THE MILITARY

Haditha Unraveled

In a report obtained by NEWSWEEK, the affair's investigator casts doubt on the prosecution's case.

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  • Posted By: Aykee @ 03/28/2008 3:48:59 PM

    Put all the US GI's under arrest. They all have blood on their hands. Who killed all the 1 million civilians in Iraq? The time will come, when you will be judged. This US army is a bunch of criminals and there is nothing to be proud of these ruthless, immoral guys.

  • Posted By: handapeye @ 11/12/2007 3:42:35 PM

    I would like for QuestionEverything to tell me exactly our soldiers are supposed to IDENTIFY the terrorists? Does Q/E think they wear headscarves with a big red "T" on them? How many times have our men been fired upon from a house? or from a mosque? As far as I am concerned, if a terrorist fires at me from anywhere, it is fair game. If I am being ahot at from a house, I am shooting back at the place the bullets are coming from.
    All of these bleeding hearts have never given a thought to that the Iraqi civilians know who the terrorists are. They know when they come into their homes with their weapons, that they are going to be trying to kill someone. If you don't want to get shot, , , LEAVE, , , tell someone in authority WHO the killers are.
    I have a son in Iraq. As the old cliche' goes,, , , , , , , I would MUCH rather him be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

    • Posted By: QuestionEverything @ 11/13/2007 4:06:10 PM

      handapeye,

      These guys were not being fired upon at the time they were throwing grenades into these houses. According to Wuterich, they were shot at, earlier, from someone in the vicinity of the neighborhood. They were not defending themselves from an attack. At the time they were attacking these homes, no one was firing from any of the three houses. The first two houses had children, women, infants and NO WEAPONS (2 AKs were found in the 3rd house). Those Marines did NOT apply the rules of engagement and just started shooting in homes without knowing who was in them. Wuterich confirmed this on his 60 Minutes interview.

      This is not a case where US Marines were under fire (yes there was a roadside bomb that went off PREVIOUSLY and some small arms fire PREVIOUSLY) and reacted in the heat of battle like some would have you believe. These guys made a conscious effort, in a combat environment but not under direct fire, to not applying any Rules of Engagement, and just shoot into houses without knowing what they were killing. It's no surprise after this blatant disregard for any rules, that innocent children, infants, women, and potentially men (some may have been insurgents, who knows but they were unarmed ones) were murdered.

      If I was allowed to throw grenades or shoot into any house that I thought an insurgent might be, I could essentially start killing at will with no regard to anyone because insurgents could be anywhere. We don't fight by those rules. We hold ourselves to a standard and that standard is not killing anytime we feel like it.

      That's not the American Way. We're professionals (your son included). Our rules of engagement do not allow that. You have to ID a target or at least ID the threat shooting from the house that you are engaging. The first two houses had no weapons. They couldn't have been firing from those houses.

      Your son has an extremely tough job to do out there. I'm sure you're proud of him and want to see him come home. He may be caught in situations where he has to make a snap judgement and shooting at something while under fire is very likely and that might kill civilians. I doubt anyone will have any issues with someone in that situation who had to make a life or death decision and made the best call they could and some civs got killed.

      That is not this situation and I would caution anyone attempting to make it appear to be otherwise.

  • Posted By: Deanalfred @ 11/02/2007 9:53:23 PM

    You arm men. Send them into combat and then are surprised when they kill someone. This has all along had the scent of men, inadequately trained, or just raw to the theater, being blamed for the train given by, and the policies of those above. And then they wonder why someone asks to speak to an lawyer. Of all of the men US soldiers that day, it turns out Wuterich's instincts were correct.

    • Posted By: QuestionEverything @ 11/09/2007 11:58:09 AM

      Is that how it works? We arm these men and now they can kill anyone they want to?

      Or are we AMERICANS, with a professional military, who operate with rules in place to protect the innocent as much as possible while we fight wars? Not a bunch of cowboys running around killing women children and babies and maybe some 'insurgents' and claiming that it's OK because we give them guns and send them to these places.

