Monroe soldier dismissed from
Marines for killing puppy
A Monroe soldier whose family was seriously harassed
following the appearance on Youtube of a video of
himself throwing a puppy to its death from a cliff in
Iraq was dismissed from the Marines Wednesday.
David Motari, 22, appeared in a 17-second video clip
March 3 in which he dangled a puppy at the
camera, crooning “Oh, little puppy, so cute,”
before turning and hurling the yelping animal
into a nearby ravine.
An off camera voice said “That was mean, Motari,”
at which the young man grinned and shrugged.
The video quickly spread through the internet,
and comments, most of them scathing, poured in
from many nations.
Many of those comments called for death or other
harm to come to Motari, and some called for death
or harm to come to his family.
Some got the address and contact information for
the family, who disconnected their phone within hours.
Other e-mails and calls came to Monroe Mayor Donnetta Walser, the Monroe Monitor and the place at which the man’s mother works.
The Marines, too, received a large volume of comment, and vowed to investigate the incident while refusing to confirm the soldier’s identity.
Wednesday, the Marines confirmed the man’s identify as Lance Cpl. David Motari, and announced that he had been discharged from duty in connection with the incident.
“The Marine Corps conducted a thorough investigation as soon as it learned of the event and acted as swiftly as possible,” the Marines said in a statement. “The actions seen in the Internet video are contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine and will not be tolerated. The vast majority of Marines conduct their duties with honor and compassion that makes American people proud.”
The punishment was a non-judicial act, that is to say, not the result of a court martial but rather a personnel matter.
As such, the details of the investigation are not public, said Major Chris Perrine, spokesperson for the United States Marines Corps Base in Hawaii.
The man whose voice was heard off camera was also punished, but not as severly, the Marines announced.
Sergeant Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion, based in San Diego, will recieve an undisclosed non-judicial judgement.
Motari’s sister Shannon appeared on a Seattle talk radio show the following day and read a statement from her family asking people not to rush to judgement.
“Some people may not care to hear what I have to say, and why would you? You don’t know him,” she said. “But you might know someone like him.”
She then described the young man as sensitive, affectionate, highly active and interested in sports, with a strong goal of joining the military.
“Have you been to see a loved one graduate from boot camp and felt so much pride in your heart you felt like it would burst?”she asked.
“Has that loved one done something you disagree with or that disappointed you?” she went on. “Maybe at first maybe you felt bewildered, but because you know the core of this person and you know how loving and giving they have been their whole life, you are willing to take a closer look at the circumstances surrounding this situation.”
She also said that she was concerned that harassment would begin again.
“I'm mostly fearful for my mom,” she said. “We were absolutely stunned at the reaction when this video came out, especially towards my family, and there’s some people that don’t want to let go.”
The experience has also been hard on Motari, she said, saying that although they haven’t spoken in a while they keep in touch by text message.
“It’s of course very difficult for him,” she said. “Obviously, it’s rough for him.”
She said she thought the punishment excessive, saying that Motari is the veteran of two wars, including Afghanistan, and that his conduct had always been good before.
And one Monroe woman with a son who served in Iraq for four years noted that dogs there are considered vermin and are routinely killed, saying that might explain some of the young man’s apparent callousness.
But Mayor Walser and the Monroe Monitor also received e-mail excoriating the killing of the dog, and calling for public censure.
“I am absolutlely shocked that you went on public record to defend David Motari, the rogue puppy throwing (ex) marine,” one man wrote to the mayor in response to her call for restraint that appeared in a Thursday news story. “I’ll be waiting for the next Monroe election for mayor and be sure to do everything I can for your opponent to defeat you in that election so that you are no longer in office. Congratulations I hope you lost a lot of political support for your faux pas here.”
“This is tame compared to what I received at the time of the incident,” said Walser. “The threats to the family have been totally out of line."
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