Video of Marine Throwing Puppy Surfaces

Before you read any further I really need to let you know that this post isn't for everyone. It directly involves a U.S. marine doing something very real and very horrible. I will not be putting the video up on my site, but if you look for it in YouTube you will find it there - if you choose to see it.

I thought it was very important that I write about this because I recently wrote a post about a marine bringing a dog home he found in Iraq. How is it possible that this video clip is real? Do we know it's real? I have seen the video and I can see points being made for both sides as far as the authenticity of the video. But being a sane and rational person I cannot think of any reason why anyone would fake this and make the video public. It makes no sense at all.

The video I saw shows a marine holding a black and white puppy by the scruff of his neck and then throwing the puppy off a cliff. The video shows the puppy going through the air, and a whimper/yelp is even heard from the poor little guy. The marines are laughing about it, and when one guys says it was a mean thing to do, they guy just shrugs his shoulders.

I read a story from ABC news that is looking into the video and they are also reviewing why a marine would do such a terrible thing. One of their researchers believes it is related to the high-stress environment of Iraq. What do you think about all of this? Why do you think he reacted this way?

I looked into it, and I found several other videos showing soldiers tormenting and hurting helpless living things and I still am having trouble coming up with a valid explanation as to why they would do something so awful. When I saw the video of the puppy being thrown, my heart just dropped and I wondered what could make someone so troubled that they have to go through life picking on things that are helpless. What do you think is going to happen when this particular soldier comes home? Do you think he will continue that same behavior?

What he is learning in Iraq is how to be a bully and picking on a poor, defenseless puppy is just downright cruel. This is bound to be a very hot topic in the weeks to come as more and more information is revealed as to the history (if any) of the marine, what ramifications this may have for him, and what the army plans to do to make sure their soldiers are operating with dignity.

This is a very hard story to tell to you and I am sure if you have seen the video, you can understand how difficult it is to talk about. I have blogged about animal cruelty - deliberate and unintentional, but this is just an incredibly shocking story. I really want to hear your opinions and comments on this one. Let me know if you think the video is fake or real, and why you think this marine did what he did. It is very important to hear your feedback on this topic and I want to assure you that as more information becomes available I will be sharing that with you.