The late Lance Corporal Lauterbach

[Recursion]

I am a Marine; 7 years time in the Corps, 3 of them on combat tours.

I didn't know Lance Corporal Lauterbach or Corporal Laurean. I just want to say something.

I've been sick for years of Fox News and CNN holding up every missing pretty blonde girl as a salacious story while skipping all the other missing persons (particularly men and women of color).

But this is not about that. This is a personal gripe about how the media has treated my sister-in-arms.

I didn't know Lance Corporal Lauterbach but she was a fellow Marine. That means she was an Angel of Death who was the nightmare of all our country's enemies. She was not some pretty, helpless victim. And, if I may be so bold, she does not want or need or pity. She proved herself as a lady and a champion of Columbia by even becoming a US Marine, let alone by doing well her first tour.

My feminist friends will tell me (and have told me) that the whole paradigm of the missing cute blonde girl is sexist. Possibly. Deconstruction is not my forte, though I acknowledge fully the work of my feminist sisters on the matter. All I know is she was a US Marine, and therefore a lady, and someone I have by that fact sworn to give my lifeblood for.

She was not some helpless coed in a horror movie. She was not some naive girl. She was a US Marine who was betrayed by an alleged brother in arms. Those of us in the Corps believe there is a special ring in hell for betrayers of that trust.

Why was her face splashed across the news more than his, even after it was known she was dead? Why is he still called a Marine? I frankly can already predict my feminist sisters' answers and sadly they're probably right on both counts.

She does not need pity. She does not need the salacious exploitation of her looks. She was a Marine. She was my sister-in-arms. There is no curse in any tongue of men or angels to sufficiently repay the barbarity of her murder, or the barbarity of its apparent coverup.

Her murderer is dead to me. He is no Marine. The officers who tried to cover it up are dead to me. Marine Officers?!?!? Ha! I laugh at the very thought. There have been in this country gentlemen and ladies who could claim that rare title of Commander of Marines but these weasling politicians are not those brave few.

A sister in arms is dead. Dead not by an honorable confrontation with The Enemy on the field of battle. Dead not by a tragic accident or all-too-common illness.

She is dead by the betrayal of someone who dared to call himself a Marine.

This is intolerable to a Marine. This is the shame of the Corps. I pray he may be found and swiftly brought to justice, and that the Corps may some day regain the reputation that it has earned over the centuries.

But please, do not post the "pretty blonde debutante" pictures of my former sister-in-arms, Lance Corporal Lauterbach. She was no victim. She was no child. She was a fighting US Marine, an Angel of Death who was the worst nightmare of all our enemies. She deserves better than to be the cover of our latter-day detective novels.

[gratuitous]

1. Sheesh

:eyes:

[Squatch]

2. A-freaking-men. Absolutely 100% spot-on.

May she rest in peace and may her killer be brought to suffer for the remainder of his days.

[hedgehog]

3. My question is this: she claimed to have been raped by one Marine,

but how many other Marines stood by after she made her claim and allowed her attacker to go free? Was there more interest in covering up a crime by denying it happened then there was in getting to the truth?

[cynatnite]

6. The sheriff implied that she lied about beng raped and ran off...

Seems like a lot of folks didn't believe her. :grr:

And folks wonder why women should hesitate before reporting they're raped.

[alarimer]

10. But if she was lying, why would he kill her?

As she was about to testify against him?

I would surmise that at least she was not lying about this.

[cynatnite]

15. The sheriff went with the belief that she ran off because he thought she lied...

about being raped.

He refused to consider that the accused rapist would kill her.

The sherrif's behavior was out of line throughout, IMO.

[alarimer]

19. wow. just wow.

It seems (in hindsight) that the very first suspect in her disappearance would be the person she was accusing of rape and about whom she was supposed to testify. But not to even look into it because they thought she was lying is a gross miscarriage of justice, that's for sure.


I got this totally wrong. It would appear that the guy she accused of raping her is NOT the one suspected of murdering her, although he might be an accomplice or accessory or something.

[Recursion]

27. *ding-ding-ding*

Yes. Two separate people. Somehow that part of the story isn't getting "out there".

Which means the command is covering up for two people, not just one. And that's why the command is Dead To Me.

