A dozen Marines may face courts-martial for alleged Iraq massacre

[RamboLiberal]

http://marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1823925.php

A key member of Congress said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if a dozen Marines faced courts-martial for allegedly killing Iraqi civilians Nov. 19.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., told Marine Corps Times that the number of dead Iraqis, first reported to be 15, was actually 24. He based that number on a briefing from Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Mike Hagee on Wednesday.

Hagee visited Capitol Hill in anticipation of the release of two investigation reports, which are expected to show that among the 24 dead civilians, five of the alleged victims, all unarmed, were shot in a car with no warning, Murtha said. The killings took place in Hadithah, 125 miles northwest of Baghdad.

At least seven of the victims were women and three were children.

“If the allegations are substantiated, the Marine Corps will pursue appropriate legal and administrative actions against those responsible,” said Col. David Lapan, a spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. And the commanders who ordered the massacre will get medals n/t

[babylonsister]

2. They committed these atrocities , pictures were taken, and then they

lied about it. I hope all those involved get the max, including the officers-in-charge. :grr:

[brentspeak]

16. Um, isn't there a trial before and then a conviction

before a sentence?

[Pachamama]

18. I remember when this story first broke on the DU and the reports from Iraq

according to the Iraqis were that it had been a massacre and that a coverup was taking place. The official story from the US military and MSM was different and silence. I think that they just hoped it would be another story forgotten the next day. I knew at the time when I looked at the pictures that it just didn't feel right. And one could tell from the outrage of the Iraqi people (including Iraqi police) that this was far from okay and that they were not going to be silent.

This war was wrong. This war has gotten out of control. We sent our soldiers into a war based on lies, we sent them without the proper equipment, they are being sent back on 2nd and 3rd deployments, they are sitting targets, they are watching their fellow soldiers blown up in front of them daily with IED's, they have witnessed things no one should ever have to witness and many of them are just plain snapping. In wars throughout the ages, this kind of massacre and atrocity has happened before and it will happen again. The ugliness and truth of war is coming out and no one should be surprised.

We should never have gone into Iraq and we should get the hell out of there. Yes, these soldiers should be court-martialed and punished for these crimes. But the real perpetrators of these crimes are the Bush Administration, from Bush to Cheney to Rice to Rumsfeld to each and every one of their Generals for starting an illegal war and the crimes against humanity of the dead in Iraq.

:grr:

[EFerrari]

19. Amen, Pachamama.

:mad:

[xchrom]

3. and the officers and commanders?

[Breeze54]

4. Didn't you hear??

It's all the soldiers faults! They don't take orders!
They decide themselves and the higher ups are never to blame!
:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

Frigging jail all of them, soldiers and officers who are proven guilty!!! :grr:

"Two investigations into the incident are ongoing, according to the Pentagon —
one by Multi-National Forces Iraq, expected before the end of the week,
and a second by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, that is due in June"
http://marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1823925.php

[xchrom]

6. infuriating isn't it?

it's an illegal war -- need i say more?

[Breeze54]

12. They're investigating it.

I'll have to wait and see what, if any, officers are also indicted/charged/convicted.

BTW? It isn't a declared war. Did you actually think I didn't know that? :shrug:

[xchrom]

13. no, no -- just underscoring THESE soldiers will be

tried for their barbaric act -- in the middle of an enormous barbaric act.

[Breeze54]

14. Oh, ok.

sorry.
I'm a little 'out-of-sorts about, "ALL the soldiers are to blame", terminology being used on DU.

[rodeodance]

15. 3 of the US officers in charge are back here in the US-taken out when

this happened.

[Rex]

5. Okay it is real simple, when this shit starts happening

it is time to get the FUCK OUT! When some poor soldier is hold up in his garage with police outside, suffering from PTSD (he still thinks he is in Iraq under intense conditions), it is time to GET THE FUCK OUT! I could fill the page, but the meaning is still the same! They all serve faithfully, bring them home now.

