Abducted U.S. Marine returns to his unit

[Hoss68]

Abducted U.S. Marine returns to his unit
WASHINGTON - U.S. Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun has returned to his unit in North Carolina, although his mysterious abduction by Islamic militants in Iraq has yet to be publicly explained.

Hassoun, 24, initially was accused of deserting, but after his hostage video aired on Arab satellite TV, his status was changed to "captured."

Marine Corps officials are "all over the map" over whether they believe Hassoun's story that he escaped execution, said one military source close to the case. He said there is a lingering suspicion that the videotaped threats to behead Hassoun were an elaborate hoax.

The skeptics wonder how he got from Iraq to his native Lebanon 500 miles away - where his wife lives - without a scratch.

The Muslim Marine spent all of August on leave with his family in Salt Lake City before rejoining the antiterrorist 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Aug. 30, officials said.

Hassoun is expected soon to be declared fit for duty, the military source said.

But he still could face desertion charges as the probe continues into how he was kidnapped from a secure base in Iraq and whether he was ever in captivity, sources said.

Though Hassoun was debriefed about his ordeal after returning stateside, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has yet to interview him, leaving his case in limbo, sources said.

"He's frustrated that it's still out there," said the military source. "But he realizes there's a process that needs to take its course."

The Marines are being careful with Hassoun's case.

"Some of the early statements about Hassoun deserting probably went too far," the military source said. "We don't want to make this guy into a Chaplain Yee."

Capt. James Yee, the Muslim chaplain for the terror prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was accused of espionage last year but later cleared in a major embarrassment for the military.

Hassoun was reported missing on June 19 and presumed a deserter by the Marines, but he was shown days later on Arab TV as a blindfolded hostage with a sword dangling over his head.

On July 8, Hassoun popped up safe at the American Embassy in Beirut.

Hassoun, a veteran of the major combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, denied he ran away.

[The_Federalist]

Don't think this is the last we will here about Cpl. Hassoun.

[Hoss68]

Speculation will go on for years about this. I do wonder if they will send him back over or not, and if not~ Why?

[odannyboy]

Thanks for posting this Hoss, I had forgotten all about him.


Why on earth is he not facing charges for desertion? There are always circumstances not made public, and no doubt there are many at work here.

I don't think he would not only be returned to a war zone, but won't be reunited with his unit. Bad for morale.

If there is a Marine outpost in Antarctica, they will probably send him there.

[Hoss68]

According to the reports, that I've seen, he has not been found to have done anything questionable. I'll look for it, but a MSGT posted a statement/opinion online.

[Hoss68]

I knew I posted it here, but thought it was on this forum. So I checked a bunch of other sites first~

Cpl Hassoun Vouched For And Vindicated

[odannyboy]

Some of you know the type of activities I supervise at the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA) or the Joint Service SERE Agency (JSSA) for you more senior gentleman. My staff and I have been directly involved in the repatriation and debriefing of Cpl Hausson. Obviously, I can not discuss the intimate details of his plight. I can share with the MILINET Community that this Marine's story is legit. He was abducted from his place of duty, interrogated, abused, threaten with death, yet upheld the traditional of the Marine Corps, protected his comrades, and abided by the articles of the Code of Conduct.

It's possible some of you have fallen victim to some official and unofficial mis-statement about Cpl Hassoun. We call the "CNN effect". In the coming days, weeks, or months you will find the media and people who just basically made up **** are wrong. The Marine Corps got one of its own back from the jaws of certain death. He should be welcomed back as a returning warrior, better yet as a Marine who has seen more than his share of hell.

Semper Fidelis, words that Cpl Hassoun clung to in his darkest hours.

Jim Perna Deputy Director for Intelligence Operations MSgt, USMC (Ret.

What is the real story here? The Marine Corps is keeping the story from the public, but no way do they give this guy a free pass for leaving in a war zone, so SOMETHING happened to this Marine.

Personally, I think he became too friendly to someone on the outside, and they set him up, but somehow, somewhere, something went wrong. The trick is whether or not his life was seriously threatened, and I would definitely say it was. The Marines wouldn't play with this guy and give him a pass if it wasn't. And I think the investigation may have even gone beyond JAG and involved agencies like the FBI.

Either way, I could not handle news of a beheading of a Marine, and if he was threatened, thank God he is alive and well today.