Haditha Article 32: LCpl. Stephen B. Tatum

Defend Our Marines ^ | July 12, 2007 | David Allender

[xzins]

I’m guessing division in consult with Corps/Theater.

[brityank]

On the stand, Fields testified that the rules about when Marines may open fire became less restrictive during the time of the company's seven-month stay in Haditha. Military brass told Marines in Haditha -- a hot bed of insurgency at the time, according to testimony -- that they no longer had to fire warning shots, but rather were allowed to shoot to kill in hostile situations, Fields said.

Unbelievable !! "Military brass told Marines they no longer had to fire warning shots in hostile situations"
If there was any doubt that this entire debacle is orchestrated and run by the REMFs and Political Mavens in DOD this puts that to rest.

"they did not want any inconsistencies."

This whole farce is nothing BUT inconsistancies.

[brityank]

Sorry -- I'm too slow. Digging around for confirmations 'cause my CRS is in play.       ;^)

[RedRover]

I don’t recall that Gen Huck was ever asked about this. (Of course, it may not have been reported.) I’ll dig a little.

[pinkpanther111]

LOL... I do have to fit in a day job thank you very much.

[4woodenboats]

Bookmark for letter campaign.

thanks

[4woodenboats]

Whoa! Has she forgot her previous statements that she was not able to find a tape recorder and that's why she didn't use one?

I think another NCIS recorded her saying that.

Also, I believe the official reason given for no exhumations was on religious grounds - now it comes out that the insurgents are the reason there are no exhumations?

There is potential exculpatory evidence in the ground and we're not digging it up because our enemies don't want us to?

Good grief, when it comes to show trials, the Nazis didn't hold a candle to NCIS and Marine prosecutors - WTF! WTF! WTF!

[Girlene]

If this scuttlebutt about Mendoza has any truth, it would blow his testimony out of the water. This is a huge problem for NCIS if it is proven.

And I suspect we'll be hearing from Mendoza at the Wuterich hearing as well. - Well, since he claimed that Tatum shot all the people in House #2, doesn't that let Wuterich off the hook in that house? That leaves House #1 and the white car. Of course the way Mendoza was weaving his story after receiving immunity, I guess he could always change his mind and claim it was Wuterich in House #2, not Tatum.

It will be interesting to find out if Mendoza's immunity might be a quid pro quo to prevent deportation or keeping on track with his citizenship.

[Shelayne]

Hmmm. Think maybe they put the screws to him to “refresh his memory” just a bit? Naaahhh, they wouldn’t do that, now would they? /extreme sarc.

This is such a farce; it is just hard to believe it is really happening.

I just do not understand WHY? Why they seem so bound and determined to hang these guys when the evidence doesn’t support the charges—WITHOUT INVENTING IT—just baffles me!

[Girlene]

I just do not understand WHY?

I agree, Shelayne. This has me stumped, also. Are the agents that driven to nail these guys just to get a conviction to help their own careers? Are the JAG prosecutors also that driven to use bad info.? What kind of environment exists inside NCIS to foster this attitude to win a case at any cost vs. trying to find the truth?

[RedRover]

The hearing's over...

Accused Marine: "I didn't know there was women and children in that house"

CAMP PENDLETON -- With his voice breaking as he spoke, a Marine accused of gunning down civilians in an assault on a Haditha home said Tuesday he didn't know he was shooting at women and young children.

"I didn't know there was women and children in that house until later," Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum said in a hushed courtroom. "Otherwise, I would have physically stopped everybody in that room from shooting."

Tatum, who is accused of killing six Iraqis, said testimony that he knew his targets were children was false.

His unsworn statement was made on the final day of testimony in a military hearing to determine if he should face trial for murder and other charges.

"I'm not comfortable with the fact that I might have shot a child," Tatum said. "I don't know if my rounds impacted anybody. That is a burden I will have to bear."

Tatum and two other enlisted Marines -- Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich and Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt -- face homicide charges in what has become the largest war crimes prosecution to come out of Iraq since the U.S. invaded that country in 2003.

Twenty-four Iraqis, including children under five, died in the moments after a roadside bomb shredded a Humvee in a convoy of Marines passing through a residential area not long after sunrise on Nov. 19, 2005. The accused Marines said they were the target of enemy gunfire from nearby homes right after the explosion, and they entered homes in pursuit of their attackers.

Prosecutors allege troops raided the homes and killed civilians in retaliation for the explosion, which killed a lance corporal and injured two other Marines.

[lilycicero]

That is a burden I will have to bear

To Stephen Tatum: You were doing your job. Thank you.

[jazusamo]

For what it’s worth I believe Lance Cpl Tatum. Thanks, Red.

[freema]

Start at Post #122.

[RedRover]

Whoops. I spoke too soon. Usually, these hearings end with a statement from the accused, but according to the USMC website, the hearing resumes tomorrow.

[freema]

Red. If you look at the Haditha and Hamdania Timelines links, they’ve been updated as of today. Any idea what the update was to the Haditha Timeline? I can’t tell.

The Hamdania update, I assume is the commencement of Hutchins court-martial.

[RedRover]

I believe the change is that the LCpl Tatum hearing is continuing. I believe they thought it was ending today but closing statements will be tomorrow.

[freema]

But it doesn’t say that, specifically. So, I wondered if something else was changed... some wording somewhere. I’ve never captured it, nothing to compare : (

[RedRover]

I’m in the same boat! I thought it was the Tatum hearing because it says “July 16-24: Hearing continues”.

[freema]

hmmmmmmmmmmm. a mystery.