      According to Wuterich in his 60 minutes interview, they were not being fired upon at the time they were shooting into houses and throwing grenades into houses without knowing who was inhabiting those dwellings. There's no excuse (or little excuse) for that. Or at least you better have a good excuse for it like they were caught in the crossfire of a firefight or something (which was not the case).

  • Posted By: QuestionEverything @ 11/09/2007 11:32:14 AM

    Why won't you post my comment? Are you screening the opinions of the people who are trying to post comments? I've tried for two weeks now and other people have their comments posted. I haven't said anything vulgar or treasonous or anything.

    POST MY COMMENT

  • Posted By: faminchin @ 10/26/2007 10:28:25 PM

    Clearyohed...your a real dumbazz huh. You want to pretend we are in Iraq for oil. Then I suppose your one of those that will try to say Saddam was really a great guy. He was just running his country, everybody there was happy, and then mean ole Bush came and messed it all up.

    Since your obviously unaware, Saddam was a terrorist, ran a terrorist sponsered state. Saddam paid sucide bombers families for killing Americans. You have probably forgotten how Saddam invaded Kuwait. You probably want to ingore the mass graves we have discovered, and you certainly want to over look the fact that he was put on trial, convicted and hung to death, by his own people.....not by George Bush!

    I don't recall anybody ever saying that Saddam was responsible for 9/11. I just remember Bush putting out the warning that we were coming after those responsible, and anyone else that aids and supports them. Saddam publicly declared Iraq as one of those willing to aid and support terrorism shortly afterwards. Bill Clinton called Saddam "the most dangerous man in the world."

    What you fail to see and understand is this. Shortly after 9/11, George Bush had approval ratings in the high 90 percentile. That's when Democrats got together and formed a plan, realizing that if they didn't go on the attack, they may never regain political power. Democrats have initiated attack after attack on Bush....Bush Lied was the first one. War for Oil was next. Then Bush spying on your grandmother...and the list has gone on and on. Willingly the media has put forth their message, without reguard to facts.

    So you can live your life with your head stuck up a donkey's butt if you like, but your really should pull your head out and take a look around once in awhile.

    Ever notice this, if you saw Osama's videos in text only, without knowing who was speaking, you wouldn't be able to tell if it was Osama Bin Laden, or Nancy Peloci, or Harry Reid. I don't know if Osama just picks up the Democrats talking points or if Nancy and Harry picked up Osama's.....but they have both been saying the same thing for years now! Why do you think terrorists round the world celebrated our past election? Don't you see anything wrong with America's enemies celebrating Democratic victory?

    Seriously, pull your head out of the donkey's butt and take a look around, instead of continuing to spread the terrorist propaganda like Nancy and Harry do.

    • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/30/2007 5:40:15 PM

      Yes, I remember Bush having high ratings when he was first sworn in. Before he had done anything. While he was taking holidays and swinging his golf club, he had high ratings. Then he started to do things and his ratings fell. The more decisions he makes, the more he reveals himself, the more people see the real him, the more his ratings fall. This is the way it works in a democracy. If you suck, your ratings fall. Or, perhaps democracy isn't really that fair . . . perhaps Bush is a righteous kind of guy, and the democratic policies of the government are tearing him down. . . . Maybe democracy doesn't work after all. But let's shove it down the throats of people who don't understand it anyway.

    • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/30/2007 4:57:02 PM

      Actually Faminchin, it's not about the oil, and I never said it was. It's about Saddam trying to bring down the American dollar and thus affect the economy. It's about the economy and preventing a severe recession or depression. Please read my posts properly and stop making up stuff about what you think I'm saying. Iran also has a hate on for the USA and is trying the same tactic. Put the peices together.

  • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/26/2007 5:50:35 PM

    For all who want to know what this war is really about google 'iraq oil in euros", sift past the conspiracy crap and look for reasonably legit literature. Then note that the UN had approved for Iraq to sell oil in euros in ~late 2000. Also notice how Bush totally lost focus on Osama and started targeting Saddam in around 2002. also note that the new puppet gov't continues to sell oil in USD. Then google "Iran oil in euros" and do the same. And there you have your answer to why Bush is constantly threatening Iran. Take a step back and look at the timeline of all these events. Its almost like a chess game if you know the truth behind these things.

