Posted on 11/16/2004 7:01:14 AM PST by areafiftyone
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Marines rallied round a comrade under investigation for killing a wounded Iraqi during the offensive in Falluja, saying he was probably under combat stress in unpredictable, hair-trigger circumstances.
Marines interviewed on Tuesday said they didn't see the shooting as a scandal, rather the act of a comrade who faced intense pressure during the effort to quell the insurgency in the city.
"I can see why he would do it. He was probably running around being shot at for days on end in Falluja. There should be an investigation but they should look into the circumstances," said Lance Corporal Christopher Hanson.
"I would have shot the insurgent too. Two shots to the head," said Sergeant Nicholas Graham, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "You can't trust these people. He should not be investigated. He did nothing wrong."
The military command launched an investigation after video footage showed a U.S. Marine shooting a wounded and unarmed man in a mosque in the city on Saturday. The man was one of five wounded and left in the mosque after Marines fought their way through the area.
A pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it, killing 10 militants and wounding the five. Sites said the wounded had been left for others to pick up.
A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be close to death, Sites said.
He said a Marine noticed one prisoner was still breathing.
A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's fucking faking he's dead."
"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head," Sites said.
NBC said the Marine, who had reportedly been shot in the face himself the previous day, said immediately after the shooting: "Well, he's dead now."
THOROUGH PROBE PROMISED
The Marine commander in Falluja, Lieutenant General John Sattler, said his men followed the law of conflict and held themselves to a high standard of accountability.
"The facts of this case will be thoroughly pursued to make an informed decision and to protect the rights of all persons involved," he said.
Marines have repeatedly described the rebels they fought against in Falluja as ruthless fighters who didn't play by the rules. They say the investigation is politically motivated.
"It's all political. This Marine has been under attack for days. It has nothing to do with what he did," said Corporal Keith Hoy, 23.
Rights group Amnesty International said on Monday both sides in the Falluja fighting had broken the rules of war governing the protection of civilians and wounded combatants.
Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Garza, 30, favored an investigation but like other Marines said the Pentagon should weigh its decision carefully.
"He should have captured him. Maybe the insurgent had some valuable information. There may have been mitigating circumstances. Maybe his two buddies died in Falluja," he said.
Sites said: "I have witnessed the Marines behaving as a disciplined and professional force throughout this offensive. In this particular case, it certainly was a confusing situation to say the least."
The U.S. military has been embarrassed by scandals in Iraq, most prominently the Abu Ghraib affair in which at least eight U.S. soldiers have been tried or face courts-martial over the abuse of prisoners at the jail outside Baghdad.
There have also been several cases in which soldiers have been charged with wrongfully killing Iraqis during operations.
You know...every time I see one of these photos it breaks my heart. Imagine getting up in the morning to get ready and go to work never knowing that before lunchtime...you will be jumping out of a building that has just been hit by terrorists. It's mind boggling.
We are at war. This Marine did what he thought was the right thing to do. People need to look at the photos you posted again of the attack. They want to hide their heads in the sand.
Terrorists are the enemy. This Marine is our hero.
This is not social work people.
One woman said "if that was my son over there, I'd want him to do the same thing so he could come home alive". Another commented "they didn't let anyone at that Russian school surrender".
No mercy here in the south, back to you Tom
I think you're right on target here. The larger media that seems to be on a witch hunt for this Marine is the problem. I haven't seen that Sites has encouraged any of this, but he may have. I knew a couple of embedded reporters who were both former military themselves. They have a grasp of what's happening and do a good job, but I think when the copy and the photos and the video get back stateside the problem starts. If Sites sold this story as a murder, then clearly he does need a severe beating, but I just haven't seen the evidence of that. I had hoped someone would link me to something suggesting he'd done something wrong. Instead, I was called a troll.
That picture is of something totally unrelated to Iraq.
I thought the "rules of war" covered by the Geneva accords were rules agreed upon by nations who are signatory to the accords. It covers combatants who are in the armies of the signatory nations. Combatants are supposed to wear uniforms, among other things. The people the Marines are fighting in Fallujah are not "combatants" according to the Geneva convention. They are not members of a national army that has signed the accords. They are armed terrorists as far as I can tell. They have no status and therefore are not accorded the protections of the convention. Comments?
What have I said that would make you say that?
I don't really care about the Geneva Convention, but your thinking sounds right to me.
Yup. I'd let that Marine cover my back. He knows what to do.
The reporter needs to be immediately kicked out. No more press imbedding! Go Marines and take no prisoners there!
bttt
Agreed. From what I've seen this reporter as well as others have done the job they were put there to accomplish. It's a bit of a double-edged sword, in that our military benefits when embeds bring forth heroic stories yet inevitably these damaging stories will also emerge. I would submit that we either must take the good with the bad, or remove embeds from the front lines entirely (at this point I'm leaning toward the latter).
I had hoped someone would link me to something suggesting he'd done something wrong. Instead, I was called a troll.
Yes, emotions appear to be running a tad high. I haven't seen much in the way of logical discourse on these threads.
I don't care about it either but they are talking about a "war crime". Hopefully the investigation will be restricted to whether or not he breached the rules of engagement, not if this was a "war crime" because I don't think that can be argued in any case.
"I would have shot the insurgent too. Two shots to the head," said Sergeant Nicholas Graham, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "You can't trust these people. He should not be investigated. He did nothing wrong."
I agree. He should get a Congressional Medal, not face an "inquiry".
Better Alternate Headline: Embedded Reporter killed by booby-trapped insurgent playing dead.
He should stand before the microphones, wait patiently for silence, sneer the single word "nuts", and walk off.
Yes sir!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.