[LisaL]

31. What are you talking about? The articles I've read

indicate it's the same person that she accused of rape, that is now on the run and is a suspect in her murder. Not two separate people.
"Lauterbach disappeared sometime after Dec. 14, not long after she met with military prosecutors to talk about her April allegation that Laurean raped her. Naval investigators said Saturday the rape case was progressing and Laurean was under a protective order to stay away from Lauterbach."
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/293609

[gaspee]

29. Funny

How no one's calling for that sheriff's head like people were calling for Nifong's head. And not the ha-ha kind of funny, either.

[cynatnite]

30. I did, but the threa dropped like a stone...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2675004&mesg_id=2675004

[Blue_Tires]

33. very true n/t

[malaise]

37. He got that from her step-mother

a truly horrible woman.

[leftchick]

4. "That means she was an Angel of Death"?!?

"That means she was an Angel of Death who was the nightmare of all our country's enemies."

Indoctrinated much? This sounds like Boykin's crapolla..... :puke:

[Squatch]

5. It's called Esprit de Corps

[leftchick]

7. lovely

killing machines called angels. My nephew is a marine and his talk of killing "ragheads" makes me sick.

[Squatch]

8. That's why he's a Marine and you're not.

See? The natural order works out, once again.

[leftchick]

9. he is a fuck head too

with the IQ of a gnat. Natural order and all. :eyes:

[Squatch]

11. Wow, you talk about your own family that way on internet discussion pages?

Semper fidelis.

[leftchick]

13. one does not choose ones relatives

And if I did not express my displeasure at his indoctrination/nationalism/fascism education at tax payer expense? Well...


qui tacet consentire videtur!

Also note how our Killer Training has evolved since my Father's service in WWII...



http://www.chris-floyd.com/Articles/Articles/Dead_Souls%3A_The_Pentagon_Plan_to_Create_Remorseless_%22Warfighters%22/

Penny Coleman at Alternet.com gives us a look at a new program designed to dull the moral sensibilities of American soldiers in combat on the imperial frontiers: Pentagon, Big Pharma: Drug Troops to Numb Them to Horrors of War.

But as we'll see below, this attempt to peddle magic pills to chase away the horrors of war is just one front in a long-term, wide-ranging "warfighter enhancement program" -- including the neurological and genetic re-engineering of soldiers' minds and bodies to create what the Pentagon calls "iron bodied and iron willed personnel": tireless, relentless, remorseless, unstoppable.

I.
Coleman takes specific aim at the "Psychological Kevlar Act," aimed at reducing the alarming spread of soldier suicides and post-traumatic stress disorder spawned by the illegal invasion of Iraq. The program relies heavily on dosing soldiers with Propranalol, which, "if taken immediately following a traumatic event, can subdue a victim's stress response and so soften his or her perception of the memory," as Coleman notes. "That does not mean the memory has been erased, but proponents claim that the drug can render it emotionally toothless." She continues:

But is it moral to weaken memories of horrendous acts a person has committed? Some would say that there is no difference between offering injured soldiers penicillin to prevent an infection and giving a drug that prevents them from suffering from a posttraumatic stress injury for the rest of their lives. Others, like Leon Kass, former chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics, object to propranolol's use on the grounds that it medicates away one's conscience...Barry Romo, a national coordinator for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, is even more blunt. "That's the devil pill," he says. "That's the monster pill, the anti-morality pill. That's the pill that can make men and women do anything and think they can get away with it. Even if it doesn't work, what's scary is that a young soldier could believe it will."

It is "a kind of moral lobotomy," says Coleman, whose husband killed himself after coming home from the Vietnam War. She puts the bill -- which is being sponsored by Robert Kennedy Jr., among others -- in the historical context of military training:


:puke:

[cynatnite]

16. More bullshit crap being used to twist good programs...

This is flatly untrue.

This bill was designed for the purpose of helping our military deal with mental trauma...both before and aftewards. Military families, Dems, VA groups and mental health groups have shown a great deal of support for this.

Instead, the twisting of it is perpetuated by those who do not research the facts behind it.

http://www.projo.com/health/content/KENNEDY_PTSD_08-14-07_6C6NS0M.326f503.html

http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,122151,00.html?wh=wh

http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.com/2007/08/cbs-evening-news-reports-on-virtual.html

http://www.patrickkennedy.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={6525BB4B-3825-4C34-8852-CA69CBF99A1A}&DE={FC684401-62EA-437B-87C9-BE92049F6A0C}

http://www.burnadvocates.org/GI.html

[Recursion]

18. What leftchick said n/t

[Bonobo]

23. What dmesg and leftchick said.

I got no love for self-avowed killers ready to bring indiscriminate death to people solely because they were ordered to do so and because they were born in a different artificial bordered land area that we call a "country".

