Marines Investigate Photo Posted on Web

[BSam]

Marines Investigate Photo Posted on Web


By DOUG SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS - The Marines are investigating a photograph circulating on the Internet that depicts a soldier with two Iraqi boys and a sign, in English, proclaiming the soldier had killed one boy's father and impregnated the boy's sister.

A Washington, D.C.-based Muslim civil rights group complained about the photo and urged the Marines to punish the soldier.

Investigators have not determined if the photo showing Lance Cpl. Ted J. Boudreaux Jr. was altered, said Capt. Jeffrey Pool, a spokesman for Marine Reserves in New Orleans.

Results of the investigation and possible punishment were expected Wednesday, Pool said.

"How the military reacts to this case I think will send a message to Muslims in the Middle East and worldwide as to how seriously the United States takes these issues," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Boudreaux is with the Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines; the company was deployed in Iraq (news - web sites) from last May to September. Pool said he did not know exactly when Boudreaux was in Iraq.

No phone number for the soldier could be obtained Tuesday.

news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040414/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/marines_photograph_1


edit:

The Real Photo
Grateful Kurdish children thank a marine, Lcpl Boudreaux. An obviously
doctored version of this photo with an offensive statement clumsily
pasted on has been floating around the internet as part as some sort of
cowardly smear campaign. Let's hope Boudreaux gets to tell his story and
how he helped this family.

i'm not sure which is real...in my eyes the crude one looks more authentic...

any ideas, etc?

[BSam]

ok...it turns out there's a more updated version of the story...

Marines to Tell Reservist of Photo Probe
Wed Apr 14, 8:42 PM ET

By DOUG SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS - The Marines have completed an investigation into a photo circulating on the Internet that depicts a reservist with two Iraqi boys and a sign saying the serviceman killed one boy's father and impregnated the child's sister.

A Marine Reserves spokesman said Wednesday that the results of the investigation will not be made public until they have informed Lance Cpl. Ted J. Boudreaux Jr. of how they intend to proceed.

Boudreaux is not on active duty and the Marines were trying to contact him Wednesday. Spokesman Capt. Jeffrey Pool said he could not discuss what, if any, punishment Boudreaux could face.

Boudreaux is with a New Orleans-based unit that was deployed in Iraq (news - web sites) from May to September. No phone number for Boudreaux could be obtained.

The photograph in the complaint shows two Iraqi boys and a grinning soldier, all gesturing with a thumbs-up sign. The soldier and one of the boys hold a cardboard sign in English that said: "Lcpl Boudreaux killed my dad th(en) he knocked up my sister!"

The sign's English message was apparently not understood by the children.

Pool said at least two other versions of the photo were on the Internet, each with a different sign.

One says: "My country got invaded and all I got was this lousy sign."

Another says: "Lcpl Boudreaux saved my Dad, th(en) he rescued my sister."

It was not known if the photos were altered in any way.

Muslim civil rights leaders have complained and urged the Marines to punish the reservist.

[JeromeSqualor]

The first picture definitely looks like the original...

[BSam]

i agree...

on the second one you can see two diferent styles of "d" where as they match more in the first one...

i'm not a handwriting expert or anything, but i did notice those...

[JeromeSqualor]

Yeah, and in the second one, the words "saved" and "rescued" are faded...

[GaryBaudelaire]

Yeah.... Obviously the man may have changed it when it went on the internet before anyone found out and then a few copies were left...

[Annabelle]

What does the Arabic writing say at the bottom?

[Tyler]

The second one is definantly false. The picture is a bit blured, and the second one also doesn't have the Arabic writing at the bottum.

[The Flossing Ferret of Nigeria]

The second one looks more real to me. In the first one, the words that were changed look all pixeled around the outside. And who would be that incredibly stupid to actually take a picture of that... if the true one really was the more disturbing one, then did those boys even know what the sign ment?

[Annabelle]

Nyctophobia said:

The second one looks more real to me. In the first one, the words that were changed look all pixeled around the outside. And who would be that incredibly stupid to actually take a picture of that... if the true one really was the more disturbing one, then did those boys even know what the sign ment?

Maybe, maybe not. But they're really happy in the first picture, and even with the words erased and stuff, I agree with you. Thumbs up? Smiling? Looks freakishly weird and not understandable why they would be so happy. Durf.

[GaryBaudelaire]

Um... Yes, but Saved and Rescued are synonyms. Wouldn't it just say "He rescued my dad and my sister!" instead of that? Plus some people are born naturally stupid...

[The Flossing Ferret of Nigeria]

Wouldn't the marine dude lock it up in some box so no one could see it? How could it be so exposed that it got on the internet? And if he's in the marines then he...can' tbe that stupid...?