Military to Report Marines Killed Iraqi Civilians

[fontman]

By THOM SHANKER, ERIC SCHMITT and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. <br />
The New York Times <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON, May 25 - A military investigation into the deaths of two dozen Iraqis last November is expected to find that...

[thedrifter]

My Lai, Iraq
The Few, the Proud, the Murderers

By PIERRE TRISTAM

Of course the first line of defense, for those craven enough to defend atrocities just because Americans commit them, is to say that Iraqis do worse. And in fact the U.S. military, after lying about the massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last year, then lying about the number of Iraqis killed, then covering up the massacre until a Time magazine article made it impossible to keep lying, attempted that very line of defense: As Time reported in March, "Lieut. Colonel Michelle Martin-Hing, spokeswoman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq, told Time the involvement of [military investigators] does not mean that a crime occurred. And she says the fault for the civilian deaths lies squarely with the insurgents, who "placed noncombatants in the line of fire as the M! arines responded to defend themselves.'" All lies, of course. There were no insurgents hiding among civilians. There w as no crossfire. The Marines weren't defending themselves. They were out on a rampage, murdering at point-blank leisure, logding bullets in the heads of women and children, My Lai-style.

There is one buried quarter truth in Michelle Martin's official story (odd, how her name rhymes with the name of that most craven of right-wing bloggers, to whom apologizing for brutality, as long as it's camouflaged in stars and stripes, is a back-seat shtick), though it doesn't justify what happened in Haditha: When you train men not only to kill but to become sub-human drones who dehumanize their enemy in turn, and when you place them in situations where they want to see nothing but sub-human creatures, you can't expect them not to act the part they've been trained to act! .

I keep remembering that Bob Herbert column in the Times last May, relating the story of Aidan Delgado, a U.S. soldier who served in Iraq: "He wasn't happy when, even before his unit left the states," Herbert wrote, "a top officer made wisecracks about the soldiers heading off to Iraq to kill some ragheads and burn some turbans. "He laughed,' Mr. Delgado said, "and everybody in the unit laughed with him.' The officer's comment was a harbinger of the gratuitous violence that, according to Mr. Delgado, is routinely inflicted by American soldiers on ordinary Iraqis. He said: "Guys in my unit, particularly the younger guys, would drive by in their Humvee and shatter bottles over the heads of Iraqi civilians passing by. They'd keep a bunch of empty Coke bottles in the Humvee to break over people's heads.' He said he had confronted guys who were his friends about this practice. "I said to them: "What the hell are you doing? Like, what does this accomplish?' And they responded ju! st comp letely openly. They said: "Look, I hate being in Iraq. I hate being stuck here. And I hate being surrounded by hajis.'' "Haji' is the troops' term of choice for an Iraqi. It's used the way "gook' or "Charlie' was used in Vietnam. Mr. Delgado said he had witnessed incidents in which an Army sergeant lashed a group of children with a steel Humvee antenna, and a Marine corporal planted a vicious kick in the chest of a kid about 6 years old. There were many occasions, he said, when soldiers or marines would yell and curse and point their guns at Iraqis who had done nothing wrong." The banality of evil doesn't have to rise to the level of genocide to find its stage. To the contrary. Evil at its most routi ne is localized affair, the more debased for being either completely out of sight and accountability, or for being tacitly, happily condoned by its execut ioner's posse. The Haditha massacre stands out only because in its case someone was there to report it. But who doubts that these atrocities aren't routine, or that a soldier's swift kick in the chest of a six year old boy is any less of an atrocity, considering what that soldier would do to an adult if can be such a brute toward children?

What's almost as repulsive, though in this case only ink is being spilled, not blood, is the way the subsequent reporting about the massacre is being laid out. The New York Times this morning, with its usual, but in this case nauseating, restraint in balance's name, pulls a classic example of mitigating atrocity with qualifiers. The lead paragraph refers to a small number of marines carrying out "extensive, unprovoked killings of civilians," establishing right away the rogue-soldier theory that was attempted in the aftermath of Abu Ghraib. The downplaying of U.S. torture as an institutional rather than ! an exce ptional strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan was successful, at least in the public's mind.

