listen to his radio man, Sergeant Daniel Coburn, who has turned out to be his man accuser, Patano is a cold blooded killer.
Now, I'm not sure who's right here, but as a Marine who is no longer under contract (once a Marine, always a Marine) and who has seen combat, I know that there's a split-second assessment where you determine whether the person is the enemy or not, and once that's determined, whether they pose a threat to you or not, and whether to eliminate them. If Pantano saw a threat to his men in these two Iraqi's, he did them a favor by terminating the threat.
And now, because of a Sergeant who gives a bad name to my beloved Corps, he's facing murder charges at worst(which carry the death penalty as the maximum sentence), and very least the end of his Marine Corps career.
Help out Lieutenant Patano by getting more information regarding his case, and by sending email to your Congressman, Senators, and to the President, asking them to intervene in this situation.
Here's a few sites to get you started in your reading on his case:
Semper Fidelis, Lieutenant.
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