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Congratulations, Sergeant Dela Cruz
Defend Our Marines ^ | April 20, 2007 | David Allender

Posted on 04/20/2007 6:31:13 PM PDT by RedRover

On Tuesday, the Marine Corps announced that all charges had been dropped against Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz. He had been charged with murder for the incident in Haditha, Iraq, on November 19, 2005.

And that was the only part of the story the media got right.

There were reports of a plea deal, that this was terrible for the defense. Lawyers said prosecutors must have had the sergeant over a barrel. He’s saving his own skin! He’s a traitor!

And no one had the facts.

There was no deal, no pretrial arrangement of any kind for testimony, sources close to Sergeant Dela Cruz’s defense told me.

Lieutenant General James Mattis ordered Sergeant Dela Cruz to cooperate and testify eleven days before the charges against Sergeant Dela Cruz were dropped.

General Mattis had come to the conclusion that, on balance, the charges against Sgt. Dela Cruz should not go forward. Still, Sergeant Dela Cruz was a witness and (like Corporals Mendoza, Salinas, and others) he will be required to testify truthfully. It would be incredible if he wasn’t.

Many have said that Sergeant Dela Cruz’s testimony regarding Sergeant Frank Wuterich firing on suspects at the taxi will convict Wuterich. More nonsense.

Here’s what some people have a hard time grasping.

Sergeant Dela Cruz only knows what he saw. He doesn’t know what Sergeant Wuterich saw.

Dela Cruz doesn’t know how the situation looked through Wuterich’s eyes when he came to a split-second decision to fire at the five Iraqis beside a white taxi.

And Dela Cruz, who likes and respects Wuterich, is not going to second-guess the way his fellow Marine saw things.

November 19, 2005 was Wuterich’s first day in combat. Dela Cruz was in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 4th Marines. His second tour was with the 1/4 in hellholes like Najaf. His third tour (with the 1st Marines) brought Dela Cruz to Haditha that morning.

The two may have seen the situation completely differently, tell different stories about the event, and both be telling the truth as they saw it when one man saw a reason to act.

Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz is an honorable Marine. When the full story of Haditha is known he will be recognized as a heroic Marine. His coolness in taking prisoners that day is just one instance, among many, that belies the media's tale of Marines on a rampage.

The sergeant will testify to the truth as he saw it. So will the accused. If the cases go to courts-martial, a jury will weigh the evidence and reach a verdict.

I believe that all the accused will be exonerated, if they all get the defense they deserve.

In the meantime, here’s advice for anyone following this case. Be glad that justice prevailed for Sergeant Dela Cruz, and believe very little of what you read about the Haditha Marines. From the beginning, the media got it wrong and it's not getting it right yet.


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: defendourmarines; haditha; iraq; wot
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Thank you, Sergeant Dela Cruz, for your service to our country.

To read more about this Marine, see this Marine Corps News article of September 2, 2004: 11th MEU combat in Najaf: A fireteam's tale

Sergeant (then Corporal) Sanick Dela Cruz (Lucian Read, Vanity Fair)

1 posted on 04/20/2007 6:31:13 PM PDT by RedRover
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To: 4woodenboats; aculeus; American Cabalist; AmericanYankee; AndrewWalden; Antoninus; AliVeritas; ...

2 posted on 04/20/2007 6:34:35 PM PDT by RedRover (Defend Our Marines)
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To: RedRover
no deal, no pretrial arrangement of any kind for testimony

Excellent news!

3 posted on 04/20/2007 6:36:35 PM PDT by dynachrome ("Where am I? Where am I going? Why am I in a handbasket?")
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To: RedRover

GOOD NEWS INDEED!!!!


4 posted on 04/20/2007 6:39:42 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
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To: dynachrome

And why couldn’t the media just say it?


5 posted on 04/20/2007 6:40:11 PM PDT by RedRover (Defend Our Marines)
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To: RedRover

Thia is great news. Thanks for posting this, Red.


6 posted on 04/20/2007 6:43:36 PM PDT by jazusamo (http://warchronicle.com/TheyAreNotKillers/DefendOurMarines.htm)
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To: RedRover

Excellent news.


