The court case concerning the video of six Marines urinating on Taliban corpses in Afghanistan has taken a bizarre turn toward the truly weird.
First, the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Amos recently came under fire for allegedly exerting undue influence over the case and, for such, is reportedly under investigation.
But then Hope Hodge of Marine Corps Times reported a true humdinger late Thursday when one Maj. James Weirick was relieved of his post "following allegations of harassment via email."
Weirick, staff judge advocate at Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., sent emails to Amos' former defense attorney accusing Amos of misdeeds and advising his lawyer to "come clean" about them.
That's not the weird part though. Throughout the entire communication, Weirick refers to himself in the third person. From Marine Times:
“You are being offered the opportunity to unburden yourself. Weirick sleeps well every night knowing that honesty allows such freedom. You too can know this freedom. Just be honest,” Weirick wrote.
In the email, Weirick repeatedly refers to himself in the third person.
“Come to the side of the honest and truthful. Delay, obfuscation, and intimidation are not working. Those tactics will never work against Weirick,” he writes at one point. “Do whatever you want. Hunker down with the dishonest and hope for the best. Best of luck. You will need it.”
Hodge reports that Weirick ended with a threat: “He can’t offer you protection from Weirick. That protection can’t be offered by anyone. Ever," Weirick writes.
Aside from being relieved of command, Weirick has turned in his weapons and been asked to enter a voluntary psychiatric evaluation.