Decision coming June 16, next big day in Haditha case

That could be part of it, brit. There slso seemed to have been a strong reaction pretty early on from the Marine leadership. This incident was revealed about the time COIN was being pushed as the way forward in Iraq (I think). Here's how WaPo describes Lt. Gen. Chiarelli's reaction to the incident. In Haditha Killings, Details Came Slowly

.........."That same month, a top military official arrived in Iraq who would play a key role in the case: Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the new No. 2 military officer in the country. He is an unusual general in today's Army, with none of the "good old boy" persona seen in many other top commanders. He had praised an article by a British officer that was sharply critical of U.S. officers in Iraq for using tactics that alienated the population. He wanted U.S. forces to operate differently than they had been doing.

Not long after Chiarelli arrived in Baghdad, an Iraqi journalism student gave an Iraqi human rights group a video he had taken in Haditha the day after the incident. It showed the scene at the local morgue and the damage in the houses where the killings took place. The video reached Time magazine, whose reporters began questioning U.S. military officials. Pool, the Marine captain, sent the reporters a dismissive e-mail saying that they were falling for al-Qaeda propaganda, the magazine said recently. "I cannot believe you're buying any of this," he wrote. Pool declined last week to comment on any aspect of the Haditha incident.

But Army Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a more senior spokesman in Baghdad, notified Chiarelli of the questions. The general's response to his public affairs office was short: Just brief the Time magazine reporter on the military investigation into the incident that Chiarelli assumed had been conducted.

The surprising word came back: There had been no investigation.

Chiarelli told subordinates in early February he was amazed by that response, according to an Army officer in Iraq. He directed that an inquiry commence as soon as possible. He wanted to know what had happened in Haditha, and also why no investigation had begun."............

I think there were many factors why this thing took off, and not just because of the number of deaths.

I think there were many factors why this thing took off, and not just because of the number of deaths.

Exactly so Girlene. The transition from the stick to the carrot had to have been completely disjointed. Where one outfit was employing the stick, another was giving out the carrot. And as the carrot became more prevalent, incidents involving the stick were easier to scrutinize.

IMO, Haditha would never have been investigated or scrutinized if the prevailing methodology was all stick.

Makes sense to me. Carrots/sticks. Haditha was not at the point of carrots from all the reporting coming out of that area at the time. How many Marines were killed in August, 2005 before Kilo company came in? I don’t think the investigative report on the 20 something deaths within two days in that month was ever released (primarily from Lima company out of Ohio).

It was not a friendly area at the time.

I understand the Major Donahue (the one who has been so badly and unduly trashed around here) is planning on a trip to Leavenworth to see Sgt Evan Vela and Sgt Larry Hutchins very soon after his wife heals from her surgery.

At his own expense as well.

I wonder who else that has been trashing this patriot will go to such lengths?

Excellent question. The unwarranted attacks on Major Donohue make my blood boil.

On the other hand, the very idea that a retired major could exert “command influence” over an active lieutenant general shows the trashers don’t know what they’re talking about. Neither did they have any understanding of the kind of man that Major Donohue is.

It should be a simple matter of considering the source, but I find it impossible to let these kinds of attacks go unchallenged. Especially since I know very well the good that Major Donohue has done and continues to do.

Doesn’t it make one wonder why the attacks? Maybe, just maybe, it is a matter of pure ego. Major Donahue does his great work behind the scenes. He is no chest thumper but I can’t say the same for those who have incessently attacked him...and all without proving one allegation?

Now that Larry Hutchins is “out of California”, I wonder who and how many will leave CA and actually go see him.

I know one that will...a retired Marine Major who could care less about getting any “credit”. And at his own cost to boot.

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