I am completely outraged by the Jan. 17 letter “More upset with public outcry.” I do not feel any moral outrage at the four Marines who violated orders and desecrated bodies. I can only think of them as stupid. They did not follow orders, went against training started from the very first weeks of military training and then did not have the sense to not tape it. The letter writer, however, seems to equate this violation of discipline with stress relief.

No, I do not have any empathy for the Marines’ situation. There is no excuse for such conduct. If they had been given orders and training during basic that was repeated each year and before each deployment not to eat grapes and they ate grapes on camera it would be just as wrong. Get this, all would-be defenders of their conduct: They violated orders.

If the letter writer cares so little about standards of conduct, she should turn in her chevrons. She does not belong in the Noncommissioned Officer Corps. We already have more than we need of officers and NCOs who turn a blind eye to infractions of regulation, poor discipline and lack of military courtesy. She should get out before her attitude infects more young servicemen and women.