A Message From the Commandant

03Fox2/1

Corporal - USMC
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THE FOLLOWING IS PROOF THAT SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE.
Semper Fi, 03Fox2/1

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Commandant to Reinforce Standards and Core Values in Visits to Marine Bases

Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C.- (May 25 )-- General Michael W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, left this morning to visit Marines at forward operating bases in Iraq to reinforce the ideals, values and standards for which Marines have been known for more than 200 years. Reflecting his personal concern over recent serious allegations about actions of Marines in combat, Hagee will address Marine officers and enlisted men and women in a series of events inside and outside the U.S. over the next several weeks.
Hagee's remarks will focus on the value and meaning of honor, courage, and commitment and how these core values are epitomized by most Marines in their day-to-day actions - both in and out of combat. During these talks, Hagee will reemphasize the training all Marines receive in the Law of Armed Conflict, the Geneva Convention, and Rules of Engagement. He will remind his Marines that each of them has a duty to obey and issue lawful orders and apply only the necessary force required to accomplish the mission.
He will not address any specific incidents currently under investigation until any and all legal actions are complete.
A full biography and high resolution image of General Michael W. Hagee can be found at: www.marines.mil/cmc/33cmc.nsf/cmcmain

"On Marine Virtue"
By Gen. M. W. Hagee

Recent serious allegations concerning actions of Marines in combat have caused me concern. They should cause you to be concerned as well. To ensure we continue to live up to General Lejeune's description of a Marine as someone who demonstrates "all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue," I would like to review the importance of our core values.
As Marines, you are taught from your earliest days in the Corps about our core values of honor, courage and commitment. These values are part of and belong to all Marines, regardless of MOS, grade, or gender. They guide us in all that we do; whether in combat, in garrison, or on leave or liberty.
To a Marine, honor is more than just honesty; it means having uncompromising personal integrity and being accountable for all actions. To most Marines, the most difficult part of courage is not the raw physical courage that we have seen so often on today's battlefield. It is rather the moral courage to do the "right thing" in the face of danger or pressure from other Marines. Finally, commitment is that focus on caring for one another and upholding the great ideals of our Corps and Country.
The nature of this war with its ruthless enemies, and its complex and dangerous battlefield will continue to challenge us in the commitment to our core values. We must be strong and help one another to measure up. The war will also test our commitment to our belief in the rule of law.
We have all been educated in the Law of Armed Conflict. We continue to reinforce that training, even when deployed to combat zones. We do not employ force just for the sake of employing force. We use lethal force only when justified, proportional and, most importantly, lawful. We follow the laws and regulations, Geneva Convention and Rules of Engagement. This is the American way of war. We must regulate force and violence, we only damage property that must be damaged, and we protect the non-combatants we find on the battlefield.
When engaged in combat, particularly in the kind of counterinsurgency operations we're involved in now, we have to be doubly on guard. Many of our Marines have been involved in life or death combat or have witnessed the loss of their fellow Marines, and the effects of these events can be numbing. There is the risk of becoming indifferent to the loss of a human life, as well as bringing dishonor upon ourselves. Leaders of all grades need to reinforce continually that Marines care for one another and do what is right.
The large majority of Marines today perform magnificently on and off the battlefield. I am very proud of the bravery, dedication, honor, courage and commitment you clearly display every day. And America is proud as well. Americans, indeed most people around the world, recognize that Marines are men and women of the highest caliber - physically, mentally, and morally.
Each of you contributes in your own unique way to our important mission; I am proud of your dedication and accomplishments. Even after 38 years, I still stand with pride every time I hear the Marines Hymn. The words of that Hymn mean something special to me. Especially, "Keep our Honor Clean". I know that means something to all of you as well. As Marines we have an obligation to past Marines, fellow Marines, future Marines and ourselves to do our very best to live up to these words.

As your Commandant, I charge all Marines to carry on our proud legacy by demonstrating our values in everything you do - on duty and off; in combat or in garrison. Semper Fidelis

- USMC -
 
AW, I imagine, this is our Commandant doing some "damage control".
With all of the bad assumptions made by the press and the unpopularity of this war with so many liberals and the anti-Bush crowd, is it any wonder that these Marines have already been found guilty of war crimes, by these same people, before the investigation is complete. And don't forget that the primary evidence against the Marines is provided by the inhabitants of Haditha, the same people that either detonated the IED or had knowledge of it. War is hell, but especially modern war, when one side, operating outside the law, is allowed to manipulate the facts against the other side, which operates under both the Geneva Convention and international law and self-imposed rules of engagement. We live in a very mixed up world, when the bad guys are allowed to accuse us of war crimes and we are assumed guilty, until proven otherwise. Semper Fi
 
The British Govt keeps hauling British soldiers in front of the courts and they are found not guilty again and again. Real warcrimes should be dealt with accordingly but the worse than liberal, wooly minded ex communists, socialists and wasters in our MOD and govt believe they have to show that the army must be subject to regulations more adapted to peacetime than to those involved in an insurgency.

On Haditha and such like, we can only keep an open mind. It is not helped if allegations of cover ups begin to surface but who tells the truth and who guards the guards?
 
With all of the "name-less sources" and other leaks, both legitimate and otherwise, no one can say with any certainty, what the real story is. The truth will eventually surface and I hope it is sufficient to end all speculation. There will always be those that deny the facts, if the facts don't further their cause. Semper Fi
 
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