The truth about Haditha May 31, 2006 by Michelle Malkin Democrat Rep. John "Cut and Run" Murtha thinks he knows the truth about Haditha -- and he has been blabbing it to every last cable show host that will host him. The loose-lipped former Marine has accused troops of wantonly killing some two dozen civilians, including children, "in cold blood" in the terrorist stronghold in Iraq last November. There are two ongoing military investigations into the incident itself and the actions of higher-ups in the Haditha aftermath. Let me repeat that: The investigations are ongoing. Not complete. Official reports aren't expected for several weeks. I do not know the truth about Haditha. Neither do Murtha and the media outlets calling the alleged massacre a massacre before all the facts are in. It would be helpful if they could handle these grave charges without serving as al Jazeera satellite offices. GOP Sen. John Warner, who like Murtha also served in the Marines, struck the right tone over the weekend -- refusing, unlike Murtha, to render a verdict against the Marines before trial and avoiding Bush Derangement Syndrome, but also taking the allegations very seriously. I do know this. Children are dead. Other children have been orphaned. There are pictures of bullet holes and bloodied homes. There are evolving stories about what happened last Nov. 19 and serious allegations of a possible cover-up. I also know this: Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, the Marine who was killed by a roadside IED (improvised explosive device) that day, followed a proud family tradition of military service. He had received a commendation for bravery on his first tour of duty in Iraq in 2004. One of his fellow Marines said Terrazas's body was split in two by the bomb explosion that rocked his Hummer while on patrol that morning. And there's this: Haditha is crawling with terrorists. The Associated Press points out that "in just three days last August, six Marine snipers were killed in Haditha and 14 Marines died in nearby Parwana in the deadliest roadside bombing of the war." Most-wanted al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is reported to have lived in Haditha. The Washington Post quoted a military lawyer noting that Nov. 19 was the Marine 3rd Battalion's "hottest day" in Iraq. "In addition to drone surveillance that day," the paper reported, "AV-8 Harriers were dropping bombs, helicopters were evacuating wounded, and a large firefight occurred about one-third of a mile from the site of the civilian shootings, said several people familiar with the investigation." Audio of radio traffic that day reportedly contradicts Rep. Murtha's claim that the Marines did not come under small-arms fire after the roadside explosion, according to one of the Post's military sources. We know this, too: Naval Criminal Investigative Service officials have not turned their backs. Time magazine, which initially broke the story of survivors' accounts that prompted the military probe, reports that Haditha residents -- who have yet to be visited by any of Iraq's own officials -- "were gratified by [the investigation's] thoroughness" and "were especially impressed by the NCIS investigators" conducting three separate enquiries. Finally, there is this incontrovertible fact: There are countless numbers of anti-war zealots on the American Left rooting for failure. They believe the worst about the troops. They've blindly embraced frauds who've lied about their military service and lied about wartime atrocities. They've allied themselves with socialist kooks and coddled murderous dictators. They are looking for any excuse to pull out, abandon military operations and reconstruction, and impeach the president. They insist on giving suspected foreign terrorists more benefit of the doubt than our own men and women in uniform. And that, I know, I am not willing to do. I will wait. I will pray. And I will remind you that while the murder of civilians is and remains an anomaly in American military history, it is the jihadists' way of life. http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/michellemalkin/2006/05/31/199233.html
The investigations were completed, and the results announced? Please educate us as to where we may find the facts on record. What I am hoping for, as should all Americans, is that our Marines did not massacre innocent civilians. If they have, they should of course be punished. So tell us, Achilles, is it your hope that Marines did indeed commit these murders?
Citing Michelle Malkin , oh man... Malkin: Worst Person MORE THUGGERY IN SANTA CRUZ "Way to go Michelle! She knows that promoting the numbers even if they were available (how many people would have known about them?) would cause the problems they did for the students."
Probe finds Haditha killings unprovoked http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060531...ChX6GMA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl As to your flimsy ad hominem - your naivety is shining through. And I imagine to a great many other issues. I suggest you reconsider your approach.
(So Marines need "core values" training to know not to murder civilillians???) Haditha Response: U.S. Troops to Receive 'Core Values' Training All 130,000 Soldiers in Iraq to Get a Reminder on Legal, Moral, Ethical Standards May 31, 2006 â - Members of the U.S. military in Iraq will receive core values training beginning Thursday, as a result of the incident in Haditha in which American troops allegedly murdered 24 Iraqi civilians. The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, will announce the new directive Thursday, assigning the training to all 130,000 U.S. troops over the next 30 days. All service members will view a slide presentation with vignettes that highlight the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards on the battlefield. The directive emphasizes professional military values, the importance of disciplined professional conduct in combat and an explanation of what to expect of Iraqi culture. Soldiers will also be reminded of the outcome if they act contrary to professional military values. The directive comes on the heels of the first comments from President Bush regarding the November 2005 incident in which Marines are accused of raiding a home in the Iraqi town of Haditha. "I am troubled by the initial news stories," Bush said. "I am mindful that there is a thorough investigation going on. If, in fact, the laws were broken, there will be punishment." Officials familiar with the investigation say Sgt. Frank Wuterich was the top-ranked Marine who entered the houses where the civilians were killed, and is a focus of the investigation. In an interview with "Good Morning America," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said there are now two investigations into the killings. "One is to find out what happened. The other is to find out why did it take us so long to find out what happened?" said Gen. Peter Pace. "Something broke down here in the sense that no investigation was conducted immediately," said Gen. Jack Keane. "Therefore, people most likely in the chain of command who had knowledge and should have taken action appropriately did no, and they will be under investigation for the failure to do that." http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/print?id=2025692
From the link you posted: "There are two ongoing military investigations." Hello, Achilles? Anybody home? I ask you if the investigations have been completed, and you post a link that shows they have not. Then you follow with a flimsy ad hominem. I suggest you reconsider your approach, i.e. wait until the investigations are over. If the Marines are found guilty, then you can celebrate.