    • Posted By: tyjanium @ 10/29/2007 1:08:02 PM

      Clearyohead. I'm wriring this reply assuming that you are an american, if not then this is for any american who believes what you do. Oil is absolutely a cause for american intervention in the middle east, but it's certainly not the whole truth. What would your alternative be? Let the European Union become more powerful than the US? Are you going to stop driving your car because oil seems to be the root of all evil? I personally enjoy the opportunity for prosperity that being an american brings me. I expect that my government do what is neccessary to ensure propsperity for future generations of americans. Victory in Iraq will be benificial to both the US and Iraq just as the occupation of Germany and Japan after World War Two. The american philosophy of government has proven itself over and over; where true democracy goes prosperity follows.

      • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/30/2007 5:05:44 PM

        Tyj,
        It appears you also didn't read my post correctly. Iraq, and now, Iran, are trying to bring down the american dollar. That's the reason. Just because the product in question being sold is oil doesn't mean the war is about oil (well in a crude way I suppose, pardon the pun) and to say that's what I believe is assumption. Canada has the second largest reserve of oil to Saudi Arabia, and they're happy to sell to us. It's not about oil and I never said it was.

    • Posted By: tyjanium @ 10/29/2007 12:42:05 PM

      kjkjh

  • Posted By: blackLab @ 10/30/2007 9:20:33 AM

    Seems to be that there is a link of responsibility missing between LtCol Chessani and MajGen Huck, especially if MajGen Huck got the impression that the Marines actions were commendable, instead of warranting an investigation. This missing link--the Regimental Commander and XO-- would have been responsible for reporting to MajGen Huck the actions of the Marines involved with the Haditha incident. What picture did they paint? I'll tell you what that picture looks like: A Col and a LtCol comfortably standing outside of a jail cell, with a bloody knife in their hand hidden behind their back.
    But these men are no strangers to fraudulent investigations. In 2004 the 2d Marine Regiment ousted one of their own, a Staff Sergeant in charge of the Data Communications section, after a security breach was revealed that had been set in motion more than a year before the SSgt's arrival at the unit. In 2005, then Capt, now Maj Knapp lost a classified thumb drive he was actively using at his post at Al Asad air base, Iraq to a foreign national. There was a preliminary inquiry, and it was so full of holes it could have passed for a slice of swiss cheese. In this case, unlike the unfortunate Staff Sergeant, the Capt was promoted the following week and recieved a slap on the wrist. Special privileges for officers maybe?
    The long and short of it is that it would not surprise me in the least to learn that the report from the Regiment to MajGen Huck was just another one of their spin-jobs designed to deflect responsibility. It is unfortunate to see that their lack of courage, leadership, and loyalty to the Marines in their charge, will add to the toll of good Marines lost. Good luck LtCol Chessani, I wish you and yours the best.

    Signed: A Marine who used to work in the 2d Marine Regiment Admin section.

  • Posted By: jakeVietnamVet @ 10/29/2007 10:08:22 PM

    Release all these Marines. We are talking about a war zone. You don't second guess anything or you will end up in a body bag.

    • Posted By: my opinion @ 10/29/2007 11:00:59 PM

      I'm one Vietnam Vet that thinks this war ???in Iraq is nothing more than an ego trip by Mr. Bush. He wants to get the respect of his father..nothing else... If this were truly a war about terror than we wpuld be in Africa helping those in need there???

  • Posted By: jakeVietnamVet @ 10/29/2007 10:02:59 PM

    I would release all these men. You can't second guess anything in a war zone.

  • Posted By: FATJOEY @ 10/29/2007 7:43:59 AM

    GIVE THEM ALL MEDALS AND $1,000 FOR EACH "COLLABERATOR" THEY KILLED! WELL DONE MEN!

  • Posted By: faminchin @ 10/27/2007 11:51:55 PM

    I still hear these war protestors in here calling our troops missing meaningless and unjustifed.......not one of them has said...opps...sorry about these marines who have been ran through the wringer......why is that. I believe some of them still want to see these young men who volunteered to serve their country hung out to dry, even after reading that there isn't a case against them. Even after readying that the entire thing was a ploy by the terrorist....they sound like they still want to hang these guys. What's up with that?