The evidence suggests otherw ise. It does so as well when it comes to wanton killings, whether it's the trigger-happy soldiering at Iraqi checkpoints or the killing of civilians in allegedly collateral circumstances. Yet you can see the Haditha massacre's dowplaying game already in full swing. The Times has the story over two columns above the fold, but to the left of a four-column spread about the Enron verdict. Enron is news. It isn't bigger news than the massacre of twenty-four Iraqis at the hands of U.S. marines. Not by any stretch of journalistic calibration. But such are the tastes for news in the United States that business porn will always outplay patriotism's barbarity. Americans don't want to know what their soldiers are doing in their name in Iraq. The cost to Iraqis is immense. It's more devastating, especially in human terms, than anything Enron ever did. But it's safer to focus on old-fashioned homegrown corruption and malfeasance. In that sense Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling are doing the American public a favor, in distractions and entertainment, and the public is grateful. They may be bad guys, but they're our bad guys, and they! 're pro v iding cover for what our supposedly good guys, our supposedly heroic soldiers, under the leadership and don't-mess-with-Texas-encouragement of their apologist-in-chief, are doing in Iraq.

For the record, the Los Angeles Times' lead about the massacre had none of the New York Times' daintiness. It was to the point: "Marines from Camp Pendleton wantonly killed unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women and children, and then tried to cover up the slayings in the insurgent stronghold of Haditha, military investigations have found." One more point about the Times story. The very last paragraph raises the prospect of yet another massacre, though it reads like an afterthought: "The Marines also disclosed this week that a preliminary inquiry had found "sufficient information' to recommend a criminal probe into the killing of an Iraqi civilian on April 26 near Hamandiyah, a village west of B! aghdad. " But isn't the uncovering of atrocity always an afterthought, if even that?

Pierre Tristam is a columnist and editorial writer at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, and editor of Candide's Notebooks, a Web site. Reach him at ptristam@att.net.

Ellie

[booksbenji]

They kill us, WE KILL 'EM. NO MATH PROB'S. It is the 'Paddies w/o the paddies. Sorry, folks, that's the way it is. Not happy with it but 35 yrs NADA has changed. Weapons has not changed 2 much, but the weapons changed a bit.

[Future-USMC-LT]

"The Few, the Proud, the Murderers"

WTF??!?!?!?!!? Nice job taking one of our trademarks and bastardizing it.

[mrbsox]

I trhought it was spelt "MAI LAI", but I'm no dictionary.

The point is, these things happen.
When you place men into the situation where CIVILLIANS MAY BE THE ENEMY, these things will happen, and it is sad.

If the investigation determines it WAS murder (without the media hype attached), I do hope those accountable stand up, and 'take it'.

The Corps 'takes care of their own', and this should be no different. This is just a balance between "AND TO KEEP OUR HONOR CLEAN" and "NO BETTER FRIEND, NO WORSE ENEMY".

But, those (Iraqi famalies) affected need to also so see, that we ARE a nation of freedoms, as well as laws. And when our OWN exceed the freedoms, they answer to the law.

I also hope this just not start a new round of "baby killer' chants from the liberal lefties.

$.02

Terry

[marinefamily5]

Myself personally I think we should just KILLEM ALL....but that is just me.

[jcavala]

LET'S JUST CONVICT THEM IN THE PRESS !!

