© The Associated PressThis image made on Jan. 12, 2012, from an undated video posted on the Internet by a YouTube user self-identified as "semperfiLoneVoice" shows men in U.S. Marine combat gear standing in a semicircle over three bodies. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta branded as "utterly despicable" the video purporting to show four U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters.
"I regret maybe any repercussions it might have had on the Marines. But do I regret doing it? Hell no," Sgt. Joseph Chamblin told WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C., adding that he would do it again.
The infamous incident was videotaped and uploaded to YouTube last year, becoming international news and raising fears of retaliation by Afghan troops against their coalition trainers.
"These were the same guys that were killing our family, killing our brothers," said Sgt. Chamblin, who was on a mission to stop Taliban insurgents from making roadside bombs.
One of his sniper team members, Sgt. Mark Bradley, was killed by a buried bomb days before the incident.
"We're human," he said. "Who wouldn't if you lost your brother or mother? Wouldn't you want revenge?"
Sgt. Chamblin said he didn't consider endangering other troops by the act, but considered the psychological effect it would have on the enemy "because if an infidel touches the body, they're not going to Mecca or paradise."
"So now these insurgents see what happens when you mess with us," said Sgt. Chamblin, adding that he is planning to retire in September and is writing a book.
The Marines court-martialed nine troops for the incident. Sgt. Chamblin, a 15-year veteran, pleaded guilty for urinating on the bodies and dereliction of duty and was fined $500 and demoted, WSOC reported.
"Do you want the Marine Corps to be a group of Boy Scout pretty boys or do you want guys that will go out and kill the people trying to take advantage of your country and kill Americans?" he said. "Which do you want? Because you can't have both."
Human? Could have fooled me!