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Marine general: Special Forces unit should have stayed in Afghanistan after shooting
AP via the North County Times ^ | November 29, 2007 | LOLITA C. BALDOR

Posted on 11/30/2007 8:15:25 PM PST by RedRover

WASHINGTON -- A Marine company involved in the shooting of civilians in Afghanistan last March responded appropriately to an ambush against them, and should not have been pulled out of the country, the commander of Marine Corps special forces said Thursday.

Marine Maj. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, head of Marine Corps Special Operations Command, also told reporters that a legal tribunal investigating the incident has been postponed until mid-January at the request of one of the officers involved.

"Obviously it was not my decision to bring the company out of theater," Hejlik said. "It was the theater commander's decision. I will never second guess the commander on the ground. I will say, I did not agree with it. To this day, I do not agree with it."

Eight members of the Marine Corps company involved in the March 4 shooting -- which left as many as 19 civilians dead and 50 injured -- were ordered back to Camp Lejune after the incident, and the rest of the company was told to leave Afghanistan and return to ships in the Persian Gulf.

Hejlik, however, stopped short of clearing the Marines of any blame in the incident, saying he could not speak to what may have happened after the initial ambush, when the unit was returning to their base.

A preliminary military investigation found that the Marines used excessive force and referred it for possible criminal inquiry. And Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission said in a report that the troops fired indiscriminately at pedestrians and people in cars, buses and taxis in six different locations along a 10-mile stretch of road in Nangahar province after an explosives-rigged minivan crashed into their convoy.

In other comments, Hejlik said the creation of the new Marine Special Operations Command is moving along well. So far, he said, there are about 1,700 Marines in the special forces command, and he will reach the goal of 2,600 by late 2008.

The Marines formally entered the world of military special operations in February 2006, under the direction of then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Hejlik said he expects the units to continue to work in Afghanistan, and also to concentrate their efforts in the Pentagon's new Africa Command that is being set up now. A key priority, he said, is to work with military from other nations, providing training and additional expertise.

Rumsfeld added Marines to the Pentagon's Special Operations Command because he said the military needed to continue to adapt to the tactics of terror networks such as al-Qaida, who use unconventional warfare to counter American firepower.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; army; commander; dennisjhejlik; genkearney; hejlik; kearney; majgenhejlik; majgenkearney; marines; marsoc; oef; specialops
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To: billmor

Marines & Navy have the C.A.R. ( Combat Action Ribbon )


41 posted on 12/01/2007 9:17:24 AM PST by stylin19a
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To: Just A Nobody; jazusamo

They are too gorgeous to keep all to myself, don’t ya know ; )
jaz, love the drill team video!


42 posted on 12/01/2007 9:26:54 AM PST by freema
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To: Lancey Howard; RedRover; Dick Vomer; stylin19a

Hate to throw a wet towel on y’all, but I believe this is the incident where the Marine unit returned to Jalalabad thru what they described as a 7 mile long ambush...along the biggest road in Afghanistan, immediately next to a large FOB with helicopter gunships waiting.

Didn’t happen. An ambush 7 miles long?

I’ve been on that road. The bad guys in the area don’t have the resources to put together an ambush like that.

Sorry, but these guys panicked and shot the place up without any justification by the ROE. They deserve punishment.

I would also note the local Army CC has a reputation for outstanding integrity. I’ve worked briefly with him, and talked to a number of his soldiers - they admire him to an extent I haven’t seen elsewhere in 24 years in the military.

There is no way investigating this incident was going to help his career, unless he swept it under the carpet. He wouldn’t do so. He made General based on an outstanding record, NOT being a suck up.


43 posted on 12/01/2007 9:45:51 AM PST by Mr Rogers (Mitt is the Kama Sutra of Republican politics. Huckabee is Sandra Day O'Connor.)
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To: billmor; Lancey Howard
The Army Major Gen wears the C.I.B., Combat Infantryman’s Badge...The Marines don’t have that , yet it is one of the most honored badges amomg Army personnel..Maybe time Congress recognized the high honor it conveys and allow the Marines to design and have their own C.I.B. ...

Every Marine would get one; maybe you missed this up-thread:

All of the Marines I served alongside in the Navy were infantry trained first, any specialization they did was in addition to those basics. You'd be hard-pressed to take a Snipe out of the Engineering Gang and throw him into a Deck or Gun Division and get him competent in a fire-fight situation. Marines do. They have to.

44 posted on 12/01/2007 9:58:27 AM PST by brityank (The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional !!)
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To: bigheadfred; RedRover
Remember when your soda came in glass bottles? How cool would it be to return to those days, but use glass imported from the middle east, and we wouldn’t have to worry about all those yammering rag-heads. I guess I’m just a simple fool, cause a few (hundred thousand) dead ragheads (by any method) doesn’t stir the calm of my pond.

Could save electricity too -- glow-in-the-dark bottles!

I'll drink to that.       ;^)

45 posted on 12/01/2007 10:02:38 AM PST by brityank (The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional !!)
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To: Mr Rogers

If he’s not a suck-up, care to explain Kearney’s actions in the Green Beret case?

As far as your observations go, I have no respect for anyone who says servicemen are guilty based on his recollections of Associated Press accounts.

You didn’t throw a wet towel. Just irresponsible hot air.


46 posted on 12/01/2007 10:23:51 AM PST by RedRover (DefendOurMarines.com)
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To: RedRover

The local Army CC I’m talking about isn’t Kearney...Col Nicholson was the local Army CC, and he’s been promoted to BG.

