Semper Fidelis

[Gary Sisco]

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - A group of U.S. tourists, including a former Marine, killed a Costa Rican mugger by breaking his neck after he pulled a gun on them in a Caribbean port, a local police official said on Thursday.

The cruise ship passengers told police they jumped on Wagner Segura, 20, to defend themselves when he pointed a .38 caliber revolver at them near the Caribbean port of Limon on Wednesday, and somehow snapped his neck, regional police director Luis Hernandez said.

Segura died instantly and two other unidentified thieves, one of whom was armed with a knife, fled the scene, Hernandez said.

"One of the tourists was a former Marine and he was probably the one who broke (Segura's) neck," Hernandez said. "His neck was completely snapped."

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No charges will be filed against the tourists because police viewed the incident as an act of self-defense. Police questioned and released the group, which rejoined the cruise and left Cost Rica.

The Americans were passengers aboard the Carnival cruise ship Legend. They got off their tour bus to take photos in a notoriously rough neighborhood a short drive from Limon.

After the attack, they put Segura's body on their bus and found a police officer in Limon to report the incident.


© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Wow, no wonder they call Carnival cruises the "Fun Ships".

[tippy]

No kidding, Jimmy! Cruises are like touring the roughest parts of the Bronx only with shuffleboard and all-you-can-eat.

[Gary Sisco]

Once a Marine, always a Marine. Just think. A few Marines in transit on 9/11. Might've changed the course of history.

Once I was traveling with a Swiss woman in Costa Rica. We'd met while hitchiking in Nicaragua. She was on her third solo trip around the world. We were getting on a bus in CR when the ticket taker guy pinched her on the butt as she went by. She turned around and absolutely pounded the guy directly in the face. Damn near knocked him out. His knees were wobbling. She told him in Spanish not to *ever* do that again. People on the bus didn't know whether to crack up or remain silent. I thought I was going to piss myself laughing. Imagine the shit that guy's had to take all of these years, since.

[groover]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - A group of U.S. tourists, including a former Marine, killed a Costa Rican mugger by breaking his neck after he pulled a gun on them in a Caribbean port, a local police official said on Thursday.

No charges will be filed against the tourists because police viewed the incident as an act of self-defense. Police questioned and released the group, which rejoined the cruise and left Cost Rica.

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.

I love news stories like this, with happy endings.

[shrugs]

One of the few SEAL's with tha look in the eye I ever met once told me this joke:

How do you save a Marine from drowning?

Take your foot off his head.

That said, the RECON or whatever they call 'em were a bunch of pansies.

I know some Navy divers, submarine guys at that, who got Comms for rescuing Marine RECON personnel from drowning.....

Marine's are testosterone with weaponry.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by shrugs

How do you save a Marine from drowning?

Take your foot off his head.

I went to school on an RAF base, lived briefly on the Army post at Yongsan (also I married an Army captain), and hung out with Marine embassy guards in Paraguay. My opinion is that RAF guys are geniuses, the Marines make a hell of a margarita, and the Army has the best Marine jokes. To whit, and with apologies:

Q: How do you knock out a Marine?
A: Throw wet sand at a wall and yell hit the beach.

Q: How is a Marine like a banana?
A: First they're green, then they're yellow, then they fall by the bunch on the beach.

That last one is particularly insensitive, given the sacrifice that Marines have made in every war since our founding. But it's the one the Marines in Asuncion appreciated best. Except for Shuk, the oddly named Italian Marine, who better loved "Why is Italy shaped like a boot, because you can't fit as much shit in a shoe-a-rino! Margaritas all round!"

[shrugs]

Thing about the Army is they're so dense......

[Monte Smith]

Also, standing around in those tree suits, you can't fucking see them.

[shrugs]

those f'n trees.

[shrugs]

Latest Army story I have is a cat I worked with on a house in the Marigny went to enlist and they gave him a private drug screening.

Yep.

Just in case he failed the real one.

He failed the private(we won't tell anyone) test and was told to come back....


I don't think Army reg's covers that situation.......

[GoodSpeak]

One of the best marching band tunes ever written by John Phillip Sousa

[Sandi22]

It hasn't been too long ago when a young couple were driving at night in Costa Rica, on the Caribbean side, Limon once again I believe, but not sure; anyway they were victims of a hijack or robbery attempt with bullets being fired at them, just a really scary situation. They managed to escape unharmed. There were three men there as well I believe, but this was at night. I wonder if this might have been the same group of young men? But you know, the cruise boat tourists had hired a man to drive them around to see the sights, and these three thugs came running off the beach and into the van, grabbing a woman by the neck and putting a gun to her head. So I have to wonder, how did they know to be where they were? Or were they just opportunists or were they told they would be there?

We're hoping to move to Costa Rica or somewhere in the general area, and we've been told to avoid San Salvador, and Guatamala, but peaceful little Costa Rica is having some of their own problems it seems.

[Gary Sisco]

Any time you have poverty and money in the same place, there will be crime. The where doesn't matter.

Puerto Limon is a Caribbean port town and rough, as you'd expect one to be. I spent a little time there but it was more interesting getting there from the west coast and back (narrow gauge railroad along the sides of sheer drops and like that; thousands died making it).