Hey, "Pee-Aire". Are you from downtown France, by any chance ? I do hope so, because that would explain a lot about your motivations for writing that piece of unresearched garbage. My Lai, indeed.. How honest was your research if you didn’t even spell the name of that unfortunate vil correctly. As far as I’m concerned, your only motivation in penning that garbage was to embarrass the country that bailed your sorry collective butts out of two World Wars. The only thanks we ever got was a reminder that the Colonies might not have survived the Revolutionary War if the French hadn’t intervened. We do thank you for planting a couple of Men of War off the Atlantic Coast who loosed a few rounds across the bows of the British supply ships and turned them back. For that matter, we can even thank the British for deciding not to go to war with you over the colonies. The British decided to let things cool down and give it another try later. Some thirty six years later, they did try once again to subdue the Colonies, (War of 1812), but they found us to be much better organized and prepared to defend ourselves. Enough History..
We do owe it to ourselves to be honest and look this and similar incidents straight in the eye. Like any story, there are two sides to consider. This calls to mind a saying we had in the ole’ sixties Marine Corps,. I have no idea if it’s still fashionable, but it was, "You have that ten percent who can’t get with the program". You and I both know that there are some people who shouldn’t have the right to wear our uniform. Being tough is one thing that comes with the uniform, but some of those ten percenters will and have used the uniform as an excuse to blow somebody away without having to face the DA on a murder rap.
Whether this is the case or not, I have no way of knowing.
On the other hand, guerrilla warfare has to be classed as one of the most dehumanizing experiences a man can face. You can take the most devout Christian, one who follows a daily ritual of progressing through the "Hail Mary’s", and in a relatively short time in this envirnoment, you’ll have yourself one hard assed trooper. Talk all you want about women and children in the abstract sense, but remember this. It only takes a couple of ounces of pressure to squeeze off a round and it doesn’t take weeks of training at the rifle range at Parris Island or San Diego to learn how to properly use the rifle. In close quarters using an indestructable assualt rifle like the AK-47 and put it in the hands of a woman or child, and it will kill you just as dead as it would in the hands of a trained NVA soldier. If you haven’t been there, you can’t really follow this, so shut up and sit down.
If you’ve never walked in my shoes, how can you have the audicity to tell me my combat boots look comfortable when you can’t see the jungle rot eating away my toes.
The bottom line harshness of this reality can be summed up in a much used phrase from Vietnam.
"F*** it, kill them all and let God sort it out.".
Only time and honest investigation will tell if this is one or the other, or maybe even some of both. But, this you can take to the bank. All you smug Bas*ards who try to drag the United States Marine Corps through the mud over any isolated incident, will surely have earned your place in Hell.

[outlaw3179]

You cant go around killing innocent civillians. You hunt down the bad ones and you take care of them. Wen you start killing families you become exactly what we are over there to stop. You immediately become no better than the thugs, and the murderers who use intimidation and fear to accomplish their goal. I hope that theese Marines are cleared of this , but ......if it does come to light that they actually did commit murder then there must be accountability. As much as I hate saying that , the integrity of the Marine Corps and its Corps values must be maintaned.

[thedrifter]

Thorough Inquiry of Marines Promised
From the Associated Press
May 30, 2006

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday "it would be premature for me to judge" the outcome of a Pentagon investigation into the killing of as many as two dozen Iraqi civilians by Marines.

But at the same time, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said he believed it was crucial to make the point that if certain service members were responsible for an atrocity there, they "have not performed their duty the way that 99.9% of their fellow Marines have."

Interviewed on CBS' "The Early Show" as the nation observed Memorial Day honoring men and women lost in war, Pace pledged that "we'll get to the bottom of the investigation and take the appropriate action."

Pace's interview came a day after Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), a decorated Marine war veteran and prominent critic of Iraq policy, said the incident could undermine U.S. efforts there more than the Abu Ghraib prison scandal did.

A bomb rocked a military convoy on Nov. 19, killing a Marine. Marines then shot and killed unarmed civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot other people, according to Murtha, who has been briefed by officials.

Asked how such a thing could have happened, Pace replied: "Fortunately, it does not happen very frequently, so there's no way to say historically why something like this might have happened. We'll find out."

Pace's predecessor, retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he had "no idea" what happened but that there "has been and there is an ongoing, thorough investigation."

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service inquiry into the shootings is continuing. Whether violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including murder, would be pursued would be determined by a senior Marine commander in Iraq.

