Army clears officer in "Midtown Massacre"

Washington Times (UPI) ^ | Jan 8, 2004 | Mark Benjamin & Dan Olmstead

[OldCorps]

FORT BENNING, Ga., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The Army has exonerated a 3rd Infantry Division battalion commander of possible war crimes for his role in what soldiers from the unit are calling the "Midtown Massacre," a bloody urban battle in Baghdad last April that blurred the line between enemy combatant and prisoner of war.

[OldCorps]

Why this even meet the threshold of an investigation is the real question. A Soldier in combat has a duty to protect his own life and those around him.

Spurious investigations after the fact do nothing but destroy morale. Commanders will become timid, not wanting to be second guessed at an Art. 32 hearing, and will start vetting every decision with the JAG and thus lose the initiative.

Stop this madness with the lawyers and warfighting before every active duty soldier quits in disgust.

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[SJSAMPLE]

What?
How do you know that nothing illegal occurred UNTIL you investigate?
Investigating these situations takes the initiative away from the hounding press and brings the facts out into the open. From now on, there's no doubt that nothing illegal occurred. If there wasn't even an investigation, somebody would always be bringing up this incident.

On another note, openly calling it the "Midtown Massacre" wasn't the brightest move, either. The term "massacre" does not bring up images of battle, but more of images like Wounded Knee.

[Poohbah]

Why this even meet the threshold of an investigation is the real question. A Soldier in combat has a duty to protect his own life and those around him.

He also has a duty to obey the laws of the United States, and there was some question as to what happened.

Spurious investigations after the fact do nothing but destroy morale.

Define "spurious." There were questions raised by persons within the unit. If they aren't dealt with, then various people will get various ideas--and none of those ideas is a good one to let fester. (Either some will say, "Hey, I have a green light to be a thug," or some will say, "S**t, the CO gets the elevator, and I'm gonna get the shaft.")

Commanders will become timid, not wanting to be second guessed at an Art. 32 hearing, and will start vetting every decision with the JAG and thus lose the initiative.

If commanders actually do become that timid because someone might review their conduct, then they are completely worthless anyway.

Stop this madness with the lawyers and warfighting before every active duty soldier quits in disgust.

If they cannot be bothered to have their judgement questioned in questionable situations, then I don't WANT those soldiers on active duty.

The righteous do not fear having their actions examined.

[Poohbah]

Well put.

The only things that grow in the darkness are mushrooms.

[steplock]

This entire story is written to SMEAR American troops as much as possible. The following paragrapoh had nothing to do with the story - just helped to denegrate the perception of American troops and the United States.

"While no U.S. troops were killed in the battle, a growing toll is emerging among the soldiers from B Company who fought in that battle after returning to their Fort Benning, Ga., base -- including the killing of one soldier allegedly by four others, a rape charge against a fifth soldier, the hospitalization of a half-dozen for mental problems and the death of another in a single-car accident."

[geopyg]

"On another note, openly calling it the "Midtown Massacre" wasn't the brightest move, either."

I agree. My deepest sympathies are for the young men that have to live with their doubts that lead to suicide, or to some reduction in their "morals" that lead to murder. I am always so impressed by those soldiers who can someone distance themselves from the horror of battle, and say "its just my job".

And the term "massacre" could have been used by the soldiers as a positive term as well - as in "man - we really massacred those guys". However, either positive or negative, it doesn't seem to be a term to use for "someone just doing their job".

All of that said - thanks to the soldiers that so bravely fought in a street battle that left hundreds of enemy dead and no American deaths. (Weren't we supposed to be in a quagmire if it turned to urban street fighting?)

[verity]

The source of the story is "You Pee International". Enough said!

[TomasUSMC]

Middtown massacre is what happened in midtown manhatten on 911, let them investigate and question Osama about that first before they go hauling in our people in from of investigations and courtmarshalls.

[x1stcav]

How do we know that the troops actually invented the phrase 'Midtown Massacre'?

Could be from the fertile mind of some writer wanting to give the troops a black eye.

[SJackson]

Define "spurious." There were questions raised by persons within the unit. If they aren't dealt with, then various people will get various ideas--and none of those ideas is a good one to let fester.

If members of the unit raised questions, you're right, but that's not clear to me from the article. UPI only mentions interviewing unit members, not accusations. The press could easily have been put off by nothing more that the name "Midtown Massacre", pressuring the Army into the inquiry. If the investigation was completed last May, it's a shame they had to leave the LtCol hanging for eight months.

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

We should view this as did the Marine Sergeant Major: "It was a good battle...they wanted to die and we wanted to kill them".

Semper Fi,

[Polybius]

On another note, openly calling it the "Midtown Massacre" wasn't the brightest move, either...

Maybe not but, as the article pointed out, it was the soldiers who fought there that came up with the name right after the bartlle.

"Devil's Den", "Marianas Turkeyshoot", "Porckchop Hill", "Heartbreak Ridge".......The last thing on a fighting man's mind after a battle is whether or not the nickname they gave to their battlefield will be Politically Correct or not.

I think we can rest assured that the Pentagon is not calling it nor has called it the "Midtown Massacre".

Whatever the soldiers who fought there chose to call it right after the battle is alright by me.