[Rose Siding]

7. I wonder if any of those Marines had been returned to duty with PTSD

In "Mentally Unfit", Chedekel exposes a number of cases in which that happened.

http://www.courant.com/hc-mental1a.artmay14,0,5651125,print.story

[Breeze54]

17. (USA) Gangs claim their turf in Iraq (Could that be a factor?)

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-gangs01.html#

Gangs claim their turf in Iraq
BY FRANK MAIN Crime Reporter

The Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings and Vice Lords were born decades ago in Chicago's
most violent neighborhoods. Now, their gang graffiti is showing up 6,400 miles away
in one of the world's most dangerous neighborhoods -- Iraq.

Armored vehicles, concrete barricades and bathroom walls all have served as canvasses
for their spray-painted gang art. At Camp Cedar II, about 185 miles southeast of Baghdad,
a guard shack was recently defaced with "GDN" for Gangster Disciple Nation, along with
the gang's six-pointed star and the word "Chitown," a soldier who photographed it said.

The graffiti, captured on film by an Army Reservist and provided to the Chicago Sun-Times,
highlights increasing gang activity in the Army in the United States and overseas,
some experts say.

Snip-->
"I have identified 320 soldiers as gang members from April 2002 to present,"
said Scott Barfield, a Defense Department gang detective at Fort Lewis in Washington state.
"I think that's the tip of the iceberg."

Of paramount concern is whether gang-affiliated soldiers' training will make them deadly
urban warriors when they return to civilian life and if some are using their access to
military equipment to supply gangs at home, said Barfield and other experts.

'They don't try to hide it'

Jeffrey Stoleson, an Army Reserve sergeant in Iraq for almost a year,
said he has taken hundreds of photos of gang graffiti there. <--snip

More at Link...


Jeffrey Stoleson, an Army Reserve sergeant in Iraq, is seen in front
of a barricade tagged with gang graffiti in March in Iraq. Stoleson,
who has been in Iraq for almost a year, says he has taken hundreds
of photos of gang graffiti there.


The graffiti on this armored vehicle is from a Los Angeles gang.
323 is an area code in Los Angeles.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe it's gang related??
:shrug:

[krkaufman]

24. Thanks for this info

We're gonna be paying for this war for a loooong time to come.

[The Stranger]

8. Prosecute the whole chain, but nothing higher ups do justifies mass murder

Don't want to fall into that trap.

There is no excuse -- no excuse -- for a Marine of any rank to commit war crimes, massacres and mass murder.

[comradebillyboy]

9. Its good to see that

that the Marine Corps actually disapproves of its members committing war crimes. Too bad Bush Cheny and rummy don't feel the same way.

[mike_c]

23. they tried to cover it up-- they only "disapprove" when exposed....

:puke:

[groovedaddy]

10. I saw a WWII documentary on PBA some months back

part of it was about the fire bombing of Japan. The raids were lead by then Col. Curtis Lemay. He was asked about the "morality" of the firebombings, which killed far more people than the 2 atomic bombs, to which he replied: "War is immoral." 'Nuff said!

[comradebillyboy]

11. War may be immoral, but a deliberate

massacre of civilians is indicative of bad military discipline and poor leadership. Thats even worse than immoral.

[midnight]

20. Bring them home.

We have set these soldiers up to take the fall for this illigal war and all the illigal horror that goes along with it. Just charge the White House gang and get it over.

[Yossarian2]

21. Marines killed Iraqis ‘in cold blood’

http://media.putfile.com/Iraqi-Girls-Story

[gratuitous]

22. An "alleged" massacre

Yet, when our bombs are falling indiscriminately in a civilian neighborhood, every dead body that turns up is indisputedly an insurgent or a terrorist. Interesting what circumstances bring out the cautionary language of "alleged" and what circumstances bring out definite language that admits of no uncertainty.