The agency also is investigating the death of an Iraqi civilian on April 26, involving Marines in Hamandiya, west of Baghdad.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines 'left traumatised by killings in Haditha' <br />
By Sam Knight and agencies <br />
<br />
Two US Marines ordered to photograph the corpses of more than 20 unarmed Iraqi civilians allegedly massacred by their...

[thedrifter]

Sent to me by hubby..fontman <br />
<br />
Ellie <br />
<br />
Mr. Murtha's Rush to Judgment <br />
The Washington Post <br />
Sunday, May 28, 2006; B06 <br />
<br />
A year ago I was charged with two counts of premeditated murder and <br />
with...

[Old Marine]

A quote from Forrest Gump: **** Happens.

[thedrifter]

Lawyer: Officers not target of investigations into Iraqi killings

By: THOMAS WATKINS - Associated Press

CAMP PENDLETON -- Three officers relieved of command from a Marine battalion are not the targets of military investigations examining whether their troops killed up to two dozen Iraqi civilians and then tried to cover it up, the attorney for one of the officers said Tuesday.

Attorney Paul Hackett said his client, Capt. James Kimber, only learned about the deaths after the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment returned from Iraq in March. The killings in the western Iraqi city of Haditha occurred Nov. 19.

Separate investigations are trying to determine whether the killings were criminal acts and whether the Marines involved and their commanding officers tried to hide the truth.

The Pentagon has said little publicly about what happened in Haditha. What is known is that a bomb rocked a military convoy, killing one Marine. The Marine Corps had initially attributed 15 civilian deaths to the car bombing and a firefight with insurgents, eight of whom the Marines reported had been killed.

But Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and decorated war veteran who has been briefed by military officials, has said Marines shot and killed unarmed civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot others.

Last week, a senior defense official said the evidence so far strongly indicated the killings were unprovoked murders. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about the investigation.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Tony Snow said President Bush only learned of the killings after a reporter from Time magazine began asking questions. Time published an article in March that said the Pentagon was investigating the incident.

The investigations come at a tenuous time. Iraqi insurgents continue to mount deadly attacks as the new Iraqi government attempts to establish itself and take over more security duties from U.S. and coalition forces. Meantime, the American public's support for the war has been sinking as casualties mount.

Coupled with the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, the Haditha killings "could undermine our entire mission in Iraq," said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif. and member of the Armed Services Committee.

House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said that because of the seriousness of the allegations and how they could harm the U.S. mission in Iraq, "There has to be accountability."

Murtha said the Haditha incident is a recruiting tool for terrorists.

"We're fighting for the ideals of America," Murtha said "And when something like this happens and then you try to cover it up, it makes it look like America doesn't stand for those ideals."

He called it a "failure of leadership" if officers didn't know about the killings until later or if they knew sooner and tried to cover it up.

The targets of the investigations are about a dozen enlisted Marines, according to Hackett, the Marine reservist and Iraqi war veteran who represents Kimber. Hackett, who last year narrowly lost a special election for a U.S. House seat in Ohio, said the highest ranking among those under investigation is a staff sergeant who led a four-vehicle convoy that was hit by a blast from a roadside bomb.

Kimber, who was nominated for a Bronze Star for valor in Haditha, was relieved of command last month not because of Haditha but because his subordinates in the battalion's Lima Company used profanity, removed sunglasses and criticized the performance of Iraqi security services during an interview with Britain's Sky News TV, according to Hackett.

"My purpose is to separate his name from the alleged war crimes that took place," Hackett told The Associated Press by telephone. "He's not under investigation for anything related to what has played out in the press."

The Pentagon has named two others who were relieved of command: Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, and Capt. Lucas McConnell, who commanded Kilo Company, the company implicated in the killings. Hackett does not represent either man but said neither was present for the shootings and he believes neither man is a target of the investigations.

Like all Marines, Chessani and McConnell were taught that commanders accept responsibility for the failure of their subordinates, said Hackett, who served with a Marine Civil Affairs unit in Iraq.

"That's different than being criminally negligible or criminally responsible for the criminal actions of your subordinates," he said.

