Dynaverse.net
Off Topic => Ten Forward => Topic started by: Gambler on July 08, 2004, 12:41:23 pm
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Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5622324/)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Lebanese-born U.S. marine who went missing in Iraq and was thought to be have been held hostage has arrived safe and in good health at the American Embassy in Beirut, a U.S. defense official said Thursday.
Wassef Ali Hassoun has been absent from his unit since June 21, and at one point was reported on a Web site to have been killed.
"He is at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. He is safe. He appears to be healthy. We're working through the details of what the next steps are," said a U.S. defense official at the Pentagon, speaking on condition of anonymity
It will be interesting to see what his story is.
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That's the Best news I've heard all day Gambler.
Stephen
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Good news, but kind of suspicious. What was he doing walking around in Iraq alone? How did he get all the way from Iraq, probably through Syria, and to Lebanon? Why didn't he just report to a unit already in Iraq? Does he intend on returning to the US?
Call me stupid, but something is weird in this situation.
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Agreed SRaek. Lots of questions. But alive beats dead any day.
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SReak
If he was going to come back to the US... I think that he wouldhave found his way back to a unit in Iraq.
I really don't see him coming back.
I'm glad he is alive, but now it is time to start asking some pretty hard questions, the hardest of them being does he disserve to be called a Marine anymore?'
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While I find the entire episode strange to follow.
Consider he is a young E-4 Marine. Recently 3 Americans have been Beheaded as well as an Italian and Korean.
Regardless of how he came into the terrorist pocession for a moment.
He is blindfolded, He is paraded in front of cameras, He is an Arabic Interpetor, and he hears someone in back of him saying in 72 hours off with his head.
How many people here in the same situation are not going to say anything the terrorist want to hear in order to live. The terrorist have released several Muslim hostages already.
He already has 2 strikes against him in the terrorist minds. He is an American, and He is an American Marine.
So I want to hear how he got into this mess first.
How he got out comes later. If he lied to them to secure his freedom and life so what.
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That is precisely what I would like to know, Sten.
I have 1853 combat missions (convoy escorts, building raids... anything an MP can do, I've done it) in 11 months under my belt. I would like to know how this man was taken away from the rest of his unit.
I would hold very little he coiuld have done in captivity against him- unless it resulted directly in the death of other Americans or our Allies.
I mearly would like to have any doubts of complicity in his 'abduction' and 'safe release' cleared up.
What he did when he was in captivity is between him and God as he believes in Him.
The rest is a matter for a courts martial.
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Now it seems his family is apologizing for the fact that he is a Marine! Sorry, but I even though I've heard the phrase "Once a Marine, always a Marine" I really think this guy is working on loosing that honor.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20040710/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_us_marine_2
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Now it seems his family is apologizing for the fact that he is a Marine! Sorry, but I even though I've heard the phrase "Once a Marine, always a Marine" I really think this guy is working on loosing that honor.
[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20040710/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_us_marine_2[/url]
Well, I'm just waiting on the official story right now. Like I said, it's between him, God and a Courts Martial right now as to whether or not he should be in the Corps