WTF!?!?!

Whatever happened to discipline.  I really don't care about the naked winkies and the iraqis bruised machismo,  but the picture taking is indicative of some serious non-professionalism.

Now this.  

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The head of a U.S. military police unit at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison is under investigation following charges he secretly photographed naked female American soldiers, officials said on Wednesday. Capt. Leo Merck, 32, a member of the California National Guard who commanded the 124-strong 870th Military Police Company, is under U.S. Army investigation and has been relieved of duty, they said. "He was their commander and he led them into Iraq (news - web sites). While he was there this alleged incident happened," California National Guard spokesman Andrew Hughan said. Merck, a veteran of the first Gulf War (news - web sites) who worked as a financial analyst before going to Iraq, is suspected of photographing the soldiers as they showered. The Guard said complaints were made against Merck in November. His unit arrived in Iraq in May a year ago. The incident is the latest embarrassment for the U.S. occupying force in Iraq. In recent days media worldwide has aired pictures of grinning soldiers abusing naked male Iraqi prisoners at the same prison that was once used by Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s torturers. Merck, who is married and resides in Fremont, California, a suburb of San Francisco, is at an undisclosed location under U.S. Army control. "The U.S. Army justice system is working its wheels," Hughan said. The Contra Costa Times, which broke the story on Wednesday, quoted Spc. Myrna Hernandez, 26, as saying she saw Merck photograph her as she was showering with two other women. "I saw a guy get on all fours with a digital camera in his hands. His head was going under the wall, and we made eye contact," she told the newspaper. "I was in shock, like what do I do now?" Merck worked as a senior financial analyst at San Jose, California-based KLA-Tencor Corp, a firm specializing in equipment that finds defects in computer chips. He had an MBA degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. "At this time the company thinks it's inappropriate to comment," said KLA-Tencor spokesman Kern Beare. A woman at his family home in North Dakota declined to comment. Merck first enlisted in the National Guard in 1989 and had received a series of decorations and service medals.

Great. The CO is crawling around the women's showers with a camera and a chubby, the troops are taking 1,000 pix of nekkid iraqis, and the trailer park chick and her hubby have enough time on their hands to get in the shots.

Does anyone still think that women in combat zones is a good idea?  And why the hell are the married idiots allowed to serve in the same unit?

There are a lot of underlying issues here.

Being relieved is the least of that POS problems!

CPT Leo Merck, Commander, 870th MP Company • Court-Martial Charges Preferred, for Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Unauthorized Use of Government Computer in that he was alleged to have taken nude pictures of his female Soldiers without their knowledge; Trial date to be announced.

"This thread is worthless without..."

I just wanted to get that out before anyone beat me to it.

Quoted: I'm at a loss how this weirdo's misbehavior means that women should not be serving there. I think that weirdos who photograph women in the shower make poor leaders in the military.

 man's got a point there!

Jesus! Who was running that place, the Marx Brothers?

The worst punishment we could do to these idiots is to drop them among the infantry who now has to patrol the streets with the population pissed off about this.

ASSHOLES!

What a complete, friggin' idiot. He just threw away his career at KLA-Tencor, his wife will undoubtedly file for divorce, and now he may have to do time.

Why are all these guys reserve and national guard? Don't they teach discipline in those organizations?

Quoted: Quoted: I'm at a loss how this weirdo's misbehavior means that women should not be serving there. I think that weirdos who photograph women in the shower make poor leaders in the military.  man's got a point there!

He always does...

Quoted: I'm at a loss how this weirdo's misbehavior means that women should not be serving there. I think that weirdos who photograph women in the shower make poor leaders in the military.

I used to think there was no connection.  But there is a thread running through this whole saga and that is the women.  It started with pix, then it was pix with women, then we realize the top CO is a woman General, then one woman soldier is married to a fellow soldier, then a pic of a naked woman prisoner surfaces, then the immediate CO, a Capt is actiing like Hawkeye Pierce during Hotlip's shower time.... and so on.

Take the women out of this story, in fact out of Bagdhad, and (IMHO) the damage wouldn't have been as bad.  Hell maybe it started because the idiot hubby was showing off for his wife.  Who knows?  I just think, based on appearances, that women in this instance contributed to a severe decline in performance, professionalism and discipline.

Quoted: Quoted: I'm at a loss how this weirdo's misbehavior means that women should not be serving there. I think that weirdos who photograph women in the shower make poor leaders in the military. I used to think there was no connection.  But there is a thread running through this whole saga and that is the women.  It started with pix, then it was pix with women, then we realize the top CO is a woman General, then one woman soldier is married to a fellow soldier, then a pic of a naked woman prisoner surfaces, then the immediate CO, a Capt is actiing like Hawkeye Pierce during Hotlip's shower time.... and so on. Take the women out of this story, in fact out of Bagdhad, and (IMHO) the damage wouldn't have been as bad.  Hell maybe it started because the idiot hubby was showing off for his wife.  Who knows?  I just think, based on appearances, that women in this instance contributed to a severe decline in performance, professionalism and discipline.

You make some very good points there.

Andy

The whole damn thing sounds like a freakin' frat house.

I sure am glad that the SCOTUS has declared that only the National Guard has the right to keep and bear arms.

Quoted: Jesus! Who was running that place, the Marx Brothers? The worst punishment we could do to these idiots is to drop them among the infantry who now has to patrol the streets with the population pissed off about this. ASSHOLES!

Read the Article 15-6 investigation, pages 36 and up, you F'ing jaw will drop!  The list  incompetance starting with the BG on down is STAGGERING!!

Quoted: Jesus! Who was running that place, the Marx Brothers? The worst punishment we could do to these idiots is to drop them among the infantry who now has to patrol the streets with the population pissed off about this. ASSHOLES!