  • Posted By: faminchin @ 10/27/2007 11:48:20 PM

    I am sorry...your right...that was the total Americans killed in combat during WWII...407,300.
    We lost about 32% of our population.

    Still...compared to what's going on today, the numbers dwarf our losses today.

    Did you realize that the total estimated human loss of life caused by World War II was roughly 72 million people. The civilian toll was around 47 million, including 20 million deaths due to war related famine and disease. The military toll was about 25 million, including the deaths of about 5 million prisoners of war in captivity. The Allies lost about 61 million people, and the Axis lost 11 million.

    And leodelaney.....have you considered that some of those Iraqi's that have died might not consider their Freedom meaningless? And your mocking the terrorist might be considered an insult to the families of those who died on 9/11. I suspect not. You sound like you have your head stuck up a donkeys butt to far to consider anything!

  • Posted By: faminchin @ 10/26/2007 10:42:05 PM

    Here's another interesting fact. You war protesters have been eagerly counting the bodies of our troops, as if it's an astronominical number. While I don't want to see any of our troops injured or killed....I believe they deserve a pat on the back for a job well done.

    While 3600 killed is terrible, and I wish it was none......that was 3600 killed fighting two wars in two different countries, killed in two differenct war zones. Did you know, that during the same time frame, there have been over 2000 police officers killed on the streets of the United States....true fact! There were over 400,000 Americans killed in one day of fighting at the Battle of the Buldge during WW II.

    Another fact, Lincoln arrested and imprisoned over 400,000 Americans during the Civil War, for speaking out against the north. I think it's about time Bush took a lesson from Honest Abe....because those who continue to spread the terrorists propaganda, are responsible for many of those 3600 that have been killed. They have provided aid and comfort to the terrorist.....and I think it's time to draw the line and call it what it is...it's TREASON!

    • Posted By: Paul H @ 10/27/2007 5:28:01 PM

      I'm sorry to say that when you make a statement and call it a fact make sure it is in fact, a fact. 400,000 Americans did not die in one day of fighting during the Battle of the Bulge, I can say this because during the whole battle 19,000 Americans sacrificed their lives.

  • Posted By: BillBush0 @ 10/25/2007 1:57:04 PM

    Soldiers kill; in this case they murdered. Facts are that entire families are dead. Who did it? Al Quaeda, Iranian agents, KGB....no the Marine Corps. Faminchin....you're a blind idiot, a mordern brownshirt. Go fight and die...you coward.

    • Posted By: FATJOEY @ 10/25/2007 2:18:57 PM

      THESE SO CALLED CIVILIANS ARE COLLABERATORS,THEY HELP THE ENEMY SO THEY DESERVE TO DIE TOO!

      • Posted By: leodelaney @ 10/27/2007 1:33:09 AM

        In the past "collaborators" were called that because they "collaborated" with the invader and the oppressor. Examples may be found among the French and the Norwegians and the Filipinos in WWII and in many other conflicts. Nowadays apparently "collaborator" appears to mean anyone who gets testy when their nation is invaded by a foreign power, their government is toppled, their friends and family are killed. their cities are destroyed, a puppet government designed solely to ligitimize the invasion is installed over them and their religion is mocked. Under the old definition the people who were killed were not "collaborating" with the enemy, they were at most in sympathy with those who fight to drive an invader out of their land and in other wars they were called "partisans" or the "Underground" or other names to indicate their status as insurgents. Given that it is the height of stupidity to fight against God's agency on Earth, the United States. even when it is appallingly wrong, these people were perhaps doing just that; they deserved death.

