Posted on 08/31/2007 7:39:19 PM PDT by camerakid400
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Flying over Haditha, Iraq, on November 19, 2005, a small, unmanned spy plane called "Scan Eagle" recorded scenes of heavy fighting -- bombings and strafings from the air, and ground work by U.S. Marines seeking insurgents who earlier in the day had set off a roadside bomb that killed one of their members.
Lawyers for Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will introduce video of Haditha taken by a drone as evidence.
The Scan Eagle arrived about 30 minutes after the initial bomb attack on the Marines and does not show the the civilians being killed. It does show a house from which the military suspected insurgents triggered the bomb -- and the wrecked vehicle it left 1,000 yards (about 900 meters) away.
The video appears to show that, throughout that day, Marines engaged in fierce firefights and called in air strikes to level buildings -- often with no definitive idea of who was inside.
That could buttress defense arguments that Marines clearing buildings on the ground with guns and grenades were just following rules of engagement.
"The defense can say, 'Hey, look, you had to do this later in the day, what's the difference between what happened later in the day and what our guys did earlier in the day?' " asked retired Marine Lt. Col. Gary Solis, a former prosecutor and military judge who teaches law at Georgetown University and West Point.
Solis, who analyzed the video for CNN, said the intense fighting and necessity of making split-second decisions could play out in favor of defendants in the case.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
... has anyone that we know was involved ( like maybe was being shot at by the guys in the car ) said they were being shot at by the guys in the car ?
Get serious ...
Do you think that Wuterich just might have said “ We killed them because they were running away from what we suspected might have been a car bomb ... and by the way, our suspicions were aroused by them SHOOTING AT US ?
Hey FRiend, I’m not doing your research for you. You made a smart ass remark to a FReeper and I supplied a link. That piece was written by Nat Helms and he’s informed about this incident.
“Hey FRiend, I’m not doing your research for you. You made a smart ass remark to a FReeper and I supplied a link.”
You going to attack me or use logic and deal with the subject ?
Can’t do the research?
On a side note, I’ve been searching Googleearth for the area - anyone find the coordinates for this yet ?
Typical blue-state attitude; wants everything handed to him on a silver platter, and never learned to read between the biased lines of the media.
No, he isn't.
Murtha is way beyond thinking he is a regular joe citizen accountable for his actions, he thinks he is above the legal ramifications of his fat stupid mouth calling our brave solders "cold blooded murderers".
I certainly hope I am as wrong as can be and they bankrupt him for his slander
There’s a troll on this thread. Let’s please stop feeding him and hope he just goes away.
We use logic to determine the facts not to support the media hype on this story.
That is what The Free Republic is best for isn’t it?
Cutting through the media hype and bias?
Washington Post article by Josh White dated 6 January 2007.
The WaPo claims to have the 14,000 page NCIS report
Navy Corpsman Brian D Whitt. “He could see bullet impacts near his feet and noticed men with rifles disappearing atop a house to the north. Some of the fire appeared to be coming from behind the white taxi.” For me- testimony as good as Mendoza and DelaCruz.
God Bless Our Haditha Marines
Darryl Sharratt
There is probably much more they’ll try to feed us in the days to come.
If Murtha was anything but a traitorous Democrap, he would already be history.
That reminds me... When did treason become patriotism?
Just posted over at Newsbusters...
CNN Perpetuates the Myths of Haditha
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/robin-boyd/2007/09/01/cnn-perpetuates-myths-haditha
Please visit the article or it gets relegated to sidebar status. We’ve got to keep the heat on the media!
Fat a## Murtha like all stinkin libs have them guilty right out of the box. Can’t fight a war when you have bleeeding heart libs up your a## every step of the way. Ever hear of fighting an easy gentler war with love and compassion?
“Navy Corpsman Brian D Whitt. “He could see bullet impacts near his feet and noticed men with rifles disappearing atop a house to the north. Some of the fire appeared to be coming from behind the white taxi.” For me- testimony as good as Mendoza and DelaCruz.’
OK - leaving aside the use of the term “rifles” rather then “weapons” - just why do you suppose Wuterich dosen’t bother to mention either this incoming fire from the taxi or the weapons that they were using ?
Just why do you think that Wuterich is hiding that information ?
The lawyer on the tape goes to great pains to point out that people running away in the area of a bombing get shot - unnecessary if there was testimony from Wuterich and others that they were shooting or carrying weapons.
For instance How did the Washington Post obtain the WHOLE NCIS report prior to any Court Martial so they could study it and publish carefully chosen excerpts from it?
“That is what The Free Republic is best for isn’t it?
Cutting through the media hype and bias?”
I believe it’s a fact that Wuterich has never said the occupants of the taxi were firing on anyone. I don’t believe anyone else with first hand knowledge has said that the occupants of the taxi were firing at anyone.
I submit then we should dismiss that possible sceanario as simply “hype and bias” .
“For instance How did the Washington Post obtain the WHOLE NCIS report prior to any Court Martial so they could study it and publish carefully chosen excerpts from it?”
Don’t know, but are you saying that the judges in this matter are are using the Washington Post rather then the report itself to make their decisions ?
Seems to be a perfect time to re-run that interview then. Timing is everything....
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