Nor are my comments based on AP accounts - I was at Jalalabad when this happened. I’ve talked with people who were part of the original investigation, and I’ve been on the road in question.

Not hot air.


47 posted on 12/01/2007 10:41:03 AM PST by Mr Rogers (Mitt is the Kama Sutra of Republican politics. Huckabee is Sandra Day O'Connor.)
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To: Mr Rogers

I would also point out Col Nicholson took a fair bit of heat for apologizing for this incident...but it was the right thing to do, both as SOP & as a specific action in this instance.


48 posted on 12/01/2007 10:43:09 AM PST by Mr Rogers (Mitt is the Kama Sutra of Republican politics. Huckabee is Sandra Day O'Connor.)
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To: 2banana
I guess I have to put my 2 cents in at this point. My son started out in 3/6 moved to Recon, then to Force and is now an Operator in Marsoc. He’s attended and been through everything every and more than other SpecOps person has been through.
Marsoc was created and is funded to put the Marines into the SoCom community.
49 posted on 12/01/2007 10:56:12 AM PST by Recon Dad (Marine Spec Ops Dad)
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To: smoketree
Force Recon was disbanded on both the East and West Coast and most of the operators were moved into Marsoc, the rest back to Recon.
50 posted on 12/01/2007 10:58:31 AM PST by Recon Dad (Marine Spec Ops Dad)
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To: Mr Rogers

Gen Kearney is the commander who ordered MARSOC out of the theater. That’s who we’re talking about.

Your other comments remind me of Haditha. When news of the incident first broke, there were plenty of people in the military who said the Marines were guilty of murder.

On what basis? They had talked to people who talked to people who talked to people....Yeah, they deserved to hang. Everyone said so. And some of the loudest accusers had been in Haditha—though it turned out they didn’t actually see what happened.

But when it came to proving it, the evidence just wasn’t there.

Prejudging the MARSOC case, as you are, is absolutely hot air. NCIS agents (if that’s what you mean by “investigators”) are not trustworthy sources. And asserting that you have special knowledge just because you were on the same road is pretty funny.

If this goes to trial, we’ll see the actual evidence, if any exists. In the meantime, most people here believe our servicemen deserve the benefit of the doubt.


51 posted on 12/01/2007 11:03:05 AM PST by RedRover (DefendOurMarines.com)
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To: Lancey Howard
but there are no Marines who have that kind of designation. There are only Marines who have trained for those kinds of missions.

You need to update your information in light of what Marsoc is doing. Marsoc operators are being trained to the same standards as SEALS and SF.

My son was started out in 3/6 moved to Recon then to Force Recon and is now part of Marsoc (Marine Special Ops Command).

52 posted on 12/01/2007 11:05:03 AM PST by Recon Dad (Marine Spec Ops Dad)
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To: stylin19a; billmor; usmcobra
The Combat Action Ribbon is fairly high up in the order of precedence when worn. There is no medal, just a ribbon.


53 posted on 12/01/2007 11:09:43 AM PST by USMCPOP (Father of LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
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To: PeteB570

My Delta operator friends will be hurt you left them out.


54 posted on 12/01/2007 11:11:53 AM PST by mad_as_he$$ (Illegal Immigration, a Clear and Present Danger.)
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To: RedRover

One fact you are ignoring - they claim to have been in an ambush 7 miles long. That claim is fantastic to anyone who knows the area. There is also physical evidence. There is simply no rational explanation for what they did that day.

As for Haditha, I always thought and still believe there was no basis for charges. My every instinct says to assume the soldiers/Marines/airmen acted properly. This is the one case where I cannot figure out an innocent explanation.


55 posted on 12/01/2007 11:19:55 AM PST by Mr Rogers (Mitt is the Kama Sutra of Republican politics. Huckabee is Sandra Day O'Connor.)
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To: Mr Rogers; RedRover
Was it the right thing for Col. Nicholson to apologize for an event that wasn't fully investigated yet? See link here Conway Condemns Afghanistan Apology

"....On May 9, Col. John Nicholson, commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan said he had conveyed "apologies" to the Afghan victims' families, giving them about $2,000 each in payments for their loss.

"I stand before you today deeply ashamed and terribly sorry that Americans have killed and wounded innocent Afghan people," Nicholson told the Afghans in a statement. "This was a terrible, terrible mistake. ... We humbly and respectfully ask your forgiveness."

...."Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway told reporters May 17 the recent statement made by a top Army commander in Afghanistan that the civilian deaths were a "stain on our honor" and a "terrible, terrible mistake" wasn't appropriate and did not factor in the presumption of innocence every service member enjoys."....
56 posted on 12/01/2007 11:22:10 AM PST by Girlene
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To: mad_as_he$$

Sssssshhhhhhhuuussssss

They don’t exist.


57 posted on 12/01/2007 11:29:13 AM PST by PeteB570 (Guns, what real men want for Christmas)
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To: PeteB570
lol...”We do not acknowledge they exist.”
58 posted on 12/01/2007 11:31:15 AM PST by mad_as_he$$ (Illegal Immigration, a Clear and Present Danger.)
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To: freema

That’s a keeper!


59 posted on 12/01/2007 11:31:38 AM PST by 4woodenboats (DefendOurMarines.com)
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To: Recon Dad

Yeah special operators were being overly taxed with the new 21st century style of fighting in Afghanistan/Iraq/Iran and they needed more qualified candidates and resources to call upon. The Marines for years have trained guys good enough to be a SEAL or a G.B. It only made sense they setup their own and train with SOCOM.


60 posted on 12/01/2007 11:40:29 AM PST by miliantnutcase
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