Haditha Officer’s Charges Dismissed

This is a good ruling.

A Marine officer on Tuesday became the seventh person cleared of charges related to the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq.

A military judge dismissed charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, who was charged with dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order for failing to report and investigate the incident.

Col. Steven Folsom found that a four-star general overseeing the case was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings

“Unlawful command influence is the mortal enemy of military justice,” said Folsom, reading aloud from previous case law, The Associated Press reported.

Chessani was the highest ranking officer involved in the Haditha incident. Twenty-four civilians were killed in what military prosecutors said was a house-to-house rampage by Marines after a roadside bomb killed their comrade, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas.

1. Excellent.  Seven of the 8 Marines have been acquitted or had their charges dropped.  The same Marines that Rep. Murtha said had “killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”  Hopefully his constituents remember this.

   Posted by Tony Turner on June 17, 2008 at 2135 hrs




2. Do you think that big fat slob, Murtha, who is now a disgraced Marine, will apologize?  I doubt it.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 18, 2008 at 0202 hrs




3. Mr. Murtha - please tell me where do these honorable men go to get their reputations back??  I won’t hold my breath waiting for Murtha to apologize.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 18, 2008 at 0933 hrs




4. I apologize, but why is this a good ruling?

   It sounds like these guys wanted revenge, and took it out on anyone they could find.  Am I missing something?

   From the Time article: “Few people will dispute the carnage that took place in the Iraqi town of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005: Women and children were killed in their homes alongside adult males by U.S. Marines.”

   Shouldn’t our armed forces be somewhat responsible for who they kill?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 18, 2008 at 0959 hrs




5. After looking at the wikipedia entry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haditha_killings

   Here are some of the people the Marines are accused of killing:

   13. Zainab Younis Salim, 5—daughter.
   14. Aisha Younis Salim, 3—daughter.
   15. A 1-year-old girl staying with the family.
   7. Abdullah Walid, 4.
   10. Muhammad Younis Salim, 8—son.

   Injured: Iman, 8, and Abdul Rahman, 5.

   5 kids under the age of 8 were killed, either by grenades or close-range fire.

   What is the argument here - that this information is false, or that the Marines shouldn’t be responsible for killing toddlers?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 18, 2008 at 1011 hrs




6. I don’t know what happened there. But I believe our government owes those that wear our uniform into battle a little more respect than what Time Magazine wrote, and what Jack Murtha spewed to further his agenda.  Our enemies have been known to strap bombs on children.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 18, 2008 at 1944 hrs




7. What is the argument here - that this information is false, or that the Marines shouldn’t be responsible for killing toddlers?

   People were certainly killed, some of them clearly innocent.  War is hell, and this one is no different.

   What the military justice system is finding is that during a brutal phase in the war, under complex, asymmetrical combat conditions, these Marines followed their training, properly assessed and recognized threats to their safety in those buildings and that vehicle, and took the necessary action.  Further, the action was reasonable, appropriate, and justified.

   Those on the outside can find it difficult to understand decisions made in the heat of battle.

   Murtha had no information on which to base his absurd charge against these men.  He should know better.

   They say there are no ex-Marines.  Well, he is one now.

   Posted by Tony Turner on June 18, 2008 at 2134 hrs




8. Our enemies have been known to strap bombs on children.

   Further, the action was reasonable, appropriate, and justified.

   So we are justified in killing their children.

   What the military justice system is finding is that during a brutal phase in the war, under complex, asymmetrical combat conditions, these Marines followed their training, properly assessed and recognized threats to their safety in those buildings and that vehicle, and took the necessary action.

   4 yr. olds are a threat to the marines safety.

   Murtha had no information on which to base his absurd charge against these men.

   5 kids under the age of 8 were killed, either by grenades or close-range fire.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 19, 2008 at 1059 hrs




9. Those on the outside can find it difficult to understand decisions made in the heat of battle.

   I am definitely on the outside, and I certainly find it difficult to understand why Americans would need to kill toddlers for revenge.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 19, 2008 at 1100 hrs




10. I am definitely on the outside, and I certainly find it difficult to understand why Americans would need to kill toddlers for revenge.

    OMG, another one.  Hey Owen, instead of the captcha on the bottom of the comment post, can we have a simple IQ test to weed out these useless and inflammatory simpletons?

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 19, 2008 at 1120 hrs