Todays generation

This is part of what happens when a bulbous nosed cocksucker like klinton runs the government.  He pared down the military so much that we have to rely on guard units for long term assignments.  Add to that the fact that this idiot obviously slipped through the cracks and became a commander.  If it were up to me, I'd fry him.  I'd replace that entire garrison with MP's that are full time soldiers. There would be no question as to requirements , standards and conduct.  This is the kind of crap that the mooslim world just loves and these morons gave it to them on a platter.  

Where in the world was the IG?  Didn't anyone oversee this guy? I understand that interrogation isn't a topic for the Sunday papers, but taking pictures of this kind of nonsense in this day and age with the internet was just plain stupid.

Quoted: The worst punishment we could do to these idiots is to drop them among the infantry who now has to patrol the streets with the population pissed off about this.

The real soldiers, the professionals, not these bunch of 'weekend warriors', have a tough enough and dangerous enough job as it is without having these bunch off assclowns tagging along.

Maybe send them out on their own? …trouble with this idea is it would be a death sentence for these brainless f**kwits

ANdy

Quoted: What a complete, friggin' idiot. He just threw away his career at KLA-Tencor, his wife will undoubtedly file for divorce, and now he may have to do time. Why are all these guys reserve and national guard? Don't they teach discipline in those organizations?

No, the f'ing problem is Clinton!  He stood down active military units and said the Reserves / Guard units can handle it.  I'm sure they can.  All of them are professionals in my book.  But to maintain discipline in some folks who only serve 2 days a month 2 weeks a year is a bit hard.  That's like asking a Reserve / Guard unit to serve in the SpecOps units.  

"The Army has approximately 6,250 Special Forces soldiers in its active duty ranks and counts 2,500 in National Guard units, said Maj. Gary Kolb, a spokesman for Army Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C. "

from greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/06/16/200306168419.htm

This whole thing is starting to resemble a M.A.S.H. episode instead of a military Op

BayEagle, you beat me to it.

You folks are ready to jump on the Reserves and Guard right away stereotyping them all but I'm sure there are many Reserves over there that were prior active.

As for the guy sneaking pics, Reminds me of Stripes where the Captain is peaking at the women showering.  

Quoted: You folks are ready to jump on the Reserves and Guard right away stereotyping them all but I'm sure there are many Reserves over there that were prior active. As for the guy sneaking pics, Reminds me of Stripes where the Captain is peaking at the women showering.

This episode could have happend to any unit in the Military when you have NO LEADERSHIP, Bad Leadership is a infection that festers and is contagious.  Shitbird Leaders are easier to weed out on Active Duty as they can be observed everyday but in the Guard and Reserve, Shitbirds can put on a good song and dance for two weeks and 1 weekend a month,  to just slip on through the cracks.

The 800th MP Brigade pretty much had no chance, its "Leadership" ranks were almost all filled with incompentant dipshits!

Leadership Hall of Shame from the 800th MP Brigade
BG Janis L. Karpinski, Commander, 800th MP Brigade
COL Thomas M. Pappas, Commander, 205th MI Brigade
LTC (P) Jerry L. Phillabaum, Commander, 320th MP Battalion
LTC Dale Burtyk, Commander, 400th MP Battalion
LTC Steven L. Jordan, Former Director, Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center and Liaison Officer to 205th Military Intelligence Brigade,
MAJ David W. DiNenna, Sr., S-3, 320th MP Battalion,
MAJ Stacy Garrity, Finance Officer, 800th MP Brigade
CPT Donald J. Reese, Commander, 372nd MP Company,
CPT Leo Merck, Commander, 870th MP Company
CPT Damaris Morales, Commander, 770th MP Company
1LT Lewis C. Raeder, Platoon Leader, 372nd MP Company,
CSM Roy Clement, Command Sergeant Major, 800th MP Brigade
CSM Edward Stotts, Command Sergeant Major, 400th MP Battalion
SGM Marc Emerson, Operations SGM, 320th MP Battalion,
1SG Brian G. Lipinski, First Sergeant, 372nd MP Company,
1SG Carlos Villanueva, First Sergeant, 770th MP Company
MSG David Maffett, NBC NCO, 800th MP Brigade
SFC Shannon K. Snider, Platoon Sergeant, 372nd MP Company,

Capt. Leo Merck, 32, a member of the California National Guard who commanded the 124-strong 870th Military Police Company, is under U.S. Army investigation and has been relieved of duty, they said.

Am I the only one who noticed that this loser is from La-La Land?
Congratulations on your scandal Feinstein.

Quoted: Quoted: You folks are ready to jump on the Reserves and Guard right away stereotyping them all but I'm sure there are many Reserves over there that were prior active. As for the guy sneaking pics, Reminds me of Stripes where the Captain is peaking at the women showering.   This episode could have happend to any unit in the Military when you have NO LEADERSHIP, Bad Leadership is a infection that festers and is contagious.  Shitbird Leaders are easier to weed out on Active Duty as they can be observed everyday but in the Guard and Reserve, Shitbirds can put on a good song and dance for two weeks and 1 weekend a month,  to just slip on through the cracks. The 800th MP Brigade pretty much had no chance, its "Leadership" ranks were almost all filled with incompentant dipshits! Leadership Hall of Shame from the 800th MP Brigade BG Janis L. Karpinski, Commander, 800th MP Brigade . SFC Shannon K. Snider, Platoon Sergeant, 372nd MP Company,

The commanding officer is a woman, oh boy.... I wonder how hard the liberal news media is going to come down on this. The news media has been pretty gung-ho regarding women in the USA military.

When its time to prove your mantle, the truth comes out real quick especially in battle.