On one hand are soldiers, pushed to their physical and psychological limits in a war not likely to end in victory for anyone. On the other side: puppies and dogs—pets in this culture, nuisances in others—killed apparently not so rarely by soldiers. As the latest puppy-tossing video makes the rounds on the Internet, Valleywag posts five more soldier/animal cruelty videos here.

So is this developing into a serious scandal? The Marines aren't taking chances. "We take this incident extremely seriously and are conducting an investigation to determine the legitimacy of the video and who is in the video," Marines spokesman Major Chris Perrine tells Radar.

He would not confirm whether the Marine named on several blogs yesterday was being eyed. "I cannot say who we are investigating right now since no formal charges have been filed, but we will take appropriate action if the video is legitimate,"

What those that action could involve will be determined by a full investigation, but punishment options could include non-judicial punishment, court martial, or administrative separation and could result in sentences ranging from confinement and extra duties to pay forfeiture, reduction in rank and discharge, Perrine says.