McConnell refused to speak with an AP reporter who visited his home near Camp Pendleton on Monday night. Attempts to reach Chessani have been unsuccessful.

In his first statement on the case, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday expressed remorse over the deaths of about two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians whom the Marines are suspected of killing.

"We emphasize that our forces, that multinational forces will respect human rights, the rights of the Iraqi citizen," al-Maliki said through an interpreter in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. "It is not justifiable that a family is killed because someone is fighting terrorists, we have to be more specific and more careful."

Associated Press writers Seth Hettena in San Diego and Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

The Truth About Haditha <br />
By Michelle Malkin <br />
May 31, 2006 <br />
<br />
Democrat Rep. John &quot;Cut and Run&quot; Murtha thinks he knows the truth about Haditha -- and he has been blabbing it to every last cable show...

[thedrifter]

Inquiry Opposes Account of Iraq Raid <br />
By ERIC SCHMITT and DAVID S. CLOUD <br />
The New York Times <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON, May 30 - A military investigator uncovered evidence in <br />
February and March that...

[thedrifter]

Republican Challenger Slams Rep. Murtha Comments
May 30, 2006
by Jim Kouri, CPP

Pennsylvania 12th district Republican Congressional nominee Diana Irey,
surrounded by a dozen supportive war veterans, demanded that John
Murtha apologize for his
statement that US Marines are guilty of killing Iraqi civilians in cold
blood.

John Murtha made the comments in question during a press conference he
held last week and during his appearances on TV news shows, claiming
"Our troops overreacted
because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in
cold blood." Murtha made his remarks regarding an incident that
happened on November 19th in Haditha,
Iraq.

"Mr. Murtha, You need to make this right for our fellow Americans,"
Irey demanded. "You need to formally apologize for your reckless
statements and your rush to judgment. Such
unfounded criticism of United States Marines serves only to empower
those who promote hatred of Americans in foreign lands."

"My opponent tells the story of this incident as if he was on the
ground that fateful day. He somehow had a front row seat when all of the
rest of America awaits the results of a
monumental investigation, convicting these men without due process,"
Irey said.

Murtha alleges a coverup by the US military, but has not shown evidence
of such a coverup. While making definitive statements about what
occurred during the incident, Murtha is
insisting on a congressional investigation, while at the same time
admitting he never bothered to read the report on the incident released by
the Pentagon.

During a May 17 news conference, Rep. Murtha discussed the incident
with reporters as he continued what opponents have called "the Murtha
anti-war diatribe," that the US
should pull the troops out of Iraq.

He said a Pentagon investigation would ultimately show that the troops
in Haditha "overreacted because of the pressure on them and killed
innocent civilians in cold blood." The
Marines involved have not been tried as yet but are either in a brig at
Camp Pendleton Marine Base or resticted to the base pending legal
proceedings.

Mr. Murtha, who claims close ties to top defense officials as a retired
Marine colonel and the top-ranking Democrat, said he had not read the
Pentagon report because was basing
his information on frequent discussions with "the commanders," he said,
"people that know what they're talking about." Murtha did not disclose
the names of these commanders or
their connection to the incident and subsequent investigation.

Reporters have failed to ask Rep. Murtha why he hasn't read a report on
which he is commenting, said a Pentagon source.

Ms. Irey, of Carroll Township in Pennsylvania, accused Murtha of
denying the Marines due process and had put American troops in danger with
his remarks.

"John Murtha was a patriot," Irey, a Republican, said at the Press
Club. "…but many years have passed and I say again my opponent has lost his
way because the comments and
actions of late are not that of a patriot. Rather they serve to aid and
comfort our enemies."

"These inflammatory remarks read around the world not only put American
lives at risk," she said, "but will also be used as a recruiting tool
for terrorist organizations."

A spokeswoman for Mr. Murtha said the congressman would not comment on
Ms. Irey's remarks.

The crowd that assembled during Ms. Irey's event illustrated the
prominent role that critics of Mr. Murtha's from outside the 12th District
are likely to play in her campaign against
him.