        It would appear that the people who were killed were neither fighting for or aginst the United States. They were merely unlucky people who happened to get in the way of a bunch of heavily armed jackbooted thugs and got themselves killed for their bad judgement. War makes people behave in ugly ways and unnecessary and meaningless war makes them even more prone to atrocities given that they cannot justify what they are doing in any rational way. Such is the American soldier in Iraq. As much a victim of the malevolence and incompetence of the Bush Administration as the Iraqis lying dead in the dust. However he who kills to no purpose is indeed a "murderer" and it would appear that whatever the ultimate whitewash of the case may give us, these men are murderers. It is a basic fact of life and all the adolescent blaming of other entities such as the media, the Democrats and those who cry "Peace" by those without the intelligence to understand the situation, those with the the bullheadiness to believe that no American can ever do wrong and those possessing the childish inability to admit they and their nation were wrong, cannot change that and cannot erase what these men did. Americans are evil too and becoming more so as malevolent and incompetent leadership brings them down a path of self- denial and dishonor.

        Also our nation has become the biggest cry baby on earth and has abandoned all the strengths that carried us through the Revolution The Civil War, WWI and WWII and allowed us to fall into a wallow of self-pity and fear of the future. "Everyone under your bed. The Terrorists are coming. All two dozen of them." That is the United States today.

    • Posted By: faminchin @ 10/25/2007 10:56:13 PM

      Let me say this to you, call me any names you like. But if your one of these Bush haters that are only concerned with making Bush look bad, you are sacrificing Americans lives doing so. If your one of these Bush haters that spread the terrorist lies and propaganda, because it aids your political views, then your a traitor! I don't know another word for it?

      If American Citizens spread our enemies propaganda, believing the word of terrorist over our own marines fighting in Iraq because it fits their political adgenda, then your a traitor.

      And I believe it's time to start round your dumbazzes up and charging you with TREASON, perhaps deport your dumbazzes to Iran so you can live with your own kind.

      It's not patrotic to spread the lies and propaganda of our enemies...its TREASON!

    • Posted By: Marine03 @ 10/25/2007 3:41:17 PM

      Hello, have you been there? Do you know what goes on in a forward area? Do you have any idea what it is like to distinguish friend from foe? Judging from your comments you have never seen combat either. Meaning you have never seen one of your commrades murdered, not killed. Also, these are United States Marines, not soldiers. You need to refer to them as such. It is because of people like them your dumb ass can write on blog such as this.
      People die in War!! Do you have any idea what it's like to see your friend blown in half becasue of an IED? Probable not, you have no clue as to what goes on in war. Please spare everyone your hypatheticals and dumbass rhetoric on this subject.

      Semper Fi
      Veteran United States Marine Corps

  • Posted By: faminchin @ 10/26/2007 10:34:21 PM

    I'll say this one more time...I think it's a dirty rotten shame that these marines lives have been ruined by Democrats in congress, and our media. I certainly don't see nearly the media coverage about how there isn't a case againist these marines now, as I did calling them murderers and declaring them guilty, soley based on the word of the terrorist they were fighting. Again, you people take the word of the murdering terrorist, and automatically call Bush a liar before he opens his mouth. Call our General in charge a liar before he ever opens his mouth.....but the terrorist get taken at their word and their word is spread as gospel....without any investigating the facts. It's sick...is what it is!

  • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/26/2007 5:38:15 PM

    Admin! fix the reply button?

  • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/26/2007 5:17:04 PM

    Correction -- reverse "9/11" and "Iraq war" in last correction. heh.

  • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/26/2007 5:16:06 PM

    correction -- last post should read " . . . .made it sound like 9/11 was justification for the Iraq war.

  • Posted By: poorinspirit @ 10/26/2007 5:16:02 PM

    Seems to me when a police officer was involved in a shooting, they were to see a counselor to make sure everything is okay. Police officers that go through traumatic episodes were given leave of absence to recover. How come those marines were not given a leave of absence after their buddy was killed? If I was their leader, I would pull them off of duty and counselor sessions to deal with their loss to make sure no emotional baggage is being carried over when they continue in their performance of their duties.

  • Posted By: Clearyohed @ 10/26/2007 5:12:20 PM

    Also Faminchin, I clearified the point I was trying make about 3 posts before your last one. I admit there was some Al queda in Iraq as there are in alot of places. But my point was 9/11 and Iraq have little to do with each other, your earlier post made it sound like the Iraq war was justification for the Iraq war.

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