MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- A Marine from Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron here was found guilty of attempted rape resulting in bodily injury in a Japanese court March 18, and cautions fellow Marines about the ordeal he went through and the importance of all service members' roles in a foreign country.
Private First Class William E. McIntosh, an administrative clerk, spent four months in the military detention facility on the Station and then spent more than three months at the Tokuyama Detention House awaiting his trial to complete.
"I didn't realize the impact I alone could make on the community," he said. "I created an international incident and that was the furthest from my mind."
Maj. George Cadwalader, Station deputy staff judge advocate, said it is important for McIntosh to tell his story.
"It is important for Marines to understand one bad decision can have an enormous impact on their lives," said Cadwalader. "And on the relationship between Japan and the United States."
McIntosh, who was sentenced to three years hard labor, suspended for four years, said he doesn't want any Marines to have to sit in a cell, where nobody likes them because they hurt one of "theirs."
"It was the loneliest time of my life," said McIntosh. "I don't want to relive it, but I have to let the other guys know. It is important for them to realize that they need to have a liberty buddy, no matter what rank they are, and they need to listen to them."
After a night of drinking, McIntosh got in an altercation with his friends, who then left him on his own. He admitted to a downward spiral of "stupid decisions."
McIntosh said he realizes the repercussions of his actions will stay with him forever.
"When I sat in jail, all I could think about is what I would do if that were my daughter," he said. "When I see my daughter's face and someone like me, well it's definitely a gut check."
Remorseful for his actions, McIntosh said if he shared his story, others would think twice about what they do when they are out in town.
"There is a woman who is terrified to walk down the street, afraid to leave her house, no matter what time of day it is," said McIntosh. "When she sees a Marine or an American, she is going to run in the other direction. That is my fault and I can not do anything to make that go away."
McIntosh is now pending separation from the Marine Corps and is looking at how this incident will affect the rest of his life.
"I am going to have to give a background check and this will affect me," he said. "I have to go to any job I get and think, who am I going to offend just being here."
Before McIntosh finishes his Marine Corps career, he has one last message for his peers.
"When you go out with your liberty buddy, it is like you signed a contract," he said. "It's almost like the battlefield, don't leave each other."
"Right now it is really hard looking in the mirror and realizing that person you hear about is you," McIntosh added. "Sometimes it makes you not want to look again."