At least three of the eight veterans standing behind Ms. Irey on the
dais during her speech at the Press Club were from Virginia and Ms. Irey
said financial support was pouring in,
not only from Murtha's district, but from around the country for her
campaign against the well-financed Murtha.

One of those veterans, Eric Cooper of Springfield, Virginia, said he
sent Ms. Irey a contribution yesterday and has been promoting her Web
site to those who are angry about Mr.
Murtha's comments on Iraq, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"There's a lot of anger out there [at Mr. Murtha] and she kind of
represents that anger for us," said Mr. Cooper, who said he served in the
Marines between 1984 and 1993. "I know
that I cannot vote for Diana Irey, but I can support her and I will."

"By coming out and calling them 'cold-blooded killers,' he's already
tainted the minds of a possible jury of those who will be hearing these
allegations," added Irey.

As of late April, Federal Election Commission records show that Ms.
Irey had raised nearly $75,600 but had less than $27,000 in cash. Mr.
Murtha, who is among the top recipients
of lobbyist contributions in Congress, had nearly $1.5 million on hand
for the race, according to the Post-Gazette.

An attractive woman, Diana Irey, elected in 1996, is the only woman
ever to be elected as a Washington County commissioner. She is now in her
tenth year of public service.

Appointed by Governor Tom Ridge, Irey served on the Port of Pittsburgh
Commission. And she is past president of the Mon Valley United Way.

Murtha's current position on the Iraq war and his biting comments have
done much to erase the memories of his ties to the Abscam corruption
investigation and the recent
allegations of his ties to his brother's consulting firm. The anti-war
left appears to overlook corruption on the part of their heroes, said
one political observer.

-30-

Semper Fidelis,
Mark

[OLE SARG]

I think murtha needs to keep his piehole closed until the investigation is done. I saw him on one of the morning shows and he made an arse out of himself. He might be a Marine hero but he ain't ****e as a politician. He needs to engage his brain housing group before he opens his two-sided mouth!!!!!!! Right now I rank him down in the cellar with ms kerry!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

[CAS3]

War has casualties. End of story. If you are a civilian harboring an insurgent...bye-bye

C'mon, are we going to prosecute the IED- using insurgents for the death of 2 CBS reporters?

[jcavala]

Semper Fi, ole Sarge, no Maggies drawers on that one. You got the Bull right between the headlights.
The first time I read Murtha’s remarks about this Iraq issue, I thought the guy was gone over the hill into senility.
This latest gas he’s expending makes me think he was a REMF instead of a bush Marine in Nam. Did he get his metals for puttin’ the office chairs in the right order ?
If he spent any time in a fire fight in or around a vil., he would know first hand that collateral damage was understood. If fire is coming out of a hut, you turned the M-79 on them in a heart beat.
Murtha should know this.

[cannoner65]

The incident at Haditha, Iraq brings memories to me. Of my 2 tour in Nam after seeing ,hearing,reading about torture to murder and not knowing exactly who the enemy is. Brought out of me an anger, frustation, an rage that stayed with me 35yrs. During that time my mind conjured up awfull thoughts of what I could have done with just a little provocation. I think an just cry. If a fair investigation is done I think they will find that a cross fire was set up. And probably some of the marines were on their 2nd an 3rd tours an that their nerves are wore out. I can't see marines doing this unless there is a trigger it. Lets wait till the facts are in my friends.

Sam Rutledge

[fontman]

From what I've heard from folks who were in during same timeframe, he was awarded the Bronze Star w/o Combat V.

;)

[cannoner65]

Hey Fontman,
I don't copy or understand about threads or chain of command. I just commented on the story on the news it let out some old memories I had to let it out an what better place than this 10-4.
Semfer Fi,

Sam

[OLE SARG]

Sam,
I agree with your post. Let's wait until the investigation is completed and then you can pass some judgement of some kind. Big mouth murtha already has them convicted and ready to lynch.