I'm sorry this woman was killed, but she's no better in my eyes than anyone else. May her family find peace and may this world stop brainwashing young women and men into thinking they are serving some higher purpose by spilling blood.

BTW, the OP has a great writing style and I was very impressed with it. It was just sad to see if so filled with, as Leftchick said, that kind of indocrinated BS.

If anyone doesn't like the above statement, I don't give a rat's ass. I'm feeling truthy today.

[leftchick]

36. well said Bonobo

:thumbsup:

It fills me with sadness as well. :(

[tabasco]

12. Newsflash: Crime happens in the military just like in the civilian sector.

Newsflash 2: Going through basic training and logistics training does not make a killing machine or "angel of death" that makes our enemies tremble in fear.

Have another beer.

[Recursion]

28. let a man have his rhetoric?

Just sayin.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. It was "Killers in Forest Green" when I was in the Crotch.

And, similar nonsense describing cannon fodder doing stupid things for stupid people at the behest of politicians.

"Eat the apple and fuck the Corps."

[helderheid]

17. rec 4

[tuckessee]

20. It's hard to shed tears about the loss of an "Angel of Death". n/t

[girl gone mad]

21. Sorry, but I do feel sympathy for her.

She was a child and a victim. As an adopted person, I feel a tremendous amount of empathy for her. I understand exactly why she was so reluctant to give up her child. It's something that I rarely see mentioned in the media, though there is a plethora of pro-adoption propaganda. Adopted kids are more likely to be abused or neglected, more likely to become substance abusers, battle depression and self-esteem issues, commit suicide and also face more health problems. She was a victim from the start, and it looks like there was never anyone in her corner. System after system failed her. Every person in her life failed her. She was not a warrior, she was a human with a lot of problems and she was taken advantage of. I feel sorry for her.

[nightrider767]

22. I find the post troubling..

""That means she was an Angel of Death who was the nightmare of all our country's enemies. She was not some pretty, helpless victim.""

What's up with that? Sounds like some really "off" thinking. "Full Metal Jacket?" I saw the picture of the slain soldier on TV. She didn't look like any "angle of death" to me. She looked like a young intelligent person who wanted to better herself and ran into some horrible luck. A tragedy.

I know a lot of Marines, when did the "Angel of Death" thing start?

I say we leave the actual Angel of Death to do his, or her thing, and the Marines go back to being Marines.

Semper Fi!

[Recursion]

25. Just a phrase

No intent to trouble you; I just don't like the "pretty blonde victim" meme being played out on a Marine

[nightrider767]

26. Well thanks for being open minded about it

As a former Navy guy, I have a huge amount of respect for my Marine Corp brothers. SO I will stow that away as a "insider" thing you guys say to each other, not only only for fun, but also to stay on your game.

I guess it's hard seeing one of your own go like that.

My respects.

Cheers and thanks for your service.

[upi402]

35. Marines I knew could bring death

and bring it quick and cold. Pretty much pros at it, I figured. It was their job. Every time, every era, has its own sayings and colloquialisms. I don't see the problem in the OP myself.

[Yael]

24. Semper Fi, my friend.

Thank you for this well thought out and beautifully expressed post.

:patriot:

[goodgd_yall]

32. Thank you, dmesg

This story is about a female Marine and Marine justice failing to give her the credibilty and protection she deserved.

I know when this was first reported some DUers pulled out the ol' "pretty blonde missing" bit. As soon as I heard about it and the circumstances around it, I knew it was truly deserving of media attention since it involves an accused rapist killing his victim AND this in the Marine Corps.

I also think the local Sheriff's office failed by neglecting to pursue an aggressive investigation.

[Caria]

34. Yes

My impression is that Corporal Laurean was respected, trusted and believed because HE is a Marine, Lance Corporal Lauterbach on the other hand, was disrespected, distrusted, and not believed because because sexist fellow marines and civilian police regarded her as a girl and NOT as a Marine. That saddens and angers me.

The images that have been chosen suggest that we are supposed to view these people that way too. I did not see any photographs of Lance Corporal Lauterbach in uniform until after her death had been confirmed. Up until then, it looked as though everyone was using her high school graduation picture instead. OTOH, the only photo I've seen of Corporal Laurean shows him in uniform, in front of the flag.

RIP Lance Corporal Lauterbach.