7 posted on 04/20/2007 6:44:48 PM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: All; RedRover
If you would like to help with the civilian lawyer’s legal fees for the
Haditha Marines you can do so by going to these sites.

Defend Our Marines

Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt

SSgt. Frank Wuterich

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani

Marine Defense Fund


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

8 posted on 04/20/2007 6:44:54 PM PDT by jazusamo (http://warchronicle.com/TheyAreNotKillers/DefendOurMarines.htm)
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To: RedRover

Thank you for that article...I feel better about Dela Cruz...I just hope the writer is right in his prediction for the rest.


9 posted on 04/20/2007 6:48:43 PM PDT by Txsleuth
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To: Txsleuth

Amen to that, sleuth!


10 posted on 04/20/2007 6:50:02 PM PDT by RedRover (Defend Our Marines)
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To: RedRover; 1stbn27; 2111USMC; 2nd Bn, 11th Mar; 68 grunt; A.A. Cunningham; ASOC; AirForceBrat23; ...

This thread is Haditha
The other is Hamdaniya/Hamdania

This might help keep things clear.

RedRover=HADITHA (Alleged Massacre of civilians-women & children.)(Marines not confined to brig.)

RaceBannon=HAMANDIYA/HAMDANIA PENDLETON 8 (Alleged Murder of Awad, lone Iraqi in a hole with a shovel)(Marines held in CONEX boxes with no water, bathroom, etc., then shackled and held in solitary).

I feel like a ping pong ball.


11 posted on 04/20/2007 6:54:13 PM PDT by freema (Marine FRiend, 1stCuz2xRemoved, Mom, Aunt, Sister, Friend, Wife, Daughter, Niece)
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To: RedRover

“Be glad that justice prevailed for Sergeant Dela Cruz” - Here, here!

“I believe that all the accused will be exonerated, if they all get the defense they deserve.” - That is the goal.

Thanks for this excellent news, RedRover.


12 posted on 04/20/2007 6:54:42 PM PDT by Girlene
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To: RedRover

Wow, this is good news! Your post explains the situation more succinctly than anything I’ve seen thus far.


13 posted on 04/20/2007 6:54:43 PM PDT by smoothsailing ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction"--President Ronald Reagan)
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To: freema
I feel like a ping pong ball.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

:-)

14 posted on 04/20/2007 6:58:02 PM PDT by smoothsailing ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction"--President Ronald Reagan)
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To: smoothsailing

Gotta tell you, that looks like the calm version of my daughter when she, just tonight, put it all together. She has stalked out of the room, functional neurology flew out the window, and law school just parked itself in the middle of the living room. I will add, the standing joke around here is that all the boys joined the service to learn how to fight her...and win. Ellie Mae with brains.


15 posted on 04/20/2007 7:04:10 PM PDT by freema (Marine FRiend, 1stCuz2xRemoved, Mom, Aunt, Sister, Friend, Wife, Daughter, Niece)
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To: RedRover

One by one. When this is all over, someone is going to need to investigate why our military is being prosecuted for doing their jobs.


16 posted on 04/20/2007 7:04:49 PM PDT by McGavin999 ("Hard is not Hopeless" General Petraeus)
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To: RedRover

I got word that Delacruz and the Lt BOTH took pleas to testify to avoid tial


17 posted on 04/20/2007 7:05:14 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8...down to 3..GWB, we hardly knew ye...)
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To: smoothsailing; freema

nice paddle. Heheh.


18 posted on 04/20/2007 7:06:41 PM PDT by Marine_Uncle
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To: Girlene

“Be glad that justice prevailed for Sergeant Dela Cruz” - Here, here!

“I believe that all the accused will be exonerated, if they all get the defense they deserve.” - That is the goal.

Thanks for this excellent news, RedRover.

AND an excellent post!


19 posted on 04/20/2007 7:09:15 PM PDT by pinkpanther111 (They were doing their jobs!!! Defend our Marines)
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To: freema
Ellie Mae with brains.

LOL! Be still, my heart!

20 posted on 04/20/2007 7:12:20 PM PDT by smoothsailing ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction"--President Ronald Reagan)
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