Word: pantano
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CHARGES DISMISSED. In the case of ILARIO PANTANO, 33, the Marine lieutenant accused of shooting two unarmed Iraqis to death near a suspected terrorist hideout and hanging a warning sign-the Marine slogan NO BETTER FRIEND, NO WORSE ENEMY-near their bodies as a message to insurgents; by the Marine Corps; after an autopsy failed to confirm that the men had been shot in the back while on their knees, as reported; in Camp Lejeune, N.C. The ex-Wall Street trader didn't deny the shooting but claimed he was acting in self-defense...
TIME reported on the murder charges brought against Marine 2nd Lieut. Ilario Pantano for shooting two Iraqis near Baghdad in what Pantano says was self-defense [March 7]. I pose two questions: If the two Iraqis had detonated explosives, killing Pantano's men but not Pantano, would he be prosecuted for dereliction of duty for not preventing the explosion and the casualties? Or if the Iraqis had detonated explosives, killing Pantano, his men and themselves, would the government honor him as a hero and adorn his coffin with medals? Leaders like Pantano are supposed to be decisive. He made...
...Pantano may not be a hero, but he is certainly no villain. Those of us living comfortably far from Iraq's front lines cannot possibly comprehend the confusion and sheer terror of confronting insurgents. Pantano saw an enemy, perceived a threat and was forced to make a split-second decision based on his years of military training and experience. A wrong decision could mean his life. There was no time to contemplate. If you want empathy and political correctness, send the Peace Corps. If you want to win a war, send in the Marines. But don't be horrified...
...Many of Pantano's fellow officers believe that the case reflects the gap between the way military leaders prefer to portray the war in Iraq to the public and the way it is actually being fought. "The single biggest problem with the Iraq operation is that the military is at war but the nation is not," says an officer. A former Marine colonel who served for 27 years says the Marine Corps "always values its reputation and image. They want to act and be known as the good guys. They are very mindful of how they are perceived both domestically...
...Pantano is now back at 2-2's home base at Camp Lejeune, N.C. In mid-February, a website based in Pakistan put up a photo montage depicting Pantano's severed head. The FBI and local police were called in, and Pantano turned his pleasant modern house into a small armed camp. Guns appeared from various bags and trunks. A bag of flak jackets lay by the couch, and Pantano took to wearing a sidearm under his Thomas Pink shirt. It was as close to the front lines as Lieut. Pantano is likely to get in the foreseeable future. This...