Kidnapped US Marine is a deserter!

Whoa! Things just get stranger and stranger by the minute...

Link

If this is true, what does this mean for Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun? It probably means that nobody is going to come and save him. In fact, it may even be more likely that he will turn on the US military and provide the insurgents intelligence in exchange for his life. However, don't be suprised when another mock beheading is held to ensure that US military thinks he's dead.

*mod edit: fixed link*

[edit on 30-6-2004 by Banshee]

I find this so heartbreaking.

The officer said Corporal Hassoun, a 24-year-old Marine linguist who was born in Lebanon, was shaken up after he saw one of his sergeants blown apart by a mortar shell. "It was very disturbing to him," the officer said. "He wanted to go home and quit the game but since he was relatively early in his deployment, that was not going to happen anytime soon. So he talked to some folks on base he befriended, because they were all fellow Muslims, and they helped sneak him off. Once off, instead of helping him get home, they turned him over to the bad guys."

Are they seeing psychological problems with soldiers who are Muslim or of Middle-Eastern descent? Fighting against people of your same faith or heritage must take a mental toll. I hope the Service is providing some kind of counseling for these soldiers.

About two months ago, he told a cousin that several American deserters had escaped by bribing Iraqis to help get them out of the country.

Because this does not appear to be an isolated occurence.

How can people say that the beheadings are mocked and that person is not really dead. Ive seen the video come on someone got there head cut off in those videos if you want to debate if the person was already dead before it or that I was a plot by the US or whatever fine but that was someones head cut off in those videos

I had read yesterday that he was on unauthorized leave. Looks to be AWOL now. Too bad.

Doesn't sound like the military is sure what's going on.

The military officially changed its classification of Hassoun's disappearance from ``missing'' to ``captured'' on Tuesday.

Salt Lake KUTV

An interesting supposition. Last I had heard was that he snuck off to see his wife, which isn't too terribly far from what this article suggests.

Either way, the moral is clear here--stray from the herd and the jackals will graciously make lunch of you. Whether a deserter, or just a man trying to go see his wife, this man undeniably left the protection of his brothers and went AWOL in hostile territory.

My girlfriend asked me what I thought was going to happen to this guy. I see few options.

1-His captors release him because he is an Arab Muslim like themselves. (Not likely, but possible given the recent release of the Turks.)
2-He is found and rescued by his fellow Marines. (Just as likely killed in the attempt, but either is possible).
3-He manages to escape himself. From the pictures on TV, he's no small individual, and of course Marine-trained. If given the opportunity, his best bet is to break out on his own, IMO.
4-He winds up the same as most other 'hostages' of late. No details needed.

This news however, opens up other possibilities:

5-He rolls and becomes a Jihadi.
or even worse,
6-He rolls and becomes a Jihadi, then plays a double agent upon his "escape".

6-He rolls and becomes a Jihadi, then plays a double agent upon his "escape".

7. He escapes. The marines have no way of ensuring that 6. has not occured. A covert op group takes him aside and kills him. It is declared that he was shot while escaping. The post-mortem examination is rushed and the story is over.

I see this guy ending up dead one way or another

The man is in need of support no matter what the reasons for his capture.

There is a difference between desertion and becoming a traitor.

Beheading is something I dont wish on anyone, and even if he is a yellow bastard who ran off and got sold out he still deserves something better than a rusty knife to the trachea.

tv.ksl.com...

I have a very bad feeling about this. I'm beginning to think that this will end very badly for the soldier and his family. Like the other "beheadings" I think that this will end in a masterful piece of propaganda for the US. I just wish we could get to the bottom of who, EXACTLY, is orchestrating these atrocities.

Originally posted by Agent47
The man is in need of support no matter what the reasons for his capture.

There is a difference between desertion and becoming a traitor.

Beheading is something I dont wish on anyone, and even if he is a yellow bastard who ran off and got sold out he still deserves something better than a rusty knife to the trachea.

I agree. If he is a criminal, he's our criminal. As an American citizen, no matter if he 'deserves' what he gets, he deserves to come home. We'll deal with him when he gets back, but we should do everything we can to get him back. We don't pick and choose who we leave behind, we don't leave Americans behind. Period.

I think that it is very easy to criticize this young man for running away, especially if you are in your warm and cozy houses. To see your boss blown apart must be a terrible anguish in itself. How can anyone say how someone should react? I think he probably made a mistake to run away from this demon of his, but he is going through something that 99% of us will never understand. On top of that he is now probably going to be killed. These young men are thrown into an adult situation. In most of the free world, especially in America, people are immune to death in front of them. Death is not like in the movies. I say layoff the kid for running away, he deserves a chance and deserves help, he has earned it. I say, let the leaders have the guns and go kill each other, the poor kids on both sides are the ones to suffer.

I have said this many times.... In the scheme of the Cosmos, we are living on but a grain of sand. Why can`t we just get along?

No one considers the angle that he's simply captured, a beheading ( possibly a much more gruesome one for a Muslim fighting on the side of the infidels) is likely based on recent events, and the propaganda machine attached at the hip to our current government puts "softners" on the newswire? In order to draw attention away that the clusterf**k is spiraling faster than the propanda can keep up?
Are people going to care as much if a "yellow belly deserter" is minus his hat rest?

Originally posted by Bout Time
No one considers the angle that he's simply captured, a beheading ( possibly a much more gruesome one for a Muslim fighting on the side of the infidels) is likely based on recent events, and the propaganda machine attached at the hip to our current government puts "softners" on the newswire? In order to draw attention away that the clusterf**k is spiraling faster than the propanda can keep up?
Are people going to care as much if a "yellow belly deserter" is minus his hat rest?

My thoughts exactly. I could easily see this as propanganda for damage control... It's not as bad if a deserter gets captured as it is a fully-prepared, hard-working, Bush-loving Marine.

That said, I think that the propanganda machine known as the press is generally attached at the hip to the "freedom fighters" also known as terrorists (whose freedom are they fighting for again? The freedom of the Iranian theocracy to extend its reach to Iraq?). The leftward slant on the news is ubiquitous and can be both blatant and subtle, and a recent poll revealed that while many reporters felt that they were centrist and were relatively unbiased, the people at large felt that the media was more left-leaning.

[edit on 7/1/2004 by Spectator]

FoxNews is reporting that the US Marine has been beheaded. No details yet.

fox alert

^^ Indeed, Fox reports that he has been killed. ^

Well, hmm... a couple of things.

1) This man was a Marine. He should be prepared for sacrifice and death. He was not a civilian. This is his job. If he didn't want to be in harms' way, then he should never have enlisted. Too bad for him. Its war, people die. The world keeps turning.

I'm sorry I seem blunt, however, I do feel sad and sorrowful for the loss of a loved one, however, he was a Marine. A soldier. A non-innocent/civilian. He should be prepared for all of this. Its his duty and job.

-wD

Well, it would appear that my earlier predicted outcomes came close, but not close enough. I hereby present:

8: Spineless deserter tries to run, gets taken by his Iraqi 'confidantes', spends a while in captivity, and is released solely because he is a spineless deserter. Rather than return to the brothers-in-arms and the country he swore an oath to, he chose (and continues!) to run and hide.


I just hope this worthless sac didn't give them anything useful.