SEMPER FI,

[rb1651]

Mr. Murtha was a Marine at one time, but he obviously no longer believes in our motto, Semper Fidelis. I for one will remain a Marine for the rest of my life, and support our guys and gals, not try to put a knife in their backs like this a**hole is doing.

[Dave Coup]

Please! Let's wait until all the facts are in. If atrocities were committed then the perpetrators need to be punished, but let's not try them in the media.

Like the 1st Sgt said in his article the politicians are running with this because of thier hatred of President Bush.

[Airwingonewire]

Apparently the phrase...Once a Marine, always a Marine doesn't apply to this fellow, neither does due process of law...Shame on anyone in his position for makeing statements like this, that could likely damage any impression the general public might have toward these young men..Guilty or not we don't have all the facts yet....They deserve their day in court

Again Shame on you sir...You were never a marine at heart...

Semper Fi

[jennifer]

My shop and I were talking about this today and one of the LCpl's said that they're over there so much that they just snap. Apprantley for those Marines it was their 3rd deploymeny. Just imagine being out there 3x and seeing all they see and you can't really trust anyone out there. I mean there are Iraqi soldiers that are being trained by Marines and then that same Iraqi soldier goes and kills the Marines. There are kids and women with weapons. My Gy said that she knows those Marines' SNCO's. I could say more but that would just be wrong. If it's not in the paper then I guess it wasn't meant to be known. But all I'm saying is when is this fricking wore gonna end???!!! I mean look at our Marines and see what they're doing. They're snapping and may not even care anymore.

[jennifer]

:devious:
My shop and I were talking about this today and one of the LCpl's said that they're over there so much that they just snap. Apparentley for those Marines it was their 3rd deployment. Just imagine being out there 3x and seeing all they see and you can't really trust anyone out there. I mean there are Iraqi soldiers that are being trained by Marines and then that same Iraqi soldier goes and kills the Marines. There are kids and women with weapons. My Gy said that she knows those Marines' SNCO's. I could say more but that would just be wrong. If it's not in the paper then I guess it wasn't meant to be known. But all I'm saying is when is this fricking WAR gonna end???!!! I mean look at our Marines and see what they're doing. They're snapping and may not even care anymore.

[kilo0311]

:flag: I was a member of Kil0 3/1 in Nam. Extended combat and having buddies fall does some weird things to the mind, no excuses but I can see how this could happen. Hope they (Marines) make out OK. Semper Fi!

[powermig]

I am posting on another thread, but does anyone know how to contact:

Capt. James Kimber
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani
Capt. Lucas McConnellWe need to help them. However, let's not push it. From what I can tell, they do not want to be found.


Apparently, AP San Diego-based reporter Seth Hettana tried to obtain an interview with them. Unfortunately, good-buddy Seth is being sued for alleged wrongdoing about his reporting tactics! :devious:

See: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20041228-2238-seals-staff.html (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20041228-2238-seals-staff.html)

Doc Hidalgo
www.pendleton8.com (http://www.pendleton8.com)

[Dave Coup]

Dear Powermig
I just looked at your profile--20 yrs and still E1?
Someone might respond to your questions re those Marines when your
profiile looks like you might be a Marine instead of suspiciously like a reporter looking to do a story.

Dave Coup

[cannoner65]

The reporters today don't report the truth, they take a out of content quote, an twist it the way they want. Either to express their view or just to a buck. Myself I hardly watch the news an never read a paper.
I don't give a rats what the left wing thinks today what was right is wrong an what was wrong is right as the bible says. GOD HELP US
Sam

[powermig]

Dave, get a life. I am new to this blog and have been treated well until you showed up.

Cannoner65, no kidding...the media is very twisted.

We have been very supportive of the Pendleton 8 by participating in Rallies on their behalf at Camp Pendleton. Virtually no media coverage and when they show up, they are waiting for us to make a mistake or say something wrong. Very screwed up.

Doc

[Dave Coup]

I didn't actually intend to be offensive but as I said your profile doesn't ring true and Im always suspicious of the media. If I'm wrong to think that way--Oh well TS